Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1913-01-09

BUSY SESSION
SEEMS CERTAIN
Legislature Has Many important
Topics to Consider.
NAY CHANGE PRISON SYSTEM
Strong Sentiment In Favor Of Putting
Some of the convicts at Work
on Public Highways.
Especial correspondence.l


sion which opened at noon today
brought back to the old haunts good
many experienced solons, who in the
earlier days at least will have much
TO do in shaping the course OF legis-
lative events. Twenty four of the
forty-flye senators have previously sat
in one or the other house and forty
representatives have had previous leg
islative experience, chiefly in the last
or recent sessions. There will be
little difficulty, therefore, in getting
promptly to work Many of those re-
Master of Yankton. Hicks OF Lincoln
and Helgerson of Dawson were house
members in the last session and now
promoted to the senate.
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There is prospect OF lot of ear
nest discussion during the session,
but so far as now revealed not much
prospect for any serious contests.
That is, there are number of topics
upon which ii seems to be unani
mously agreed that enactments must
be perfected, and the best method Is
under consideration. Good roads is
one Of the leading topics and there
does not seem to be any one opposed
to doing the best that can be accom-
plished under existing conditions. In
every county In which the compromise
good road law Of 1911 was referen-
dumed there was large popular ma
jority for the act and legislators now
come up confident that they will have
popular support for any reasonable
measure on the subject. 1t is conceded
that under the limitations Of the con-
stitution the state cannot itself en-
gage In road building and that what
ever Is done in that direction must be
in the way of aid to the counties. An
amendment removing the constitu-
tfonal limit will be proposed. The
method Of securing a fund for state
aid in road work Is being much con-
sidered. The popular plan seems to
be an increased license fee for au-
tomobiles. 1t is suggested that this
license fee be In lieu of all other
taxes, but again the constitution in
tervenes by requiring that all taxes be
uniform upon the assessed value of all
property and money. That an in
crease In the license fee levied under
the police power of the state seems
most likely at this time, yet the equita-
BILE method OF distributing 1t to the
counties has not yet been worked out
In connection with the good roads
movement is strong expression to-
ward throwing the shirt factory out Of
the penitentiary and putting the pris-
oners not needed for the farm or
Irvine plant at work on the highways
under the general lines of the Colo
RADIO plan. This suggestion appears
to be extremely popular both with the
good roads enthusiasts and with those
who consider only the humanitarian
side of the proposition. Conditions in
the state are very favorable. for the
reason that the camps may be located
In the sheltered Black Hills In the
winter months and brought out In the
open Tor the summer season. Mem
bers have accumulated much iAforma-
SION pertaining 10 the successful opsr-
alton Of the plan In Colorado.
+ = +
Those interested in irrigation are
moving for such legislative action as
will encourage that sort OF agriculture.
There are some tive million acres
lying in Central and Western South
Dakota susceptible of irrigation, but
40 the laws and constitution now are
such IS the general government does
not approve development must be
done wholly by private capital. II 10
| desired that these necessary works be
built and controlled in many instances
by the public. To DO this necsssitates
defining units that may be watered,
the organization Of these units into
districts that win be quasi corpora
tions and the bonding Of these for the
construction OF works. Frequently
these districts must lie In one or more
/ townships and perhaps IN one or more
counties. They cannot be created by
any legal process without constitu-
tional authority and IL they were ere
ated they could not under existing
constitutional debt and tax limits De
bonded for money enough to accom-.
plish anything In the irrigation line.
For illustration, in most OF the irriga-
HE section lands are assessed at $3.50
rsr acre. The debt limit 10 s per cent
az assessed value and consequently
but rev cents per acre could be de-
rived, while the minimum cost OF an
irrigation plant Il s2s per acre Of all
the hand within the unit. Constitu.
tsonal amendments covering all OF
these polnss have been prepared.
= y y
The movement Cor the establish
mens III free library commission.
contemplating travelling libraries for
circulation III the rural regions, IL re.