The Tabor independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1913-19??, 1915-02-04
EXEMPT SCHOOL LAND
IN WESTERN SECTION
CAUSES CONTROVERSY
Western Members Claim State
Gets Benefit and Should
Vote School Aid.

Pierre, S. D., Feb. lit required
nearly two and one-half hours of the
time of the house to decide whether
school districts in the western part OF
the state. whose taxable area is serious
ly curtailed by the fact that the state
lands lie within their limits, should be
assisted by an appropriation Of $12,500,
as last year, or by some larger
amount. The bill, as introduced by Pat
terson, Of Potter, called for an ep-
preparation OF 100000 but the commit
tee reported 1T with $12,500 recommend
ed for each year! the appropriation to
run on indefinitely. After a hard fight
in which the bill was lost and recon-
sidered II was passed with $4,000 APP
preparation provided. +
A long battle in which the lines were
to some extent drawn between the east
ern and western parts of the state fol-
lowed the motion of Anderson, of Cor
son, to increase the appropriation to
$25, 900. Johnston OF Meade, said the peo-
pie of the west considered the proxlm-
ity OF state lands as an unmitigated
curse, and resented the imputation that
they were a benefit to the school dis
tricts in which they were located.
Anderson, Of Clark, declared the
schools in the eastern part of the state
were a burden upon the taxpayers as
well as those in the west and he OPP
posed the amendment. This reused
Tscharner, OF Perkins, to a defense OF
the children going to the little sod
school houses" and prairie shacks." He
declared the state was refusing to sell
the state lands until the settlers had
so improved and built up the country
that the lands would be valuable. You
can pick up all Of Moody county" he
county and YOU can't cover with 1t the
state lands in that county No taxes
are paid on this land to help maintain
the prairie schools
After a recess Of 10 minutes, the
fight was again taken up on motion
Of Withee. of Turner, to reconsider.
Charges Of unfairness were banded
back and forth. The bill was recon-
sidered and a motion made to change
the amount Of the appropriation from
$25,000 to $4,000. An amendment 10
the amendment was offered making
the amount $4,000. but a substitute
motion by Ruhlman to make 1t $4,000
went through.
House Routine.
On motion OF Labrie, of Sphinx, the
vote by which house bill No. 20, pro-
viding for keeping a record of all
acknowledgements was passed, was
reconsidered. Objections were made
to the added cost of acknowledgements.
Bigger of Fall River, wanted house
bill No 1872 prohibiting the sale of
liquor within five miles of the Soldiers
home, taken out. Of the hands of the
committee on temperance, because the
author of the bill was chairman Of the
temperance committee, but the house
refused to establish this precedent.
House joint resolution No. 5, paving
the way to take advantage of the fed
eral appropriation for agricultural ex-
tension work under the th-Leever
act, was passed.
House bill No. 6, requiring the at
torney general to prepare a synopsis
OF all referred and initiated laws and
constitutional amendments to be-
printed on the official ballot, was
passed almost unanimously.
House bill No. 60, by Benson. OF
Moody, permitting cities to work vag-
rants on the streets, was passed
unanimously. G
The house passed a bill making the
owners of gasoline traction engines
subject to the same regulations as own
ers of steam engines.
BY a decisive vote the bill Of Walt
ner giving fire department heads the
power to condemn and order removal OF
firetraps was defeated.
Senate Routine.
BY a vote of "a to the senate passed
UrdahPs nepotism bill after the house
had killed similar bill the day pre-
Vious.
After the question OF reducing the le-
gal maximum interest in the state from
10 to 10 per cent had been rather thor
oughly threshed out; with objections
on the ground that the state was new
and money scarce, and arguments in
favor on the grounds that eastern loan
sharks profited by the high rate OF in
terest, the bill was voted down, Is to
%. Another bill of similar import was
lost by a vote of II to "a
StOner's nepotism bill, which includ-
ed county officials in the prohibition
against employing relatives, was sent
back to committee for amendment.
The senate passed the house concur
rent resolution for an investigation into
the states system Of auditing and &C
counting and reports that state money
had been improperly expended. The
vote on This resolution was 90 tn O