The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1915-02-19
The LEGISLATURE
VOTING on THIS PROPOSITION"
JOKER TAKEN OUT OF THE
SALOON LICENSE LAW.

- 49,
plishment of the house was the pass
ing of Blrch's house bill IS, to take
the ECKER out OF the saloon license
act Of 1913. The bill changed the
1913 law In no way except removing
the our words, voting on the prop
osition," which entirely changed the
percentage necessary to vote in sa-
looms in any town.
This bill furnished what is perhaps
the first real strength of the saloon
and antisaloon advocates in the
house. II was admitted by the OPP
ponents of the bill that it had passed
the house i'm 1913 ithout the four
words, but the words were in the bill
when ii was passed by the senate and
approved by the governor. 1t was
strongly limited by some members
that trickery had entered into the
error" hat was made at that time
and tho history of the passage of the
bill in 1913 was thoroughly review
ed. Ruckman objected to the hints
of trickery and said he had offered
in good faith the amendment in 1913
to insert the words voting on the
proposition" which was defeated and
vi ulu nOb hnoN inFg fit e NV law
until his attention was called TO them
in the session laws.
The vote on the bill wa 81 TO 80,
not a sufficient majority TO pass ii
with the emergency clause. This was
stricken out and the bill passed 50
to 20.
Representatives Baldwin and Groce
of Lake voted in the affirmative.
The house of representatives has
never been so watchful of the state
funds as this year and the member
who is trying to put through a bill
} for increase of salary or expense al
lowance for any public official feels
that he has a rather solid wall of OPP
| position to overcome. A lone excep-
, ton was the action of the house in
| passing by a bare majority Ruhl-
, mans bill allowing the insurance
, commissioner an increase from
81, 500 to $4,000 with a deputy and
an insurance examiner at salaries of
$500 a year each. Even this fell
: far below the requirements of the
original bill, the committee having
? cut the insurance commissioners
salary from the proposed $4,000 a
! year to $4,000. taken out the pro-
; vision for deficiency and removed
the emergency clause. Ii was con-
: tended that these were appointive of
: fees, requiring experts and the state
could not employ the right kind of
+ man without paying better salaries.
+, House bill oil by Dahl did not
T fare so we'll, the house oyerturning
] the majority report allowing $50 per
month expense money for state of
4 hcials removing to the capitol and
substituting the minority report that
the bill do not pass. Ii was urged
by Bielski for the majority that the
governor, supreme court judges and
railway commissioners already re-
I ceive this expense allowance adding
5000 per year to their salaries and 1t
: was his contention that the state au-
ditor, secretary of state, commission
er of school and public lands and the
superintendent of public instruction,
who received less regular salaries
should be similarly favored.
Baldwin and Swanson. who
4 brought in the minority report, both
spoke against the bill and Baldwin
moved the adoption of the minority
report which carried ga to Is. Judg-
= ing from the temper of the legisla-
! ture a bill to take from the officials
{ now enjoying this expense allowance
their extra 5000 per year would have
a good chance of passing the house
} A bill by March, allowing county
u superintendent of schools an ex'
pense account up to $500 was also
voted down.
, The senate committee does not be
= lieve in the theory of Senator Berndt
that no one in the list of state off.
= GERS or employees save the governor
: should be allowed to disturb the
members with their plants and woe:
in the way of legislative action. His
bill attempted to prevent heads o.
state institutions and members o.
= state boards coming to the capito
during a session and TO keep all 9th
ers away from the members, but the
committee apparently is willing t.
take a chance.
That the everyday merchant cal
: handle paris green, formaldehyd,
:, and such p~oisons without any harm
to the public is the opinion of tn,
: senate in passing the bill by Amsder
allowing that privilege in the small
towns where no druggist is located
- The house refused to consider thu
proposition of wiping out the state
= immigration department on the foo
= and stood by the committee repor
that the bill be killed regardless o
" the protest of Representative Null
beier, the introducer.
= That the Springfield normal is Il
be given two more years of life IL
= which to justify its right of existence
, was made certain when the bill t.
!. abolish that institution failed by TIVE
votes to secure the required consti
! tutional majority. All the votes tina
: could be mustered for the bill were
fifty, and only forty-four registered
a protest. They were excused or alb
! sent without leave.
The half-mile train limit bill in thu
20 house did not get to the roll cal