The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1912-03-21
GULL VISITS BROOklNGS.


addressed the students of the State
college at the regular weekly convo-
cation, his address there, OF course,
being non-political. He spent the af-
ernoon meeting the people Of the city
and in the evening addressed a good
crowd at the G.. A. r. hall. Mr.. Gull
is a clean-cut gentleman of many at
tainments and made a very favorable
impression in this city.
Mr.. Cults platform as outlined in
his address indicates that while he
is not a radical he is in favor Of many
reforms along state lines. He de-
clared himself opposed to the recall
of judges, in the belief that the people
of South Dakota always have and
probably always will have confidence
in the honesty and integrity Of their
judges. However, Mr.. Gull empha-
sized the need Of reforms in judicial
procedure. to sweep away the mass Of
technicalities that too often stand in
the way of speedy justice for all par
ties concerned in court cases.
Mr.. Gull advocated a change in the
present method Of assessing property
in this state, declaring that it vas
inadequate and unfair. Under the
present system the assessing Is done
by hundreds of assessors throughout
the state and each one has a different
view of the regulations issued by the
state tax board and each one differs
from every other in his judgment Of
taxable property. Mr.. Gull would have
the work done under a state commits
sion and continue throughout the en-
tire year, doing entirely away with
local pr~ejudices.
The speaker declared himself in IA
vor of a state wide system of high
ways, with state aid for road work.
The present constitution forbids the
spending of state money for internal
improvements, but this should be
changed, said Mr.. Gull, to enable the
state to pay at least one-third OF the
cost OF good highways. The bulk OF
the balance. said the speaker, should
be paid by the county, and but a
small proportion by the adjacent prop
erty owner.
Reorganization OF the state board
of health Is a much needed reform,
according to Mr.. Gull. He would cut
the membership from five to three,
pay the members salary enough to let
them devote more OF their time to the
public health, and give them much
greater powers than they have hereto.
fore enjoyed.
The board of regents Mr.. Gull
would also reduce from five to three
members and instead of having the
governor appoint them he would have
them elected by the people. Some
people object to this method on the
theory that the state institutions
should not be dragged into politics,
but under the present system the
board Of regents are appointed large
ly from the personal following Of the
successful candidate for governor and
as they are not responsible to the
people there is no assurance that they
will not drag dirty politics into the
state institutions.
Mr.. Gull spoke Of the large endow-
ment lands of the state for the bene-
fit of the public schools and higher
institutions of learning, and advocat.
ed the withdrawal Of these lands from
the market for the present and their
ultimate sale at a minimum price of
fifty dollars an acre.
The "blue sky" law, adopted by the
state of Kansas for the regulation of
the sale of capital stocks and bonds,
was endorsed by Mr.. Gull. This law
is designed to prevent the sale OF
worthless stocks and bonds and has
worked admirably in Kansas.
Mr.. Gull said that he favored the
adoption of a fixed percentage Of the
state tax for the support of the state
institutions, which would do away
with the lobbying and wire-pulling in
cident to every legislative session.
Members from institution counties
are handicapped, because they are not
able to assert their independence and
oppose every bill they believe to be
bad for fear Of the vengenangce OF the
author Of the bill and his friends
when when the appropriation for
their institution comes to a vote.
Brookings county has had this expert
ence, in common with other institu-
ton counties, and well knows of its