Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1913-03-15
WORK OF THE LEGISLATURE
Three Hundred and Sixty Measures
Were Enacted.-Tax Com
mission Act.

Pierre, 8. D., March 10.-The thir-
teenth session of the South Dakota leg
islature was record breaker as far as
numbers of laws passed is concerned.
Three hundred and sixty bills passed
both houses, establishing new record
nearly one hundred more than ever be-
fore. The legislative session which has
just closed has taken one advanced
stand by the enactment of the law which
creates state tax commission and
marks the first step toward tax reform
in South Dakota. The commission is
expected to take the necessary steps to-
ward securing more equitable basis of
assessment and equalization in this state
under the laws which exist. They will
be more or less hampered in the consti-
tuition al restrictions which hedge them
about, but that does not prevent their
working out many plans by which even
the present system can be revised and
made more effective. But to secure
complete tax reform in the state will
require constitutional changes which
may be secured in case the people
adopt the proposed revisional conven-
ton which will be put to them by this
session.
The session has been marked by its
enactment of moral laws which have at
times reached toward puritanism in
their scope. They have enacted law
which prohibits exhibition by moving
| pictures or in any other manner any
scenes which depict family infelicity,
Illicit love, or resisting an officer, and
make such scene in pictures or in any
| other manner a misdemeanor. They
have passed an act making marriage of
Cacausian with Africans or Asiatics a
penal otfense, and made it misde-
meanor for any clerk of courts to issue
a license for such marriage, or for any
minister or official to perform any such
ceremony; to prohibit grizzly bear" or
any suggestive dances to regulate pub
lie dance halls and several acts restrict
ing prostitution and lewdness, the
strongest being Senate Bill pol, which
places a penalty upon the owners or
agents of buildings who let them for
such purposes, with closure of one
year on the property, when the charge is
proven, with special tax of$300 against
the property which must be paid before
any remission of closure order is al
| lowable.
The temperance people have secured
the enactment of laws which will re-
duce the number of saloons in the state
by fixing population basis for granting
licenses, and increasing the license fee,
and prohibiting the licensing of town
ship saloon within five miles of no
license town.
The enactment of a negotiable instru-
ment act, and one regulating the dis
posal of stocks of goods in bulk, which
have been points at issue in practically
every session of the Legislature since
statehood, were placed upon the statute
book and will no longer fret the men,
bers unless in the way of amendments
or repeals.
Long List Of Railway Measures.
While there has been long list Of
railway measures introduced, ranging
all the way from harmless" in the rail.
way viewpoint up to positively vicious, u
there have been few of them enacted
into law, and the railway representa-.
tives are frank to say that they have
been treated very fairly by the Legis,
lature and haye not been unduly
hampered.
The investigations of charges of cor.
ruption and graft in different state de
partments called out several investigat.
ing committees, and the one known as
the Claw" committee, of which Senator
| Law was chairman, uncovered one sps'
cific case of misappropriation of state
funds, and other irregularities which
they suggest should be remedied. The
committee to investigate charges of at
tempted use of money to secure the en-.
actment of a law repeating the law re-
Quiring the publication of insurance
statements found that no such attempt
was made in regard to any member ol
officer. but that certain parties were
working for contingent fund to secure
such end.
The Corrupt practices act" of the Sen
ate limits candidate to $500 for expen-
ditures of campaign, and prevents the
use of carriages or treating, and limits
what a candidate may do toward secur'
ing a nomination or election. The orig
inal bill prevented the use of cigars q:
we'll as liquor, but the cigar clause was
cut out by the House.
The investigating of the charges
against the public printers found moth
ing more than that the state printing
commission under the old law was care
less and let contracts at prices higher
than they should, their work resulting
in new printing law.
The game law enacted provides for ,
state game preserve in the Black Hilll
state forest; for dropping county game
wardens and creating state game com
mission with state wardens, and prohib
its the killing of quail at any time.
A proposition for a convention for .
general revision of the constitution ha
been put up to the people, and amoni
many other constitutional amendment
to be submitted equal suffrage has ;
place.
The matter Of bank guaranty wa
turned down by the Senate after it hat
passed the House, there being a stroni
representation of bankers in the Senat
side, who did not look with favor upor
such legislation.