Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1913-02-15
LEGISLATIVE DOiNGS
Summary Of Some Of the Bills Intro
duced and Passed. Tax Com
mission Bill Provisions.
BY HARRY A. ROBINSON.

L
Pierre, Feb. 12.-This weeks work in
the Legislature marks a very important
one in the passing of the Tax Commits
sion bill. The measure had passed the
Senate without amendment or much op-
position, and was special order in tho
House for Thursday. Speaker Tschar-
nsr, being thoroughly posted on the
subject after much study of the methods
and success Of such commissions in other
neighboring states, left the chair and
made very telling remarks upon the
floor, and Bielski, of Stanley, who in
troduced the bill in the House also de-
Tended it with force and vigor. McFar-
land, of Codington, with very forceful
remarks made amendments to the bill
but they were lost and the measure car
ried with 70 ayes and rs nays, having
the emergency clause attached. Pre-
vious to the passage of the act a special
committee meeting upon it had been
held wherein Governor Byrns appeared
and in certain terms asked for the pas.
sage of the act and stated that it was an
administration measure and upon it q
large part of his successful campaign had
been made. Richard o. Richards Of
Primary election fame also appeared be-
fore the committee in opposition to the
measure.
Another large measure, the negotiable
instruments bill, being before the House,
was greatly cut up and amended and
finally indefinitely postponed. This
bill has been continuously before
South Dakota legislators since 1901, and
it was thought that this year it would get
through by having the Bar Association
report backing it.
Kerr has introduced bill prohibiting
payment to canvasssrs of initiative and
referendum petitions, and it is being
greatly opposed in the Senate on the
grounds that 80 doing would kill these
propositions. The privileges under those
acts have certainly been greatly abused
and some Limitation perhaps should be
fixed at least.
A sensation has been caused by an en-
deavor to introduce bill providing for
the publication of three weeks notice of
marriage, such suggestion being made
by Hon. A. W. Kruger, Of Brown coun-
ty, who is here in the interest of the
sSssifiit Sssh iitramsd a:da for fth-i introduction.
A most comprehensive measure is be.
ing prepared by the Committee in the
House on State Affairs to completely re-
organize the Board of Agriculture and
incorporate into it everything relating
to agriculture, live stock, horticulture,
etc., abolishing all special boards in re-
lation to those matters, including the
live stock sanitary board and brand COM
mission.
The Penitentiary investigating COM
mittee has returned from Sioux Falls,
and though they have made no formal
report as y ct, some of the members have
stated that they did not find things so
seriously wrong at the Penitentiary as
they anticipated, and they speak in very
commendatory terms of Warden Swan
son. 1t is expected that the shirt fact
ory will be in disfavor except as means
of employing men who would otherwise
be idle.
The printing investigation committee
has accumulated very great amount OF
evidence from their witnesses and long
sessions are put in on the work but boil
ed down it seems that the printing COM
mission have not given very close sttsn.
ton to the administration of the law and
so the printers have rather secured az
much printing as they could get.
President Abel of the Senate has been
compelled to leave the Senate chair and
take his wife to Florida for her health
Saturday afternoon Hon. w. H. McMas
ter, from Yankton county, presented Mr.
Abel with beautiful gold headed cane
az gift from the members of the Sen
ate, and offered resolution of fine trib
ute to the Lieutenant Governor who
"takes his departure to fulfll and per
form the supreme duty and loving ser
vice that he owes his wife, and therefore
be it resolved by the Senate that W,
wish him Godspeed in hisjournsy to th'
Southland, and that it is our sincere
wish that bis wife may be speedily re
stored to health, and may this resolu
ton serve as an expression of our sin
cere regret at his departure, and that VI
fully realize that the State of South Da
kota, as we'll as the Senate is sustaining
a deep loss of his valuable personal ser
vice, because of his absence"
White, of Lyman, introduced an earl,
appropriation bill of $l5, 900 for an OK
perimental station west of the River a
Vivian, which met with defeat in tn,
House, and it is thought it might hav,
Jared better had it been brought up late
when all the appropriation measures ar,
discussed.
Eide, of Beadls, has q bill providin,
for one saloon to 1000 Inhabitants, ant
the anti-saloon lobbyists are very bus.
| in the corridors of the state house thes
days along temperance lines.
Patterson, of Corson, has introduced
memorial asking Congress to make i
years of age the period when young mel
may take homssteads, though they d
, not make final proof until after they ar
! 81 years of age; this measure il to con
. form with laws in Canada and will thu
serve to stop the great immigration {
: that country from the United States.
RI Tax Commission Bill Provisions.
There has been strong demand upo