The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1916-05-19

for the Register Of Deeds office, to
which place the people should HE
themselves and register their wants in
the official record books, whether it
related to the purchase or sale of a
farm, a COW, Or a horse; office furni-
ture, an automobile, or orange trees.
1t provided also that those seeking
employment and those needing help
should record their needs. The
closer together, every one would be
supplied.
He brought with him a petition
bearing the signatures of about 1000
voters. He gave the legislature the OPP
ton of passing his law or submitting
it to a vote under the initiative. AS
the election expenses on these matters
come very high, the legislature agreed
to pass the law and let Mr.. Richards
keep the petition for a souvenir. Under
this provision each county provided
expensive record books, the price
ranging from fifty to eighty dollars.
OF urse no use was made of them
there was no necessity for them in
this age-there might have been be-
ore printing presses were invented
n newspapers established as adyer-
Using mediums. People found it easier
to look in their papers and trade jour
nails for advertisements than to drive
to the court house. In very few coun-
ties was there ever a single entry made
an entry, a telephone request from a
fa fn. a hirnI GIRL rNhn DnD;,tnr
OF Deeds has not yet supplied the
need. In another county there is an
entry by a man who says he wants a
job next July to shovel snow at $500
per day. The law vas a joke, and after
W o years was repealed by the legisla-
ture.
Recently he has worked out an eX-
penSive plan OF temperance legisla-
ton and regulation. The main fea-
lures of which is that all grocery stores
may sell beer and wine.
Richards Primary Law
One Of his latest hobbies is a pri-
mary law recently repealed by the
legislature. 1t has some features tina
are good and many that are not. In
practice it proved SO expensive that
people demanded it's repeal. In many
counties it cost $500 for each vote
mating a candidate was more than the
salary which the office paid.
II this law had been complied with,
it Q have cost the senatorial dis
trict of Perkins and Harding county
100000 to nominate one state sena-
tor, whose salary is 100000 for a two
year period. The poor settlers who
were unable to pear such expenditures.
ignored and violated the law, as a
matter Of self preservation.
Facts From the Record
Mr.. chard misrepresents my Off
cial record, also my position as to his
primary law. He has not yet learned
that truth will 60 further in politics
than Misrepresentation.
l will review the record briefly.
The law vas initiated in 1911: Mr..
Richards having secured the required
initiative petition of about 5000 sig
natures before presenting it to the leg
islature.
The law vas submitted to the vot
ers under the NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
provision of III constitution. Mr.
Richards made a vigorous campaign
for it's adoption, claiming it was q
remedy for all of our political ILLS
and some others.
Many people accepted his broad as
sertion made during two years of Wig.
orous n expensive campaigning in
it's behalf. He claims to have spent
over $4,000 to secure It's adoption
No II was fighting his law. Many
We're hoping hat it might work gu,
we'll and it "a adopted by a large
majority. This is the only law ever
adopted by the people Of South Da-
kota under the initiative feature
which was placed on our constitution
about twenty-five years ago.
AS soon as the law was adopted ir
1912, it's many impractical. expensive
and unintelligible features became
apparent. It's many conflicting provi.
sions were unexplainable, even by Mr.
Richards himself.
NOrbcck's Record on Law
Public clamor went up for the re,
peal Of the law. There was a vigorou!
effort made in the following session
Of the legislature (1913) for it's re-
peal. The movement was led by Sen
ator Murphy Of Perkins county. I op
posed it's repeal and worked hare
agains: same. in fact l feel that
was largely responsible for saving thi
monstrous law from repeal by the leg
islature ninety days after the voter.
had adopted 1t. / took this position
because I felt that the people shoult
try the law out through one election
at least. being they had given it al
affirmative vote. The legislature at tina
time had no warrant for repeating tn
law, although a large number Of voter
who had supported it in Novembe
asked hteir representatives in Januar
to repeal It.
In the meantime the democrats ha,
drawn up and secured the submission
OF another primary law which was III
for consideration at the last genera
election. It was not believed to be
good law and raj defeated by a larg
majority. With thousands OF other
I voted against the adoption OF thi
law.
Mr.. Richards now insists that thi
vote was an endorsement OF his Law