Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1911-01-13

the anti-paSS period.
House and senate committees viii be
| announced tomorrow or Friday, and not
until then will there be much Of activity
In either branch Of the legislature,
No Swearing Train"
Reform in the methods Of organization
has cut out the swearing train" which.
under the old system, was due TO leave
Pierre on the afternoon following the Sc
lection Of officers for the various posi-
tons In the senate and house.
The anti-pass law keeps the horde or
| seekers away, many OF those who are
seeking place not presenting themselves
IN the city until notified by the repre-
sentatives hat they ave been selected.
A civil service law passed at the last ses-
sion also eliminates the army OF the UNI
employed" who were placed on committee
clerkships with nothing to do. Now every
such clerk must be an expert stenographer
or typewriter and be able TO deliver the
goods" in the writing OF bills and caring
for correspondence as we'll as in all other
duties pertaining TO the engrossing n
enrolling of all measures.
No Lobbyists About.
Notable by their absence from the
lobbies Of the hotels are such corpora
ton representatives as Harry F. Hun
ter, Alex. G. Johnson and Ben +.
Hoover, this being the first time In ~
years that Hoover will have missed be-
ing present during the session as the
lobbyist for the interests of the Mil
waukee, or the Northwestern road, or
an express company, or some or all OF
| these interests. Rooms 204 and 219 at
the Locke hotel, which were once the
sacred precincts of the railroad pass
distributors, nov harbor an innocent
and guileless legislator, or perchance a
travelling man, since the old hosiery
is no longer even the gathering place
for the solons. This nee famous no.
tel, which has been the scene of more
political manipulation, log rolling, cor
ruption and revelry than any other
place In South Dakota, whose coal bin
has witnessed the unmaking of a
United States senator, and whose
school section has harbored the mid
night and morning orgies of the
"frisky" member and the festive lob
byist, has at last become just a plain,
every day, country hotel.
Regardless of the an~ti-lobbying law
no one has registered as a lobbyist, and
the assumption is that there are none
in the city. The railroads are without
a political representative and there is
so far no talk of railroad legislation.
The passenger rate cases are hung up
in the courts and the people appear to
prefer u SGCuJG lEllSl lOI IlSlSllI IdlC
INEQUALITIES through the railway COM
mission rather han by further burden
ing of the statutes with ineffective en-
actments.
Two Agents Appear.
w. M. Grafton, a representative OF
the Anti-S$oon league, is present, but
claims hat beyond a few minor
amendments to stiffen the present law.
there will be no special campaign. He
has not registered. The am is true
Of Mr.. Deidrich, of the Home Rule Pro-
tective association. He is said to be
in the city, but has not been actually
discovered n of course not inter
viewed. If the liquor dealers have a
scheme for changing the present laws
they have not made it known through
the latter named gentleman.
The new state capitol, with its many
committee rooms, move the neces-
sity for widely scattered places for the
milling" out Of bills, and the rooms
Of members, situated as closely as pos
sible to the state house, are no longer
Uttered with bills, session laws and
lobbyists in plain citizens clothes"
Then, too, Pierre is dry" for the
first time, but the water has been
tested by the health officer and pro-
nounced harmless for legislative and
other purposes. This adds to the quiet
and good order of the city, and so
far very few have resorted to the i'm
portation of larger quantities of
schnaps than they could bring in their
grips. On the other hand, there has
not been discovered a member who
feels specially Inconvenience by the
fact that Hughes county, as well as
the eastern part of Stanley. where
fort Pierre is situated. is in the dry"
belt.
Proposed Legislation.
Already the question is being raised
what the legislature purposes to do.
There are now in course Of prepara-
ton bills to carry into effect the
amendment, the only one carried at
the recent election, providing for the
lease of school lands for a period of not
exceeding five years for agricultural
purposes. Both outgoing commissioner,
o. c. Dokken, and incoming commits
sioner, +. f. Brinker, are opposed to
the provision of this amendment and
their position is supported by John
Lockhart and Gus Bach, 10Th former
school land commissioners. The amend
'ment was fostered n put throufh four
-e: ESQ Is Senator Dowdeii, OF san
born, and 1t is understood that Repre-
sentative j. w. Whiting, of Sanborn,
will offer some statute covering some
of the principles set forth by Dowdell
as well as some notifications OF the
ideas held by the school land commits
sioners.
Redistricting bills to provide for three
congressman will also be offered. also
reapportionment bills, and over both
of these there is likely to be agitation
for the purpose of securing special ad-
vantage in representation.
Amendments to the primary are also
TO be offered n some suggest a COM
plete new law. but the latter is not
regarded as probable or desirable.
r. o. Richards, of Huron, who has
manifested radical opposition to the
law in its present form, is known to
have a bill practically completed, but
there Is a rumor TO the effect that he
will seek to get 1t before the people
through the initiative, rather than
through direct enactment, but there
will be no surprise If he appears here
any day and seeks direct legislation
for his measure, which is said to con-
tain some very strong features.
The good roads movement will take
form during this session and will be
especially championed by Representa-
tive l. c. Issenuth, of Sphinx county,
working in collaboration with former
Representative Parmley, of Edmunds
county. and many others from the north
part of the state, where the movement
has gathered more force thar through