The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1915-02-04
DEATH
PENALTY IN s. D.
STATE LEGISLATURE EXPECTED
TO DO AWAY WITH CAPITAL
PUNISHMENT
ANTIuQU0R FORCES HAVE MEASURES
Up for Action, Including State wide
Prohibition and Daylight Closing
Another Graft Committee
Pierre, February /.

Pierre, February /.
AT $50 Saturday evening, following
three hours and a half of fervent de-
bate, lead by Beebe and Stephens on
the affirmative and VanDemark, Daley
on the negative, the South Dakota
senate enacted the Beebe bill abolish
ing Capital Punishment, 24-18-by one
vote more than the necessary majority
of all senators elect. The house ear
lier in the week passed the identical
Steele bill by a big majority. 1t is
likely that the Beebe bill will be
showed through the house without diff
ficulty, and as 1t is a pet administra.
ton measure, the governor will sign
it, and South Dakota will become the
eighth state to have abolished the
death penalty.
Thursday the house turned down by
a large majority Swanson's PROPOSE
ton to prohibit employment of rela-
tives in their offices by state officials.
Within t%wenty-four hours the senate
passed, almost without dissent, Ur-
dahl's identical bill, which will now go
through the house gauntlet.
The McLean-B Birch joint resolution
for the appointment of an investigat-
ing committee to probe into ex-Auditor
Anderson's charge that the state could
save $780, 900 annually by business
methods passed both houses. The
senate representatives appointed are
Stiles, VanDemark and Anderson
place on the committee to several DEM
ocrats including Ziebach, S~tutenroth
and Daley. Ziebach stated that as
the recent investigating committee had
found no graft, there was no need for
an immediate successor It Is under
stood that the four house members
will be largely democrats and stall
warts, so that the Observation-Disclosures
forces will have the majority.
The Berndt measure, abolishing the
1913 voluntary highway commission
has attracted much attention in the
senate, and was carried to final con-
sideration over an adverse committee
report; but final passage was postpon-
ed until the commission could be given
a thorough hearing.
The an%ti-liquor forces have sprung
some of their measures during the
week. These include statewide prohi-
bitiOn by constitutional amendment;
daylight or 7 o'clock closing instead of
900, a law enabling the league to get
a liquor selling pharmacist; and a law
prohibiting the sale Of intoxicants
within five miles of the Soldiers Home.
The McClintock and Hagen bills fix
ing maximum interest rates at 1919
were both defeated in the senate, after
vigorous and prolonged debate.
A great ngnt occurred in the house
over Roberts bill appropriating $4,000
to cover deficiency for farmers insti-
tute work, for the remainder of this
year. 1t was defeated once, and was
again reconsidered, again failing to get
the necessary two-thirds vote for spec
ial appropriation.
Senator Isaac Lincoln's anti-cigar-
cite measure, repeating the present
statute, stringently %forbidding the
smoking, sale or giving of cigarettes
to minors; but legalizing sale to
grown-ups is attracting much atten-
ton.
f. w. Anderson's Free Text Book
bill, endorsed by the State Educational
Association, has been reported favor
ably out of the house educational COM
mittee.
The Richards 1913 information
bureau law has been repealed in both
houses.
Senator L. L. Stephens would place
the circle back at the head Of the party
ticket on the general election ballot.
The Australian ballot was adopted in
1891, with the names placed In alpha
betical order; the names arranged in
party columns in 1893; in 1901 the
circle was placed at the head OF the
ticket, and in 1913 it was removed.
The Bilger bill requiring old soldiers
to establish a three years residence in
South Dakota for admission to the
state Soldiers Home which has passed
the house, was oc~casioned by the fact
that man patients at the Battle Noun
tain National ~Sanitorium, residents Of