Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1895-02-08
DO1NGs AT PIERRE.
WORK OF THE SOUTH DAKOTA
LEGISLATURE.
An Impartial Record Of the Work Ac-
compllshed by Those Who Make Our
Laws-How the Time Has Been Occu.
pied During the Past Week.
Our Lawmakers.

VA0 = GOV NvO0A
Our Lawmakers.
In both the House and Senate on the 25th,
bills we're introduced that occasioned some
squirming. One is a bill that requires
state and county officials to purchase all
printed supplies within the state. Another,
introduced by Mr.. Miller of Faulk County,
would put up at auction the job of distrib-
ating ballot boxes and would notify judges
OF election by registered letter. Another
aims to reduce the fees of the Clerk of the
Supreme Court. There is a bill about
ready for introduction which looks to an
increase of the Supreme and Circuit Judges
by q fee system. Ajoint resolution passed
the House providing for a committee to in
Yestigate Major Ruth, eX-commissioner of
school and public lands. The county au-
iditors and treasurers of the state who have
been in session at Pierre, were invited by
the committee on counties to suggest a
substitute bill for the protection of county
funds and and recommend a bill Compel
ling commissioner to select every bank in
the county as repositories, each to receive
lin proportion to their paid up stock, pro-
!vided security should be given, and allow
ing t%reasurers at no time to hold over one
fourth of the county funds, and also pro-
''viding that the repositories make regular
reports to the county auditors. Both
houses adjourned until the 29th.
The Legislature r%ecOnvened on the 10Th
after a recess of three days. Consultation
with the folks at home during the recent
long adjournment led to the introduction
of twenty new bills in the Senate and fif-
teen in the House. The roll call of the
Senate showed every Senator present eX-
Nonf Mr. IlrOLarrr ne D,n,,,,. r. gs.%, &C..
members were present in the House, five
absent and thirteen excused.
Among the House bills introduced were
two providing that townships may MAIN
tain fences on public highways and bond
for that purpose; two relating to the SAL
aries OF county registers and treasurers.
Bill No. 1875 definitely fixes the salaries of
the officers at $1,000 each.
AT the inc this was introduced in the
House the Senate was considering the final
passage of the Senate bill introduced by
Senator Kelly of Day County, which bases
the salaries of these two officers OH
population, and which, should it pass,
will reduce the salaries of treasurers an
average of 5000 to $500 and registers sala-
ries $500 to $500. Representative Roland
introduced a bill providing for u bounty
OF $l.5O for the destruction of coyotes and
So for grey wolves. Mr.. Reid introduced
a bill eXempting new railroads from tax
alton for five years after construction. The
agricultural board is asking for passage of
a bill appropriating $3.50 to settle old in
,d%cbtedness and that theState Fair be per-
manently located for not less than five nor
more than ten years. BY request Mr.. AM
norman introduced a bill repeating the
special assessment laws of Pennington and
Custer Counties. A favorable report wa
made on four bills-one providing for a
lien for labor and material in making Or
improving property; IL making void all
mortgages on property not actually exist
ing, which would shut out crop mortgages
on crops to be grown and also all increase
of stock as now held, and one providing a
tax collector under certain conditions.
The reports were adoptedon the four bills.
Bill No. q, which %wouldcXempt from tax
alton all increase of value arising from
tree, vine and shrubbery planting was a
special order and was lost. Another re-
port OH the case of Olaf Nelson, from Ly-
County, was referred to the Judiciary
Committee. The sheritis' bill, providing
So and SIG respectively for sunmmoning
grand and petit juries, was made a special
order for the 3lst.
Neither droutll, frost, depleted treasury,
or hard times seem to affect the fertility of
the mind of the South Dakota Legislature
so far as the Introduction of bills is con-
lcerned. The Both inst brought its usual
rush, fifteen in the Senate and twelve in
the House. The House bills are: To pro-
vide private crossings furnished by the
railroad Where a man owns and fences both
sides of the track; to abolish public ware
houses and grain grading; to keep state
funds in state safe; to make taxes a prior
flien on personal property: to pay states
attorneys 4 mills on the first 100000 of
county assessment and 1 mill on the next
!$5O0,OU, with a mill on all in excess.
House bill No. 1S7, introduced by Mr.. Col
win of Mitchell, would also hold railroads
more strictly to account for injury or dam
iage to employees and passengers.
! The principal Senate bills are: To give
f$25 premium for sinking an artesian we'll:
to more severely punish indecent crimes:
Ito tax shot guns and rifles; to pay the
Railroad Commissioners $1,000 per annum
each and their clerks $500, and to make
more easy the terms of redemption of
foreclosed mortgages. In passing the cen
,sus bill the Senate SO amended it as to nut
the work in the charge of the Commissions
er Of Labor and Statistics instead of the
Auditor and cut the appropriation from
$1,000 to $1,000. 1t also passed several
minor bills affecting court prejudice, but
when the bill changing the rate of interest
under contract from 12to 10 per cent. came
up a snag was struck, and after Mcssrs.
Kelly, Day and Doran of Sanborn on one
side, and Mr.. Wilson of Fall River on the
other, had spoken the bill under motion of
Mr.. Aplin went tower for correction to make
it comply with the rules of the Senate,
SPECIAL TAX in SOUTH DAKOTA.