Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1909-01-15

sating to the method OF placing refer.
sndum laws upon the official ballot.
larson of Minnehaha is e~ndeavoring
10 overcome the dificulty and con-
fusion oc~casioned, particularly by the
very long county option bill last fall,
by a bill Oh. B. III providing that the
laws submitted shall be printed en-
tirely across the ballot and the places
for checking be placed at the head OF
the act. Thus the ballot will be
eleven inches wide and the printed
matter run the width of four news
paper columns, or nine inches. In
this way each law will be complete
and separated from the others in a
way which it is hoped will avoid IN
fusion.
Johnston OF Clark has a bill prohib-
iting gambling on trains and holding
the railway company and the conduc-
tor jointly liable II it is permitted.
This vice has in recent years become
particularly offensive and degrading.
Simonson goes after train drinking by
making ii a misdemeanor to drink any
intoxicating liquor upon any train in
the state and conductors and train
men are given police power and re.
quired to arrest all offenders and de-
liver them to the authorities at the
next station. So common has become
the drinking habit upon trains that
Governor Crawford felt compelled to
all thA 20 Ahn 11vtrInftRrn 10
1t and to recommend drastic laws for
its suppression.
The railway trainmen have two of
their members here for the session to
promote legislation in their interest
and 1t is notable that these represen-
tatives are most earnestly supporting
the acts to prevent drinking and gam
bling or trains.
Perhaps the most important meas
ure which has yet come forward is
by Bruce of Yankton and is an unfair
discrimination" bill aimed at the line
elevators, which, it is alleged, practice
running the price of grain up in towns
where farmers elevators and other in
dependent buyers are located for the
purpose of squeezing them out. Two
years ago the legislature passed the
present unfair discrimination law,
aimed at the Standard Oil company
and the lumber trust, and which af-
fixed penalties for underselling com
petition in some localities and requir-
ing that equitable prices be main
tanned throughout the state. This act
Is exactly the reverse of the other and
is aimed at overbuying. Like the
present law 1t provides that the courts
shall permanently enjoin dealers in
grain and live stock who are convict.
ed of this form Of unfair discrimina-
ton. Recently the attorney general,
proceeding under the present law, Sc
cured the revocation of the charter of
the Central Lumber company and a
permanent injunction prohibiting it
from doing business in the state and
IL the supreme court sustains the act
it is likely the fiat boys will be good
In the future.
The first bill out of the box was by
o Democrat and steals an administra-
ton measure. Hale has a long meas
ure providing for a state board of de.
posits and requires the deposit of all
state moneys for the benefit of the
state so far as interest payments are
concerned. This is house bill No. /,
and Ranum, in II. B. No. G, has an.
other upon the same subject, but
treating the proposition in rather a
different way. Both bills relieve the
treasury of responsibility for funds
legally deposited,
Sasse's Fl. B.. 2 provides penalties
for selling adulterated drugs and care.
fully defines the meaning of the word
adnlterated. 1t Is much along the line
of the national bill. Sasse is a drug.
gist and it is understood his bill meets
the approval of the state pharmaceu'
tical association.
III. b. 6, Ranum, and H. B. 10, Nor.
ris, provide for immediate election
returns TO be made out semi-ofi cially
Dy election UOdTuS anu hurried 10 the
county auditor. who in turn dispatches
them to the secretary of state. to the
end that intelligence of the results OF
elections nay be speedily known
Great annoyance and uncertainty.
sometimes lasting for a month. has
followed our elections and it is sought
to remedy the situation.
= = +
II. B. 4. by Morris, for the increase
of the supreme court to five judges.
will be the administrator bin upon
this topic. 1t divides the state into
five districts, n including the Black
Hills region; two. a belt across the
south side of the state as far as the
Hills: three. the belt indicated on the
east by Moody and Minnehaha and
west including Lyman county; four.
a slice out of the central region from
Brookings to the Cheyenne river. and,
five. across the north side of the state.
Deadwood, Lead and Rapid City are in
one, Yankton the chief seat In two,