The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1915-02-08
THE LEGISLATURE
SENATOR URDAHL DISCOVERS 4
FULL GROWN JOKER IN IR-
RIGATION LEGISLATION.

Pierre, zen, "a nilghty lllle
joker was dragged from his hiding
place in house joint resolution No 8,
providing for irrigation districts.
and made to stand up before the SEN
ate where he could be seen by all.
Senator Urdahl discovered the joker
and a scheme 10 take out of the con-
stitution the provision against the
state making internal improvements
was frustrated.
The resolution as 1t passed the
house amended section 7 of article
81 of the constitution. The senate
committee on irrigation struck out
all after the enacting clause and sub
stituted an amendment to section /.
article 10. In this section Of the con
stitution il the clause: Nor shall the
state engage in any work of internal
Improvement" In the amendment
as reported from the committee on
irrigation section / was made to
read: THE state may engage in
such work of internal improvement
as may be decided upon by two-thirds
vote of the membership OF each
branch of the legislature" Stephens
and Lundley of the irrigation COM
mittee said the amendment had been
made with the consent of Represent
ative Howe, who introduced the orig
inal resolution i'm the house.
Action was deferred and it is safe
to say this radical change in the con
stitution will not be submitted, al
least not in the obscure form in
which it appears in the irrigation
amendment.
Taking the floor when the text
book bill was up for final passage,
Speaker Charles A.. Christopherson
made a mastery speech in favor OF
the measure and succeeded in pull
ing through by a bare majority. Not
outstanding there had been much
lobby talk about possible interest OF
the book companies In favor of the
bill, no allusion TO that effect was
made during the discussion, which
lasted nearly two hours. Opponents
OF the bill attacked a specific section,
rather than opposing il as a whole,
the main objection being on a change
from the present county system OF
uniformity 10 the smaller unit of a
district system.
The free text book provisions met
with no objections except that OF
utility. il being alleged hal the pres
ent law permitting the adoption of a
free text book system was as good as
that proposed in the bill. The bill
was advocated on the floor by +. w.
Anderson. who introduced it; Speak
er Christopherson, Jacobs, McFar-
land. Howe, S%leddonsky and Groce.
and was opposed by Baldwin, Gliby.
Johnson of Sphinx. Wilker, RinehartI
Benson and Bielski.
Gilby moved to amend by striking
out section IL, requiring school dis.
triet t%reasurers to purchase the
books of families about to move
away. Mcfarland and Christopher
son charged that this amendment
was an attempt to kill the bill by
robbing it of its most popular feature
and the amendment was lost. Or
roll call the bill was passed, So tC
AZ, not having a vote to spare
Friends OF the bill declare ii vii
pass the senate by a larger relative
majority.
The first division of the house tha'
may be taken as an indication of thu
lineup on the liquor question oc
Cured on Netherlands report on (;
bin prohibiting the sale of liquor
within five miles of the state soldiers
home at Hot Springs. The bill
would have the effect of making Ho.
Springs dry arbitrarily and was OPP
posed by Bilger of Fall River anC
others.
The house voted down motion Il
adopt the minority report, which wa
against. the bill, AZ to Sc. but a mum
Der Of members served notice tha'
they voted to permit the bill to com,
before the house and would vot,
against it on final passage.
The senate passed the judieiar!
bill allowing the attorney genera
500 per month expense money anC
actual travelling expense instead o
mileage, and also the bill paying par
ents for the transportation of chill
dren more than two and one-hal
miles to school.
The tendency of boards to be con
tinually reaching out for new author
ity received a check in the house
when the new sanitary regulation
bill of the food and drug department
was defeated by a vote of 81 to ii
The measure had previously passe'
the senate, with some of the depart
ment's requests stricken, but it car
ried a number of new restriction
against hotels. including the aboli
ton of roller towels and common
drinking cups. Several of the hous'
members expressed objection to dele
eating too much supervisory author
ity to one man. Debate IN the bill
was cut off by a motion for the pre-
vious question and the bill wa
showed under" on roll call.
That the %eugenics marriage bill
should be given a chance on the foo
of the house instead of being kille,
by committee report, was the view o
the house in the first contest of tn
afternoon, when, on motion of Jacob
the adverse committee report wa
turned down and the bill placed oil
the calendar.