The Sisseton weekly standard. (Sisseton, Roberts County, S.D.) 1892-1929, 1907-03-15

oOdS, an duS dSNolSd u SlSoS ~
of attention to laws curling corpora
tions, and placing them under more
stringent legal control.
The work of the session will stand
out probably for years to come, as
the 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 in
the advanced ground taken, and the
Populist legislators were looked upon
as revolutionary in their day.
First in this line is railway legisla-
ton, 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 commissions; 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
rates; preventing the pa~ralleling of
railways within eight miles. unless
~ VI nv ldiiMtS CollllillS-
sion; limiting the working hours of
railway employees; requiring connect
ing tracks to 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
the company refuses to settle out of
court tho gamma nrN,;c;,,, -, J,,.
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
panles as we'll as to railroads.
The anti-lobby law also has aimed
as much at the railways as at any 9th
err 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 a state telephone commission
~ another measure, which provides
Tor a commission to be composed of
state officers n 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
be effective for the present.
The political laws passed have been
the prilsary election bill; a bill to re.
luire candidates for office TO file cleo.
ton expense accounts with the proper
officials, and a measure prohibiting
campaign contributions from corpora.
tons.
In the lines of legislation regarding
morals, the saloon question vas al
he lead, the referendum being in
voked to bring about a vote on county
local option, and laws being enacted
to prevent the establishment O. a sa-
Ioon within 800 feet of a church or
school; to prevent saloons within
one-thlrd of a mile of any university
Or academy; allowing city councils
to establish saloon limits, and pre-
venting more than one saloon to 300
inhabitants in a town. Other bills in
That line are to prevent Sunday thea
terS, or games and sports on Sunday
where an admission fee is chareed.
to prevent gambling. making the act
a mlsdemeanor, and making the own
er OF a place where gambling is car
ried on legally liable for any losses
sustained.
Galveston Plan Adopted.
Among the general bills of impor-
lance 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 an
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 15O
new laws being added, many of them
passed as emergency measures, and
IN effect at the present time.
At the same time bills which wera
considered important have been de-
feated, among them a road law WIN
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 he
constitution.
Foil Divorce Law.
Contrary to expectations, the d.
vorce industry Of Sioux Falls and
South Dakota has not received it's i'm.
mediate deathblow as the result the
state legislatures enacting a law
raising the period of residence from
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