782 



SOUTH DAKOTA. 



him, it shall be unlawful for such druggist to 

 furnish such person with any liquor whatever on 

 any terms. Ample authority is given to pros- 

 ecuting officers to enforce these provisions. 



A few days prior to May 1, the date on which 

 the act should take effect, the decision of the 

 United States Supreme Court in the case of 

 Leisy vs. Hardin was announced, and many of 

 the liquor dealers who had arranged to close 

 their saloons on that day determined to con- 

 tinue them as " original-package " shops. After 

 the passage of the Wilson bill in August, there 

 was a general closing of these places, but, owing 

 to conflicting decisions of the United States dis- 

 trict and circuit courts on the question whether 

 that bill could revive the provisions of the pro- 

 hibitory law and make them effective against 

 original packages, without being re-enacted, 

 these shops again appeared, and their suppression 

 could not be seriously undertaken by the State 

 officials pending the decision of this point by the 

 United States Supreme Court. The State law 

 has, therefore, not been enforced in those places 

 most needing its enforcement. (See ORIGINAL- 

 PACKAGE DECISION, in this volume.) 



Drought Sufferers. Late in 1889 reports 

 reached the Governor that the drought of the 

 preceding season, and consequent loss of crops, 

 had produced widespread destitution in the 

 central and western counties of the section east 

 of Missouri river. The facts were laid be- 

 fore the Legislature in January, but that body 

 could give no permanent relief, as the State Con- 

 stitution prevents the State and the counties 

 borrowing money for aid in such cases. Seed 

 grain was needed for use in the spring, and in 

 many cases food must be supplied. On Jan. 22 

 the Legislature passed a resolution appointing a 

 committee to confer with the warehousemen of 

 Minneapolis and secure, if possible, special rates 

 for seed grain. Meanwhile Gov. Mellette had 

 communicated with the boards of trade in Chi- 

 cago and other Western cities, asking for aid in 

 raising a relief fund of $50,000. On Feb. 18 he 

 was authorized by the Legislature to continue 

 these efforts, soliciting aid not only in the State 

 but from the large cities of the West, and to 

 appoint a committee of five to assist him in dis- 

 tributing the money and supplies received. Late 

 in the same month an act was passed authoriz- 

 ing the county commissioners of each county to 

 issue warrants not exceeding in amount 1 per 

 cent, of the county valuation, which should be 

 given in payment for seed grain purchased, such 

 grain to be loaned to needy settlers, the county 

 retaining a lien on the crop therefor. On March 

 3 a convention met at Huron, at which delegates 

 from the counties most interested assembled to 

 devise further means of relief. The Governor 

 was present, and a committee was appointed to 

 co-operate with the committee of five appointed 

 by the Governor in soliciting contributions. It 

 was estimated that seed grain worth $570,000 

 would be needed, of which the county commis- 

 sioners under the law above mentioned could 

 supply about three fourths. The railroads 

 agreed to transport such grain in some cases 

 free, in others at half rates. About the middle 

 of March Gov. Mellete announced that large 

 sums in addition to what had been already col- 

 lected would be needed from outside the State 



to purchase sufficient seed grain and feed for 

 stock, and the seed commission was divided into 

 sub-committees who were dispatched to the prin- 

 cipal cities of the neighboring States. Their 

 efforts were partially successful, and at a con- 

 vention in Huron on April 2 seed grain to the 

 value of $45,000 was apportioned among 25 

 counties in a manner satisfactory to the repre- 

 sentatives of those counties. The efforts of 

 Gov. Mellette and his committees continued un- 

 til the spring planting was completed, and large 

 additional quantities of seed were distributed in 

 places where the greatest need prevailed. 



The Sioux Reservation. On Feb. 10 Pres- 

 ident Harrison issued his proclamation, an- 

 nouncing that the various tribes of the Sioux 

 nation had given their consent to the act of 

 Congress providing for the purchase by the 

 United States of a large portion of their reserva- 

 tion and that the lands so acquired were open 

 to settlement. In anticipation of this event, 

 large numbers of people had gathered at Pierre, 

 Chamberlain, and other points on the borders 

 of the reservation, and were only deterred from 

 entering prematurely by the presence of United 

 States troops. When these were withdrawn the 

 intending settlers, most of whom, with their 

 teams and outfits, were stationed on the eastern 

 bank of the Missouri river, rushed wildly across 

 the stream and over the prairie, each striving to 

 be first to reach a coveted location. Although 

 it was midwinter, the bleak prairie was soon 

 dotted with the rude homes of thousands of 

 settlers, and in a few months the best lands had 

 been almost entirely taken up. The section of 

 the reservation thrown open to occupancy con- 

 sists of the counties of Nowlin, Ziebach, Scobey, 

 Delano, Rinehart, Choteau, Martin, and Wagner 

 entire, and portions of Stanley, Presho, Lyman, 

 Pratt, Sterling, Jackson, and Washington. 



Political. At a State convention of the 

 Farmers' Alliance and Knights of Labor at Hu- 

 ron, on June 6, it was decided by a vote of 418 to 

 83 that a new political party should be formed 

 under the auspices of these organizations. As 

 soon as this vote was reached the convention ad- 

 journed, and a meeting to take political action 

 was organized. A committee on resolutions re- 

 ported in favor of woman suffrage, a graded 

 service pension, prohibition of the liquor traffic, 

 a tariff for revenue only, and against the accept- 

 ance of passes by legislators and other public 

 officials. This report was adopted, and the 

 name of " Independent Party " was given to the 

 new movement. It was decided to call a con- 

 vention at Huron on July 9 for the purpose of 

 selecting candidates for State offices. 



On June 11 a State convention of the Dem- 

 ocratic party met at Aberdeen, and nominated 

 the following State ticket : For Governor, Maris 

 Taylor; for Lieutenant-Governor, Peter Couch- 

 man ; for Secretary of State, C. H. Freeman ; for 

 Treasurer, H. P. Horswill ; for Auditor, I. A. 

 Weeks ; for Attorney-General, S. B. Van Bus- 

 kirk ; for Superintendent of Public Instruction, 

 W. A. Buxton; for Commissioner of School and 

 Public Lands, E. H. Everson ; for Commissioner 

 of Labor, T. C. Kennelly; for Members of Con- 

 gress, C. M. Thomas and W. I. Quigloy. The 

 platform opposes all sumptuary legislation, 

 either by the State or National Government; 



