The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1907-01-09

political lnG9fln8S, ADMINISTRATIONS anu
transportation Of speak
ers. rent, maintenance and furnishing
headquarters and halls, payment OF
clerks, ston0graphers and messengers
actually employed for men at the polls
to check off voters to and from the
polls. Paying out money for any other
in connection with campaigns
and elections is made crime. All
funds used for the purpose named
must first go into the hands of treas
urer, who must keep complete rec
ord thereof, which must be kept open
for inspection, and within a given
period after election a specified, full,
true and detailed account of all re-
ceipts and disbursements must be
made by him under oath and filed with
one of the public officers Of the county
or state, A similar law has been enacted
In New York and in a number of other
states and the dominant political party
in this state has demanded the enact
ment of such law here. The neces-
sity for ii has been emphasized by
conditions which exist in the state.
Fellow Servant Law.
Employees of railway companies en-
gagged in the service in this state are
Disseminated against by our statute
whsn compared with the federal stat
ute and that of surrounding states.
The rule of the old common law that
an employer is not liable for death or
injury to an employe caused by the
negligence of a fellow servant is ap-
piled to employees of railway COM
panies in this state, The rule has
been changed by statute in Iowa, Wis
consin and other states.
The present congress enacted law
approved on June Il, 1906, providing
that common carriers engaged in COM
merce between the states shall be
liable to any of its employees, or In
case of his death, to his personal rep
resentative for the benefit Of his widow
and children, for all damages which
may result from the negligence Of any
of its officers, agents or employees, or
by reason of any defect or insufficiency
due to its negligence in Its cars, en-
gines, appliances, machinery, track,
roadbed, ways or works." also pro-
viding that the fact that the employe
was guilty of contributary negligence
shall not bar a recovery" where 1t was
slight, "and that OF the employer was
gross in comparison, but the damage
shall be diminished by the jury in pro-
portion to the amount of negligence at
tributable to such employe. All ques-
tions of negligence and contributary
negligence shall be for the jury"
This excellent statute should be
made the law of this state SO that it
may be applied to causes which would
not come within the jurisdiction OF the
federal courts.
A bill Is also pending before con-
gress to limit the continuous employ
ment of these men to sixteen hours. A
law of the same kind should be en-
acted here and should provide res
pite Of eight hours to the employe who
has been continuously at work for six
teen hours before he can be again
called out.
| earnestly recommend legislation
upon both these matters.
Railway Freight and Passenger Rates.
The subject of freight and passenger
rates is occupying the attention of the
people at this time. Under the law of
1897 the board of railway commission
ers has full and complete power to
make the most thorough inspection
and investigation of existing rates and
to promulgate and enforce a new
schedule of charges for both freight
and passenger traffic. It is unfortu-
nate that the board has delayed action
in the matter until the last moment
and did not enter upon it In time to
give the results to the public before
this Legislature convened, so that it
might supplement the action of the
board with any further legislation that
might appear necessary.
1t is to be hoped that the board will
take action sufficiently early to enable
you to thoroughly examine the results
and to take such further steps as the
situation may require.
Local freight rates on the lines with
In this state have remained upon prac-
tically the same basis since 1900 The
demand for a revised rate schedule is
growing stronger and very thorough
investigation of the whole subject must
be made by the board Of railway COM
missioners at once and new schedule
promulgated with such reductions in
freight and passenger charges as pres
ent conditions require. Otherwise, the
duty Of taking the necessary steps for
relief will rest upon you.
The governor recommends that a
law similar to the Minnesota connect
ing track law be enacted, which will
enable the state railway commission
to compel intersecting railroads to so
unite their tracks as to permit the
transfer from one to the other Of
loaded cars and making the haul over
both roads a continuous haul and the
rate continuous through rate.
Assessment Laws.
Every one comedies that our revenue
laws are crude and inadequate. The
retiring governor two years ago, at
the close of an administration of foLr
years, devoted a large portion of his
address to the legislature to this one
subject In his opening address to the
legislature my Predecessor referred To