Omaha daily bee., 1899-02-15
SOUTH DAKOTA LEGISLATURE
DOings of Day by the Assembled solons at
Pierre.
GUNDERsoNS RAILROAD BILL IS KILLED
senate Passes Bill Requiring All
Grain Warchousemcn to Give
Donds-Scvcrnl New Meas
urcs Introduced.

| PIERRE, S. D., Feb. 14-(Special Tele-
! gram. THE house at the morning session
| adopted committee reports killing bills for
| the control of freight rates in the state and
/ compelling companies to put in scales at
| every station: and favorable report was
presented on the bill for the Asylum for the
| Blind at Gary. Principal bills introduced
were:
BY Packard-Creating a State Board of
| Agriculture, consisting OF a member from
each judicial circuit.
BY Smith-To protect rights of settlers
on free ranges from encroachment Of trans
lent herds Of cattle.
BY Misunderstanding for deputies for
county treasurers and auditors and fixing
their compensation.
BY Packard-Fixlng terms of railroad
commissioners at two years and providing
for the election of three members next year
and at each succeeding general election
BY Cotele-Establshing an experimental
| farm near Sturgis the people to donate the
state tract and the Agricultural college TO
have control.
BY Davis-Providing the manner Of oil in
spection.
The pure food bill passed by vote of 81
| to 0.
In the senate the fellow servant bill was
taken up and made special order for to-
morrow morning. Principal bills intro
! duced were.
BY Benedict-Providing for formation Of
building and loan associations.
| Joint resolution by Cooper, providing for
| an amendment requiring a majority of all
ments.
| The bill providing for a State Board Of
Embalmers passed.
In the house this afternoon the sentiment
| appeared to be in favor of slaughtering in
| stead of passing bills and while final action
was the order those who had bills UP which
they desired to get through asked for con-
| tinuance rather than have them get to q
vote.
Fixing Salaries of County Trensurcrs.
The only bill passed was one fixing salaries
| Of county treasurers at not to exceed 81, 500
| per year and which in fact cuts salaries in
Minnehaha, Brown and Lawrence counties
| and affects no other county In the state. The
| bill to appropriate $1,000 for a heating plant
| at the School for the Deaf and Dumb was
| fought over and a motion to indefinitely
| postpone was barely defeated, showing a
defeat for the bill final action and it
was carried over until tomorrow
| Several other appropriation bills were on
| the calendar and the friends of the bills
asked that they go over This was allowed
| and the special orders for tomorrow are ap-
Pi oPi iiatioho loi uedtIuB pldHJ dJ Ine
| School for the Deaf and Dumb; special
building at the Asylum for the Insane;
a building at Vermilion and a
building at the Agricultural college. The
resolution for constitutional amendment to
require educational qualification for
superintendents of schools was killed, as
were several minor bills.
Senate bills were then taken up for first
| and second reading. Varnum moved in
definite postponement of further action on
the first bill. This was supported by Glass
and the motion prevailed. The bill is the
railroad bill by Gunderson, which passed the
| senate with Hantens amendment fixing
valuation for assessment of railroads at not
less than two-thirds the value set upon them
by the court or the railroad commission.
Glass, in his speech, took the position that
the present law is sufficient and If railroads
are undervalued 1t is the fault of the state
assessment board and not the law, that the
bill before them was discriminating, and it
would be the duty of any court to so de-
cide In a suit under it, and that it con-
flicted with the plain provision of the con-
stitution 1t was killed without even a de-
mand for roll call.
The senate passed bills authorizing the
State Board of Assessment to levy taxes on
unorganiZed counties for judicial purposes
and care of the insane; curing the law as to
the Board of Pardons; requiring all grain
warehousemen to give bonds permitting
county mutual insurance companies to insure
against tornados.
The senate passed the house bill per-
mitting cities to refund bonds without hold
ing an election at rate not higher than
per cent, providing for the collection of taxes
Cn transient herds of cattle
A senate caucus this afternoon decided to
postpone action on the governors nomina-
tions until a week from tomorrow. The house
appropriations committee will report the
general appropriation bill tomorrow or
Thursday. A joint judicial caucus of re-
publican members of committees was held
this evening to look after any party meas
ures which require attention.
~rr, c-1n,y