Saturday news. (Watertown, S.D.) 19??-19??, 1914-10-22
SHORT BALLOTS NEED LONG
STUDY.

ooutn bdkola THIS year is to have
special honor. For the voters of the
state are to be real law makers. No
less than eight constitutional amend
ments are to be accepted or rejected
by them. Also three acts passed by
the last legislature have been refer
red to the people for ratification or
rejection. Also a proposition relat-
ing to the calling of a state coRstitu-
tional convention. All these uues-
tions-twelve in number-will be SUBJ
mitted for consideration on three sep-
arate election ballots. The wording
of the several measures would REQUIRE
large sheets of paper, bulky and awk-
ward for handling, so it has been de-
cided by the state authorities to con-
fine their submission to an identify
ing number and abbreviated title. In
some cases this condensation will be
easily comprehended by the average
citizen and he will experience no trou-
BILE in being able to vote intelligently.
In other cases he may haveSmore
difficulty in arriving at a satisfactory
conclusion. Take, for instance, prop
osition No. 8: The only information
afforded on the ballot as to the merits
Or dement's of this measure is this
brief but extremely blind statement
can Act, Entitled an Act to Amend
Section sos of the Revised Political
Code of the State of South Dakota,
Relating to Education. Shall the
above measure become a law Of this
state? Yes. No" That is all he
a conclusion as to how he had best
1icrncaE pf THIS p,,oefiCr Na&IER AT -, -
this specific case, the average prac-
tical, patriotic and p~ublic-spirited per-
son would reason presumptively
something like this: Why, this meas
ure must be in the interest Of educa-
ton and certainly / favor anything
that will advance educational inter-
ests. But, In fact, the proposition is
not designated to further or strength
en- the educational work of the state,
but rather the reverse-to weaken it.
The proposition, If carried, will result
in a practical duplication of our state
University--the creation and main.
tenance of two state Universities
where n exists now, and for the
adequate support Of which the state
has found it uphill work to accom-
plish, though each succeeding year
progress in this respect is being re-
ported, we are happy to say.
The proposition to amend Section
605 of the political code is simply an
effort on the part of some of the peo-
pie Of Aberdeen to convert their Nor
NAL and Industrial Training School
into another state University, divid-
ing honors and expense of equipment
and maintenance with the state Uni
versity long ago located at Vermil-
lion and which alone is fully ample in
all respects for properly caring for
the needs Of every youthful student
in our state DESTROYS of obtaining the
highest education training and devel-
opment possible. 1t must, therefore,
become obvious to the thoughtful
mind that the duplication of univer-
sity work in our comparatively sparse
,ly populated state (and no other state
in the Union, not even the largest,
has yet found it feasible to luxuriate
In two universities supported at pub
lie expense) would tend to weaken
and confuse instead OF strengthen and
c%orrelate our present state school
system.
There vas strong opposition in the
legislature to the passage of the act,
but the Brown county delegation, sup
plemented by a powerful lobby, forced
its passage. immediately after its
passage, however, prompt and efec-
tive a were taken for suspend
ing its operation until it was refer
red to the t~axpaying people of the
state for their final approval.
It is confidently believed that when
once the people of the state under
stand the full and consequential im-
port OF the proposed amendment-in-
creased taxes and duplicating our es-
tablished college w~ork-4they will
promptly and d~ecisiyely stamp out
the scheme with their vetoing vote.
There should be no duplication OF
state university work or Of state Ag-
r%icultural College work or Of State
School Of Mines work in n normal
school; let these latter remain con-
fined to their legitimate function,
which is the training OF persons for
instructors in the grade schools.
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