The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1911-11-23
kRC.y-ENEMY OF LAND
CRATER wins HONOR
FOR PUBLIC fidelity
Educational Meeting Unveils
Statue to Savior Of Public
School Lands.


Madison, S. D., Nov 20.--Hundreds
Of educators and other prominent resi-
dent Of the state will gather during the
annual meeting OF the South Dakota
Educational association. to be held at
Pierre the last week Of November. for
the purpose of paying tribute to Gen.
William H. II. Beadle. who is generally
known as the father Of the educational
system of South Dakota.
Believing that it is better to honor
q man while he is yet living than to
wait until he has passed away, move1
ment was inaugurated year or two
ago TO provide a statute OF General
Beadle for erection in the new statd
capitol at Pierre. Funds were con!
tributed by the school children Of the
! etate. The statue wars completed re-
Gently. and during the meeting OF tho
state educational association 1t will DO
dedicated with elaborate ceremonies,
| in which the state officers and numer-
GUS other prominent residents of South
| Dakota will participate. The distin-
guished educator in whose honor the
| statue is to be unveiled Will himself
/, be one of those present.
Schools Great Patrimony.
|
that the permanent school fund Of the
state will ultimately amount to be-
tween $150.000,000 and $500, 100000 Tho
interest on the permanent school fund.
which Is constantly growing, goes to
the support Of the public schools Of tho
state, and this has already reached
such proportions as to very materially
contribute toward the support of thu
schools. The interest is twice each
year distributed among the various
schools of the state.
When South Dakota adopted it's con-
stitution the land spectators were much
in evidence and sought by various
means to have q clause inserted In tho
state constitution fixing the value Of
the school lands at IS an acre. During
those trying times, when the most far
seeing craftsmanship was required to
preserve to the people their school
lands, General Beadle came to the res
, half.
General Beadls's Campaign.
He travelled all over the Dakotas on
Foot and on horseback, addressing au-
dinces here and there and impressing
upon the people the Importance Of care
fully safeguarding their rights lest they
be stolen from them. His earnestness
and persuasive eloquence aroused the
public conscience, and. after bitter
had enlisted in the fight, succeeded In
getting the school and endowment land
section inserted in the body of the
| state constitution.
This fixed the minimum value Of all
these lands ut $40 per acre. General
Beadle was afterward twitted by skep-
tics for maintaining that a part of
the former so-called great American
desert could ever be worth this sum.
But not more than 20 years had elapsed
when O part of these lands sold readily
at more than $43 an acre.
| Increment for Schools.
Through the foresight Of General
| Beadle the increase in the value OF
these lands was saved for the benefit
Of the public schools Of the state iri-
! stead of going into the pockets or spec
ulators. as would have been the case
had they been permitted to get pos
session Of the land at the low figure
at which they wished to be valued
when the constitution OF the state was
being drafted.
matter, his victory and his fame as
leader attracted the attention of the
officials Of the United States at Wash
ington, and he was warmly commended
by Hon. Carl Schurz, then secretary OF
the interior, for his stand and success
In saving the school lands OF the new
| state. =,
It is a significant fact and testi-
monial to his wisdom that seven other
states which have since been admitted
to the union Of states have embodied
in their constitutions but slight altera-
lions Of the school land provision writ.
ten into the South Dakota constitu-
ton by General Beadle.
Biographical.
William Henry Harrison Beadle was
born January /. 1888. in Parke county
Ind. In 1867 he engaged in the prac-
tice Of law at Evansville, Ind. The
following year he removed to Boscobel
Wis, where he practiced law for two
years. Later In 1869 he was appointed
surveyor general for the territory OF
Dakota, taking up his residence In
what is now South Dakota and residing
in his adopted territory and state up u
the present time. Since coming to Da'
kota he has held other positions o.
trust. and during his eventful career
always has taken a keen interest IL
educational affairs
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SUPERINTENDENT STONER'S
EADMEPC, lNCTITIITE MATES