The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1907-03-12
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pIoyers responsible for accidents to
employees due to negligence of other
employees, Is of course directed partic
ularly against railroad companies and
should be classed with railroad legis
lation. 1t overturns the common law
rulo and throws the burden OF proof
upon the company In actions for dam
ages.
Another bill in this line affecting
railroads places the burden Of pleading
and proof upon them In actions based
upon orders of the railroad commits
sion. 1t Is not necessary for the com
upon which their orders are founded
The working time Of railroad EN-.
ployes Is limited to sixteen consecu
tive hours except in great emergency
This Is done to protect the public from
accidents resulting from the employ.
ment of exhausted men.
For the protection Of weak competi-
tive lines railroads are prohibited
from paralleling each other except up.
on permission of the railroad commits,
sion.
The railroads are also prohibited
ton or from withdrawing an agent
from any established depot without
the consent of the commission.
From the foregoing 1t will be OBJ
served the railroads came In for a
large share of attention, yet 1t cannot
be said that anything Of an especially
drastic nature was done, nor anything
likely to initiate against the real In.
terests of the common carriers.
Regulation of Telephone Lines.
AS elsewhere the telephone inter-
est In South Dakota Is becoming great
and farreaching. There are 215 COM
panies operating in the state. The
chief lines, however, are the North
western, with headquarters In Mime.
apolis, and the Dakota Central, at
Aberdeen. There has naturally been
a good deal of friction between SO
large a number of contestants for
business This friction Is most felt in
the matter of long distance and ex-
change connections between the small.
er and rural lines with the big insti.
tutions and very large number Of the
members are interested in some local
or rural line and have experienced
something of the annoyance which the
arbitrary rules of the big companies
put upon them, and they therefore
came to Pierre with blood In their
eyes.
Many bills affecting telephones were
Introduced and considered. but the
final result has been the establishment
of board Of telephone commissioners
consisting Of the governor, state treas
urer and an expert telephone man TO
be selected by the governor, who are
given very large powers In the direc-
tion Of the establishment of maximum
rates, compelling connections and the
like. 1t Is the hope of the legislature
that out of it will come a harmonizing
and articulating of the many interests
and result In making the telephone, In
Ct
was destined to be.
Corporations in general also were
considered The fees for charters
were considerably increased and other
conditions relating to Incorporating
adopted. The incorporation OF COM
mercial companies in South Dakota
has been almost scandal for years
and 1t is doubtful If this session has
improved the conditions In this re-
gard Hitherto at least one-third Of
the incorporators were required to be
residents of the state, but this condi-
tion has been done away with and
persons residing anywhere can incor-
porate here SO long as resident agent
Is maintained.
Temperance Legislation.
We have had legislatures which
have passed drastic prohibition laws,
state sale laws, high license laws and
In fact every legislature has been
dominated by desire to better condi-
tions relating to the liquor traffic, but
not before have we had body go
dominated by practicable temperance
views and out Of no other session has
so many temperance enactments come.
The one Of these attracting most
attention, however, is not the volun-
tary contribution of the legislature,
but comes out upon the mandate of
the initiative for submission to the
npOnle This relates To county OntiOn
and was defeated upon final passage
when 1t was first In the house. which
fact induced the Anti-Saloon league to
invoke the constitutional initiative. 1t
may be said there Is genuine differ
ence Of opinion relating to the prac-
ticability of this act among temper
ance advocates.
Next to the county option bill the
most important proposition Is the act
empowering officers to make search
for and seize and destroy Illicit liQ-