The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1907-03-14

The legislative session, Whlcn just
closed its work, started as reform
body, and has devoted a great deal
Of attention to laws curbing corpora
lions, 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.
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 commission; au-
| thorizing the commission to inyesti-
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
|
rates: preventing the paralleling of
railways within eight miles. unless
| by consent of the railway commits
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, 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
er 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
| lnder control of the railway commits
| sion through one bill, and under con
| troll of state telephone commission
! by another measure, which provides
| tor 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 been
The primary election bill; bill to re-
luire candidates for office to file cleo
ion expense accounts with the proper
officials, and a measure prohibiting
campaign contributions from corpora
| ions
In the lines OF legislation regarding
| morals, the saloon question was at
he lead, the referendum being in
'oked to bring about a vote on county
| ocal option. and laws being enacted
o prevent the establishment OF a sa-
| Don within 300 feet of a church or
school: to prevent saloons within
)ne-third of mile of any university
IL academy; allowing city councils
% establish saloon limits, and pre-
venting more than one saloon to 800
Inhabitants in town. Other bills in
| that line are to prevent Sunday thea
.ers, or games and sports on Sunday
where an admission fee is charged:
/ m
misdemcanor, and making 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-
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 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 it's 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-
feated, 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 che
equal suffrage amendment TO the
! constitution.
| Foil Divorce Law.
Contrary to expectations, the di.
yorce Industry of Sioux Falls and