Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1911-02-02

4
see where they have a put in. DIX
used stronger words than these IN CORY
demnation of the South Dakota sena-
tor but we refrain from using theih
out of respect for the senator ana Ohe
state he misrepresents.
The saloon issues are becoming more
and more numerous as the session draws
along. The early closing move is up
/ for action the last of the month. The
anti treat bill by proprietors has started
move is on foot for materially lncreas-
ing the license fee to be required OF
them; and other legislation VIII come
floating along before the session closes,
which will mean this interest VIII De III
| a fight for ext stence before the close OF
the session if the measures continue 10
show up. There is little doubt, now
ever, that if the Legislature should pass
any of the stringent measu;e55,J; s.n - :
certain prohibition cranl We sug-
gested, the refere1 sam wifi be invoked:
The railway representatives are max
ing fight against the electric head
light bill, which has been started on its
way through the legislative mill again.
The railway representatives are using
the argument of the bill being lost on
vote at the election last fall, as pretty
effective weapon in their campaign,
and it will be hard propositionfor the
supporters of the measure to get 1t
through this session on that ground.
The position taken by the railway rep
resentatives is that the people of the
state have expressed themselves in
regard to such law, and that their
expression means something which the
legislators should consider in acting.
I. NJ. Commit and j. NJ. Lynch, of
Wall, are in Pierre condoling with one
another over the legislative situation
In the prima ries, Commit, a republican,
was defeated for the nomination by
James A. Clark, of Keystone. At the
election, Lynch, ademocrat, attempted
to defeat Clark, but met the same fate
as was dealt out to Commit While
Clark was elected, he has not yet
appeared to take up his duties as legis-
lator, and it is claimed that he will not
do so, giving as his reasons that he
cannot leave his private business to
come to the session. Both Commit and
Lynch are certain that they would not
L III folC fn
they had been put in line for the place.
The agitation to amend the constitu
ton so that it will take percent of
the electors to petition for the referen-
dunn is timely, but the proposition that
Is percent of the voters should be
required to sign petition is something
that the people will not approve. If the
Legislature sees fit to submit such an
amendment to the constitution, there
is no doubt of its defeat at the general
election The people would probably
approve requirement of 10 or even Is
percent, but to make the referendum
obnoxious to the other extreme would
mean that the present requirement
would prevail. If the legislature wishes
to have an amendment in regard to this
matter they should submit the amend
ment on basis of not to exceed 10 or
IL percent.
AS the indications look toward the
organization of number of new coun-
ties within the next two years, the
Whiting bill, which passed the house
Saturday, will materially change the
manner of such organization. 1t pro-
vides for the selection of election offici-
ais within the boundaries of the county
itself instead of bringing them from
the outside; and their selection by the
officials of the county to which the
unorganized territory is attached for
judicial purposes instead of by the gov
ernor. 1t, in fact, eliminates organiza-
ton of new counties as factor in state
affairs, and makes it a purely local
proposition within the control of local
people.
The man with the sand bag bill is not
a popular proposition at any session
and this session has been so free of any
attempt of holdun, with single excep-
ton, that it will go down in history, if
it continues its present standing, as a
most remarkable gathering of lawmak-
ers. Neither has anyone intimated that
there is purchaseable vote in either
house, although old timers about the
state house remembered we'll that some
people have been of questionable char
acter SO far as their vote and lawmak-
ing was concerned. We believe this
session will be record breaker in that
respect and the man with the sand bag
bill will find that he is in the bottom of
the pit with the sand on top when the
session closes.
Pierre is crowded with prohibition
and anti-saloon lobbyists, who make