Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1911-02-09


no opportunity to go after the news
papers possibly as punishment for
misleading the people into voting for
| them.
| Ex-Governor Folk, of Missouri, while
in the city last week took advantage of
an invitation to address a joint session
of the house and senate. His talk was
largely along political lines, and, while
he was a democrat addressing a
strongly republican legislative body,
his talk was evidently satisfactory if
the applause granted him many times
was an indication OF the real senti-
ments of his hearers. He advocated
the Taft Canadian reciprocity act,
which received its need of commend
alton, but neither house is rushing
toward either adopting or rejecting the
doctrine. A resolution in the senate
asking senators from this state to
oppose such a treaty has come back
without any recommendation from the
committee and is waiting its turn on
the senate calendar, with no evident
desire to push it forward.
The Estate automobile, which was
one of the issues in the campaign of
1908, is again out in resolution by
Senator Hitchcock, which has features
of joke in it. He attempts to fix the
person who is to go for the machine,
and to bring it from Sioux Falls to
Pierre, and it was taken in the joke
line, and referred to the committee of
Legislative phraseology for consideration
AS Hitchcock is chairman of that COM
mittee, he will probably call an early
session of it and get a report. AS the
machine was purchased with state funds
for the state educational department by
Supt. Ustrud, and has been in a shed
at Sioux Falls, or at least it is alleged
it has been so kept ever since it was
purchased, it is time that something
should be done with it, and whatever
can be got out of it turned back into the
funds which were used for the pur-
chase of something for which no one
ever had any use.
The legislative grist is at last begin
ming to come out of the mill, and while
it drops slowly from the hopper as yet,
the output will be on the increase fro m
now to the close of the session One of
the bills now ready to go to the COVER
nor, having been cleared by both
houses, is that abolishihg the Office of
state telephone Inspector. That office
was created as political necessity four
years ago. After an appointment to
the place it was found that while there
was an office and salary, no travelling
expenses were provided, and the holder
drew his breath and his salary pretty
regularly, but, as might be expected,
he did not spend much of his own money
running over the state on business for
the state. Two years ago an express
appropriation was added to the depart
ment, but the present session could not
see any necessity of continuing the
office. Bills are in for adjustment of
other offices, and while some of them
will get through with little opposition
| the desire to "wipe out" appeared to
be SO strong at the opening of the ses-
sion that excess of zeal carried in bills
which will hardly get much show in the
line of securing elimination of the Off
ces aimed at.
Women of the state, who are advo-
Gates of equal suffrage, have been delv-
| ing into the constitution of the state,
and say they have found that while
they cannot vote, they can under the
constitution legally hold any of the
/ elective state or county offices, except
those of governor, acknowledgement,
judges of the supreme court, and legis-
lative positions. They base this conten-
tion primarily on section 8, article of
the constitution, which reads: ANY
woman having the qualifications enum-
Grated in section /, of this article, as to
age, residence and citizenship, and
including those now qualified by the
laws of the territory, may vote at any
election held solely for school purposes
and may hold any office in this state,
except as otherwise provided in the
constitution. With this as a start,
they say that they are in position to
push their claims as woman's party,
and can make gains which will give
them leverage for pushing equal suf-
frage.
Hon. X. o. Richards, of Huron, wa $
a very prominent figure in the lobby of
the hotels last night Mr. Richards is
perhaps the best spender in the state
and therefore one of the best fighters
of the state. The insurgent element of
the republican party has practically
been financed by him until such time
as they won the Offices. 1t is very
generally conceded that he spent $685.
| C)00 m elect Coe I Crawford tn the