The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1919-09-10
STATE MAY give
SOLDIERS BONUS
LEGISLATURE is EXPECTED TO
FOLLOW ACTION TAKEN
OTHER STATES

That South Dakota will follow the
lead of her sister states of North Da-
kota and Minnesota in providing a
bonus for the men and women who
have served in the great war is the
hope and the belief of --djutant-Gen-
eIal w. A. Morris, of Redfield, who
has issued a statement on the subject.
1t is necessarily matter for the state
legislature to decide, either at the
next regular session in the winter of
192O-21 or at a special session.
In the meantime, the adjutant-
general urges all discharged men and
women to file their records with the
county auditors in their respective
counties, as in no other way can his
office secure a complete list. Fail
ure to do this may mean forfeiture of
any bonus that may be provided by
| the state.
The adjutant-general's statement
| follows:
MY attention has been called to
newspaper articles appearing in the
state papers recently relative to a
proposed state bonus to honorably
! discharged service men from South
| Dakota. Numerous letters received
| by this office seem to indicate that
| service men are getting the impress
sion that bonus has already been
provided by this state. This is not
correct.
| mo bonus has been provided by
| the state legislature, and no bonus
can be provided until the state legis-
lature meets, which will not be until
the winter of 1920-21, unless a spe-
cial session should be called for some
purpose in the interim.
1T is true that many states are
taking this means of rewarding their
service men. North Dakota, | under
stand, is planning to give her service
men $25 per month for each month
of foreign service. Minnesota is CON
sidering the proposition of a bonus of
| $40 per month for each month of ser
vice Other states are already giving,
or drafting legislation TO provide, a
bonus of from $50 to $100. South
Dakota gave her boys on the Mexican
border SIS bonus, but what she will
| do in respect to her world war sol
diers is a matter which must be taken
up by the next legislature.
THE soldiers enumeration record
| blanks sent out to the assessors last
! spring were originally intended in
connection with a state history of the
boys who served in the war against
| the Central Empire, but those rec
ords, when properly returned to this
office, will be most valuable to the
service men themselves, as it will be
then possible for this office to see
that each soldier, sailor or marine is
accorded the benefit of all favorable
4 legislation already on our statute
books or any future laws passed Civ
i ing bonus or other special considera-
ton to those who served in the war.
i South Dakota has alreadp rovided
a law whereby returned soldiers may
/ purchase their own farms, improve
/ and stock same through the South
4 Dakota land settlement commission,
i of which Colonel Boyd Wales is land
commissioner. A moratorium act has
been passed exempting soldiers from
taxes during the time they were in
| service, and eXempting them from
! legal process to collect debts and
4 staying judgments, liens, etc, for tho
period of their service and one year
\ after discharge. Acts have also been
i passing giving free tuition in state
| institutions TO honorably discharged
i soldiers, and also giving preference
in public employment TO service men,
South Dakota has already given
| her soldiers the above recognition for
their services, and it is not likely that
she will be behind her sister states
/ in any patriotic good move, but in
/ order that the service men may avail
themselves of these laws passed, this
office should have some record OF
them, and to this end / urge every
soldier, sailor or marine, each Y. Nj
i C. A., Y. w. G.. A., X. of c., Red
i Cross, Salvation Army and canteen
/ worker who has been in the service
i during the war to make application
to their county auditor for soldiers
enumeration blank, fill same out and
return to such auditor. In case the
auditor has no blanks on hand, this
office will furnish them on request
This is important for the benefit OF
i the service men and women of this
state, and in case they have not re-
turned to the state, some relative
should attend to this for them"