The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1910-08-26
STATE AUDITORS REPORT WILL
HEREAFTER SHOW EVERY
ITEM OF EXPENSE
BALLOT IS NOT ALL GREEK
A Seven-Hundred-an and Twenty Square
Inch Ballot Need Not Alright
Voters if Approached
With Caution
BY DOANE ROBINSON.

Pierre-The first report Of the stat
auditor, under the new law recurring
every item of every voucher to be
printd at large, is now in the hand
Of the printer. The report will make
a document of more than 500 pages
and, for the first time, the public vii
have a convenient means of knoWing
precisely how every penny Of state
funds is expended Hitherto this could
be ascertained only by an examination
of the vouchers filed in the state au-
ditor's office The new plan is CAUSING
some perturbation among some Off
cials, who declare they were not in
formed that their vouchers We're to lie
printed. That its result will be gen
orally salutary cannot be doubted l. for
even honest men viii scrutini tn
vouchers they file for publication with
greater care and there will be feWe
careless and improvident expenditures.
Officials, too, will be exposed t. un
Just criticism from those unQualaeu
to determine the necessities of eX-
penditures, and a new personal Gle
ment is certain to be introduced inuo
succeeding political campaigns.
There is a good deal of criticism OF
the referendum ballot to be voted al
the coming election. Six laws are up
for approval, and they make the bal
lot six feet long and ten inches wide
In fact, the arrangement of the laws
upon the ballot is the best that can
be devised and one least likely t. lpa1
the voter into error, Each act stand
by itself under a proper heading, tn
lines of it running clear ac Oss the
ballot SO that one could scar ely b.
misled into voting for the WrGng act
as was the case with the former al
lot voted two years ago. The egls-
lature spent much time in devils n2
form that would be clear and com
prehendable. The great length Of he
ballot is chiefly due to the fact that
the military code was reIerend mei
and has TO be printed in its entirety
upon the ballot
The forest service Is meeting with
excellent results in the Black His in
its efforts to reforest the cut-oyer and
burned Lover lands The plan pursued
is the simple one of sowing pine seeds
broadcast at the rate Of about eight
pounds to the acre. The birds and
gCphers get away with a big per-
centage of the seed so sown but
enough is saved so that a fine groWth
of young pine is secured wherever the
seed has been soWn. 1t is a mistake
to suppose that forest fires in the
Hills destroy all of the timber in the
sections burned. or even q consider
able portion of It. Very small trees
are killed. but it is really astonishing
to see how much burning a pine for
est viii endure without material In
jury. In fact, the law of health which
governs a pine tree is pretty hard to
determine. A tree will come through
a dozen big fires with its trunk only
charred and live on for generations,
but some camper comes along and
drives a shingle nail into it and it
dies
The success of James Holding Eagle
Of the Mandans is another Illustration
of view often urged OF the superiCr
results of the work Of the denomina-
tional school among the Indians. 1t
may be too strong statement to say
that all Indians who have made good
in civilized ways came out Of the de-
nominational schools, but it is true
that very many of the successful red
men We're SO educated Mr. Eagle is
graduate Of the Consre gational Norm
al at Santee, Neb., an institution
whose foundations were laid by A.
fred Riggs of the Minnesota Mission
ary family soon after the outbreak in
1862. When the Minnesota Santees
were banished to the Missouri, Mr..
Riggs accompanied them and has been
with them ever since and the men and
women who accomplished good things
for their race who have come from
his tutelaKe are very numerous Such
schools deserve the substantial sup
pert Of all who hope for self respect
ing citizenship for the red man.
The Thomas murder case at Sturgis
promises unusually sensational deye
opments, and the air is filed with
sinister rumors. Thomas himself had
been considerably in the lmelight In
recent months and Mrs. Mcmahon who
shot him had been twice widow
within q very brief time, and her
enemies more than intimate that both
husbands were eheerfully assisted in
their taking OF Disinterment of Nc
Mahon the last husband is suggested.
The present condition Of the treas
ury supports Governor Nessey's con-
tention that the state debt will he
speedily extinguished. There is more
than a quarter of million net cash
on hand, making the total debt at this
time less cash in the general fund
about s36e, ,oe0, $135,000 Of which is
owed to the twine fund.
Buy the Sharard Elevator