The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1910-05-26
WILL Mr.. ELROD ANSWER
Pertinent Questions Addressed to Can
d1date Elrod.

01date Elrod.
AS Mr.. Flrod was governor of South
Dakota for two years and should know
what the necessary expense of running
the state are, and as he is running on
a platform charging extravaganza upon
the Vessey administration and prom
Using to reduce the expense if elected,
the progressive republicans desire to
ask Mr.. Elrod and respectfully request
that he answer in his addresses, the
following questions:
(). What Offices or office created
essary, and what ones will you abolish
if elected governor of this statei
(2). What items of the running ex-
penses of the Vessey administration
are extravagant, and what will you
relieve the tax payers of the state from
if elected governor of this state!
Please name each item.
(3). What appropriation for pub
lie institutions in this state are ex-
travagant, and how much will you re
duce the appropriations 70. the public
institutions of the state, if elected gov
ernor? Please name each institution
whose appropriation you will reduce
and the amount that you will reduce
it, if elected governor.
(4). Can you name a state in the
Union or nation in the world whose ex-
penses have not bean increased as much
or more during the last three years as
have the expenses of the state of
South Dakotai
(5). If you cannot support the Yes
sey administration because the ex-
penses of the state have exceeded it's
the extent of about $65o,0OO, how can
you support the Taft administration
whose expenses for the fiscal year of
1909 alone exceeded its ven to the
extent of $11s, 795, 919.63?
(6). There are twenty-seven suits
now pending in the courts between the
state Of South Dakota and the various
railroads, telegraph and telepls>ne lines
of the state for violations of, or to en-
force obedience to, laws passed by pro
gressive legislatures since you were de-
feated for governor in l9O6.-If these
suits are properly prepared and tried,
will you explain how you IA fight
these great corporations with less mon
ey than the progressive legislature has
appropriated for the offices of attorney
general and railroad commissioners?
~. Will you tell the people how
many suits against railroads. telegraph
or telephone companies were started or
tried during your administration, and
if there were any, will you please name
the cases?
(S). What suits, if any were brought
by or against the state to control rail
roads, telegraph and telephone lines or
preceding the election of Governor
(9). The taxes levied and collected
in Clark county for all purposes, ex-
cept state taxes, for the year 1905
was $72,256.55, and for the year 1909,
$l29,6lS.35, an increase of 1898 per
cent, and during all this time the coun-
ty was controlled by a stalwart admin
istration. If it is not extravaganza
to increase the taxation within the
county 1898 per cent in four years,
under stalwart rule, why is it extra
VACANT for the state taxes to be in
creased sixty per cent in the same time
under progressive rule7
QO).. You are running on a plat
form declaring in favor of maintaining
a primary law. Did you not, as gov
ernor of the state, use your influence
with Representative B. o. Olson to in
duce him to vote against the submits
sion of the primary petition law to
a vote of the people of this state?
Q1). Did you directly or Indirectly,
while the question Of submitting the
primary law to a vote of the people
was berfore the legislature, request
William Diversion, chairman of the re-
publican county committee of Clark
County, to telegraph Hon. B. o. Olson
"Vote for the committee report if
possible,' or words to that effect,
knowing that such vote for the COM
nit the primary law to a vote of the
people and a vote against the consti-
tuition?
Q2). Did not Senator Danforth and
Rep. johnson and Fryslie, stalwart leg
islative delegation from Clark County
vote for each of these appropriations
which the stalwarts now charge are
extravaganza
(I3). The constitution of the state
of South Dakota, article (21), Par. 2,
provides that it shall not be competent
for the legislature to increase the sal
airy of the governor, except as in that
article provides, and it was provided
in that article that the governors sal
airy might be increased to So, 100000
per annum, which was lone by chap
ter (110) of the laws of 1901. Under
the general appropriation law of 1905,
it is provided that contingent fund for
the executive Office shall be payable
in equal monthly installments and on
certified voucher, filed in the office by
the person or department entitled to
the same under the law. Did you not
draw $4,000 a year for each of the
years of 1905 and 1906, in addition to
your salary of 100000 per year, and
draw the same monthly in the same
manner in which you drew your salary
and by simply filing your receipt in
the Office of the state treasurer. and