The New era-leader. (Wagner, Charles Mix County, S.D.) 1911-1912, 1911-03-24
NORRIS ON LAWS
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE SIZES
UP OUTPUT OF TWELFTH
LEGISLATURE
RICHARDS PRIMARY BILL
Lawmakers Thought Voters Should
Pass Upon Any Measure Rad
icalIy Changing Law
Now in Force

Sioux Falls-Hon. Charles J. Morris
OF this city, who was speaker of the
house during the twelfth legislative
session, reviews the work of our law
makers In a manner that will be of
general interest. He says:
There were introduced in the legis-
lature, three general primary cleo
ton laws, one by Representative Bige-
low, another by Representative Ne
gard, and another by Mr.. Tscharner,
on behalf of Mr.. Richards.
Mr.. Bigelow had a very ingeniously
drawn measure, which, if it had be-
come a law, would give us the pri-
mary n election to be voted at the
same time and on the same ballot.
The meaSur has much merit and
may some day become the law of the
land. The other two measures were,
to a great extent, the same as our
present primary election law, except
that there was a great man. addition
al features, and also very much more
machinery, which would mean much
more expense in carrying out primary
elections.
The members were against making
any radical changes in the primary
law, believing that the defects in the
present law would best be developed
by trying the law out for two or three
elections.
They thought we might be able to
work out something more satisfactory
after We had concluded one or more
elections, under the present law.
The legislature was quite generally
opposed to the Richards primary law,
because of the great amount of ma
chinery connected with it, and the
work that would be thrown upon the
voters of the state, and the expense
that would be caused in conducting
elections under the law.
In addition to the bill, Mr.. Richards
submitted a measure very much the
same, through the initiative, and fled
with the bill some 5000 signatures
asking that the measure be submitted
to the people for their consideration
at the next general election.
The petition being in form provided
by law, | took the ground that ii
was the duty of the legislature to sub
NIT the question to the people for
their consideration. There seems to
be considerable misunderstanding as
to the way the matter was handled in
the house.
I took the position that it was the
legislatures duty, under the constitu-
ton, to submit the matter to the peo-
pie at the general election, but that it
was o our duty to enact into law,
the measure proposed by Mr.. Richards
unless we knew the people wanted it
enacted.
Personally, I know of no one who
wanted the matter enacted, excepting
of course, those few who were interest
ed in drafting it.
During the next two years, the peo-
pie will have an opportunity of study
ing the measure, and by the 1912 gen.
eral election they will know whether
they will want to vote for or against
it.
Thus far, everyone who has read the
bill, so far as I know, considers it i'm
practical and too complicated a piece
of machinery to work under.
AS to the daylight saloon bill, as
it Is called which fixes the hour
for closing the saloons at 9 o'clock at
night. the legislature looked upon 1t
as the best possible legislation along
the line of regulation of the liquor
traffic. The theory that people are
less liable to become intoxicated with
the saloons closing early, was advanc-
ed and had plenty of endorsement
and then the legislature felt that the
proposed law would have a tendency
to prevent the abuse of liquor.
L think the Soldiers Home law is
a good one. There Is much misun-
Outstanding of that law among the
old soldiers. They seem to have the
opinion that the law will prevent any
old soldier serving on the board of
control of the Soldiers Home. which
is not the fact.
Fifty years from now there will
be no old soldiers to serve on the
board and the law was drawn with
that fact in view.
The law has for its intention, the
making of a real home of the Soldiers
Home. We wanted to disassociate the
home with the military idea as far
as possible. Therefore we changed
the name of the official at the head
of it, from ''~commandant" to super
i%ntendent." The law not only per-
mits the serving of old soldiers on the
board of control, but it gives old
soldiers the preference in the make
up of the board.
In the way of prison reform much
was done by the legislature. At the
present time there is no way to parole
convicts who are in states prison un-
der life sentence.
Prisoners can be pardoned, but it
is often more of an injury to a man