The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1909-05-05
ODDITIES IN BILLS,
Freak Measures Introduced In
the Legislatures.
SCHEME TO Benefit WOMEN.

Shoes-Skunks Protected In an In
diana Measure-Make Water Wagon
q Common Carrier 10 Oklahoma Plan.
A bill in the Wisconsin legislature is
designed to force shoe dealers to prop
erly label wOmen's shoes as to size. It
was prepared by ex-Assemblyman
Daggett Of Milwaukee, who rHaen a
member Of the lower house eight years
ago made his sole claim to fame in the
introduction Of a bill to forbid the
wearing Of corsets by men or women.
He said he didn't believe women need
ed corsets, because his wife wore none,
and that q corset was al 1nducement
to immortality in its effect on the vital
organs. He now says that the Ameri-
can woman's shoe is largely RESPONSE
BILE for the title 'the weaker SEX" for
the woman who cannot stand COM
fortably because Of a small shoe is un-
able to perform her part Of the worlds
work properly.
OF the freak propositions introduced
in the Oklahoma legislature that by
Representative Bill Durant, a Choctaw
Indian, to make the water wagon a
common carrier would possibly be
termed the oldest anywhere except in
state wide prohibition Oklahoma. But,
taking the business world into consid-
Grafton, the strangest is the measure
introduced by Senator Reuben Roddie
to limit the number Of banks in a
town by providing extremely high cap
italization in proportion to the towns
population.
Such a measure has actually become
a necessity in Oklahoma because Of
the adoption in Guthrie Of the guar
antee bank deposit law. So many new
| banks were started when 1t became
known that deposits We're being guar
anteed that the banking business of
towns was badly split up, and
GUS failures were feared.
Representative A. Ward Copley of
Detroit has introduced a bill in the
Michigan legislature to prohibit "joy
rides" 1t makes it a felony for any
chauffeur to use a car without the
owners permission and for any n to
ride in a car that is borrowed without
the formality Of saying "by your
leave" At present the Michigan laws
do not have jurisdiction e this of
Tense, and the employers have no re-
course but to fire" the offending
chauffeur. The practice has resulted
in a number Of serious accidents.
A. ]. Cameron, a New York book
binder, will present a bill to the Maine
legislature for the interest on his claim
for binding, which was adjusted in
1901. The state has never paid inter
est on It's claims, and a creditor has
sometimes been fortunate if he got the
amount Of the original bill. Cameron
did a job for the state in 1878, but it
was not until 1901 that he received his
pay. Now he wants the interest, about
$4,000.
A freak bill appears on the calendar
Of the Indiana legislature, but its Pc
culiarity was not intentional. 1t pro-
vides for the protection Of wild fur
bearing animals. A lynx eyed farmer
discovered that muskrats and skunks
will be protected, and he has pointed
cut that the bitches and earthworks
that protect the farmers land would
be ruined by muskrats. AS to skunks,
he says, no argument is needed.
The bachelor tax bill by Senator
Claude Hudspeth Of Austin, Tex, is
not the only odd measure pending be-
fore the Texas legislature. Bills have
been introduced making it a felony to
play baseball on Sunday. The blue
laws Of Texas are to be still further
strengthened If pending measures are
passed by prohibiting the sale Of any
article of merchandise on Sunday.
This will close the drug stores along
with all other businesses.
Representative j. NJ. Davis has In
troduced a bill into the Kansas legis-
lature that provides for a bounty Of 5
cents for each crow killed in Kansas
and / cent for each egg of a crow de-
stroyed. Some Kansas counties are in
tested with crows at certain times OF
the year. They appear in great focks,
ruin apple crops and do considerable
damage to the corn.
A resolution has been introduced In
the Iowa legislature prohibiting legis-
lators from smoking In chambers and
from putting their feet on desks while
debating to feminine committee clerks