The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1915-02-24
THE LEGISLATURE
THE GENERAL APPROPRIATION
BILL CARRYING OVER 81
600. 900 READY FOR
INTRODUCTION.
THE GENE

GltTTP, n Gu. Lt.-l Ht ktutIdk dU~
preparation bill is ready for introduc-
ton in both houses. being a duplicate
bill drawn by the joint committees
of the two houses. II will carry
nearly $500. 900 more than did the
general bill of two years ago which
came to S2,395,209.
The text book bill which passed
the house early in the session after
a fight is yet resting in the senate
committee on education. There Is a
widespread feeling that the big book
companies are interested in the bill.
but whether for or against Ii. appears
to be the issue. 1t Is to find out IL
possible where this interest lies that
is delaying a report on the bill. So
far the big companies have no ex-
pressed themselves on the measure,
but some of the local people who
handle school books are certainly OPP
posed to the measure, and are MAX
ing a warm campaign against IL.
especially is this the case with pub
fishers of educational journals In the
state. Just what. II any, relations
they hold to the big book companies
outside OF their advertising pages Is
hard TO determine. and to know just
where the real facts lie. But the sit
uation is such that the senate is sit
ting tight waiting developments be-
fore they bring IL out for a vote. and
in the meanwhile there is a lot OF
speculation as to what TO do with
the bill.
There Is an un~dercurrent of feel
- r. - A. 49, on an thu
primary law, as Ii now stands. The
senate passed the old Crawford act
without any registration or party en-
rollment features, but has presented
a bill to provide for registration un-
der a separate act, which has not yet
been brought to a vote. The line OF
criticism is why the registration
feature is left trailing along behind
the primary bill proper. and why 1t
was not incorporated as a part OF
that bill. One OF the reasons ad-
vanced il that no plan of primary
could be agreed upon which would
not endanger the bill. That is the
very feature which makes some OF
the house members chary OF the bill.
III no registration could be planned
which would not endanger the bill,
then the same features must apply
to the registration act itself. and to
pass the primary and take chances
on the registration Is not a satisfac-
tory plan to a lot of the house men,
bers. They want the registration
feature or nothing. In the meantime
II. o. Richards has announced a
change OF mind in regard to coming
out to the session, and now says he
will be along the last OF this week in
person with his petitions for a new
primary which while In the main Is
the same as the present act, will con-
tain amendments to change some OF
its features.
The appropriation bill to secure
for the state the full benefits OF the
Smith-Lever act of congress. for state
aid to agriculture, has passed the
senate, but the house is looking II
over with more or less caution. The
members are mostly farmers. and
they are slow at this session to grab
at farm experiment and development
work. and Ii is possible that the bill
will meet with more or less opposi-
ton in the house before ii Is finally
disposed Of.
The bridge bill which has passed
the senate, which attempts to cure
the defects in the present bridge laws
of the state, is being criticised by a
number of house members. who are
apparently opposed to any change in
the present law. They claim that
they cannot see any great defects in
the existing statutes, and hat the
new act which places a large part Of
the bridge building OF the state under
supervision of the state engineer will
mean a lot of delay. But the major
ity of the house is apparently in
favor of bridge regulation Of some
sort, and while the bill may be chop
ped some before the house finishes
with it something in the way of a
change in the law is pretty certain.
The equal suffrage forces hope to
get their resolution for a cOnstitu-
tional amendment out on the floor Of
the house for q vote, and with their