The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1907-03-15

! closed its work, started as a reform
body. and has devoted great deal
| Of attention to laws curbing corpora
tions, and placing them under more
| stringent legal control.
| The work of the session will stand
out probably for years to come, as
he session which took more advanced
grounds than any other legislative
session ever held in the state in re
gard to reform laws. Even the Popu
list legislature did not approach it i'll
The advanced ground taken. and the
lPopuist Legislators were looked upon
as revolutionary in their day.
| First in this line is railway leeisla
lion, the bills passed in that line be
ing to reduce railway passenger rates
to two and a half cents a mile under
order OF the railway commission; au-
'thOriZing the commission to investi-
gate the conditions in the state with
the assistance OF expert assistance,
and secure the actual value of the
roads in the state. on which to base
a new scale of freight and passenger
l
railways within eight miles. unless
by consent OF the railway commits
sion; limiting the working hours of
railway employees: requiring connect
ing tracks 10 be put in at junction
points of railroads; providing for
collection of double damages from
railways in case of loss OF live stock
from accidents on the track where
I the company refuses 10 settle out of
| court. the same provisions for loss
from fires set by carelessness of rail
way employees; providing for taxation
of railway property other than mile
age, and the anti-pass law. These
last two apply to telegraphs. tele-
phones. express and sleeping car com
panies as Well as to railroads.
The anti-lobby law also has aimed
as much at the railways as at any 9th
ar proposition. as they have been
looked upon as the most active in
that line OF work
| State to Control Telephones.
The telephones have been placed
under control of the railway commits
sion through one bill. and under CON
troll of state telephone commission
by another measure, which provides
FOR commission to be composed OF
state officers and a competent tele-
phone man. but as the senate has re-
fused to pass the bill providing for the
salary of the telephone man on the
commission. that law likely will not
DE effective for the present
The political laws passed have beer
he priIvary election bill; a bill to re,
luire candidates for office to lie elec-
ion expense accounts with the proper
| officials, and measure prohibiting
campaign contributions from corpora
ions.
In the lines OF legislation regarding
morals, the saloon question was 2t
he lead, the referendum being in
voked to bring about vote on county
ocal option, and laws being enacted
o prevent the establishment of sa-
Don within 300 feet of church Oh
school: to prevent saloons within
one-third of mile of any university
u academy; allowing city councils
% establish saloon limits, and pre-
venting more than one saloon to 800
inhabitants in a town. Other bills in
shat line are TO prevent Sunday thea
.ers. or games and sports on Sunday
where an admission fee is charged
70 prevent gambling, making the act
4 misdemeanOr, and aking the own
er of place where gambling is car
ried on legally liable for any losses
sustained.
Galveston Plan Adopted.
Among the general bills of impor-
tance are the one providing for con
troll of cities by commission under
what is known as the Galveston plan
the educational bill which is a COM
plete revision of the educational
laws. prepared by a commission ap-
pointed by Gov. Elrod for that pur-
pose; and the divorce bill. which is
expected to wipe out the divorce colo
MES which have been located in the
state ever since its organization.
Many other bills Of general local i'm
pOrtance have been enacted, over $50
new laws being added, many of them
passed as emergency measures, and
In effect at the present time
At the same time bills which were
considered important have been de.
eeated, among them a road law wip-
ing out road labor and requiring all
road taxes to be paid in cash; the
county local option BILL the bill to
apply the provisions of the Carey act
in this state; the game bill prepared
by the anti-cigarette law. and the
equal suffrage amendment to the
| constitution
; Foil Divorce Law
Contrary TO expectations, the di
vorce industry Of Sioux Falls and
South Dakota has not received its i'm
mediate deaf blow as the .raSu1t the