The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1895-02-09
SOUyHDAKOTA LEGISLATURE
The Measures Which Have Be-
come Laws.
Only Six Bills Have Obtained the Gov.
ernor's Signature Up to Date-The
Effect of the Taylor Detail
cntion on Legislation.

Pierre, S. D., Feb. Awhile the
present legislature is unquestionnbly
notable for the number of highly inn
portant bills introduced. the first four
weeks have seen very few measures OF
general interest passed. The reasons
for this are tolerably plain. During
the first two weeks attention was IL
tirely concentrated upon the Taylor
defalcation and general doubt exist ed
about the income of the state and the
management of it's financial affairs.
This is nov out of tho way finally. aud
the members are dcvoting themselves
to their immediate interests. Up to
the present time only six measures have
passed and become laws. The first
was an act empowering the treas
urer to float anticipation warrants
against the assessed but unsolicited
taxes. Taylor $ fight left the treasurer
with only $1,000 in cash. There was
outstanding ut the time something like
S33o,o0O in unpaid taxes and 500, 900
in other resources certain t o come in by
tho first of July. The problem was,
however, to get ready cash immedi-
ateiy. Under the statute there was no
WY to do this, but the legislature
promptly passed g bill under which the
treasurer may foat 6 per cent warrants
to the amount of the assured income.
No opposition was made whatever
to this measure and the treasurer
is now certain within thirty days
to hive all the cash needed until tho
next tax is laid, which will be in Au-
guet. The second bill to become a law
was he constitutional amendment to
wipe out prohibition, already fully de-
scribcd. A number of other measures
pertaining to the temperance question
are pending and are being fought by
one side or the other. One of them
takes tho sale of liquors for medicinal
purposes out of the hands of drug
stores and gives it TO state dispen-
saries. Another one fixes the line be-
tween Intoxicating and Misunderstanding
liquors. Another bill of considerable
Importance is Mr.. Royce's bill, No. 81,
which repeats the act providing means
for paying expenses of examining the
school lands of the state. The bill hns
passed both houses and is now n law.
Another is Mr.. Royce's bill, No. /,
which repeats the law passed two years
ago empowering attorneys to charge so
cents a folio for paper. IL was found
that under this law certain attorneys
ran up the costs in simple suits to
enormous amounts and made it n pre-
text for robbing their clients unmerci-
fully. The law vas promptly repealed
without opposition.
The next bill to pass was MIR. Foote'S
bill No. 70. This provides for experi-
mental irrigation. Under the old law
OF 1889 the counties We're permitted to
join with individuals in sinking artc-
sian wells nnd sixteen of these wells
were sunk in Brulc county, the county
paying 10 per cent oil the cost. This
bill permits nm amount of water when
in proportion to the amount expended
by tho county to be diverted from the
ordinary purpose of of the wells which
gas for watering stock and to sell the
water to individual farmers for irriga-
ton purposes. Under its terms it is ex-
pected that IL large number of farmers
i'll Brule county will make u practical
test of irrigation the coming year.
Mr.. Peasc's joint resolution, No. 4,
provided for the investigation of tho
d~efalcation of Taylor and the commits
sion created by the bill is now at work.
Mr.. Benefits bill, No. ~, provided
that the state treasurer should make
monthly reports to the governor of tho
mount of cash on hand, tho amount
expended and the repositories where
the cash was, and TINT the repositories
should also send tho governor the
amounts they hold.
This is a full list of the bills which
have obtained the governors signature
and become laws.