The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1915-02-04
SOUTH DAKOTA WILL
DROP DEATH PENALTY
FROM CRIMINAL CODE
House and Senate Both Vote II
Favor Of Proposal, But on
Separate Measures.

Hastings, Neb.. Feb. S.-Harry wat.
lire South Dakota legislature crowded
into the senate chamber and galleries,
anu after q ebate of three hours. the
Senate finally passed the bill abolish,
ing capital punishment in the state
by a vote of "a to is. a similar bill
had previously passed the house by q
larger majority and as it was one OF
the special recommendations in the
Governors annual message that the
death penalty be abolished. One of the
DIS stu must pass the other branch,
but it is quite sure there will be no
trouble on that point.
In the debate a great array of argu
ments for n against the death pen
atty We're offered. The author of the
bin, Pin p. Beebe. of Ipswich de
tended it at length.
A feature of the debate WAS he's cor
ing which h practice of ~pardonine
criminals sentenced for murder, re,
ceiNed. Both sides condemned these
pardons, n turned the condition tc
support Of their own contentious. On
the one hand it was alleged that hang
Ing would prelude the possibility of
pardons. and on the other that there
would be more convictions and less
pardons if the penalty for murder were
me imprisonment.
Information Law Repealed.
South Dakota got rid of one piece OF
useless and expensive legislation when
IL repealed the bill passed by the 1919
legislature known as the Richards Blu
reau OF Information law. This law pro-
Vided for an elaborate system of blank
books and records to be kept in each
county for the purpose OF recording ap-
pllcations of men for jobs or articles
for sale or trade. 1t has been practi-
cally a dead letter except as to the
expense of securing the books which
has been paid by the several counties.
Both houses have passed the bill re
peallng this law. There was but one
vote in its favor in the senate and
eight in the house. The bill passed
the House with the emergency clause
and viii go pack to the senate for a
similar amendment.
The longest discussion in the senate
came on house bill No. II. permitting
the employment of five assistant game
wardens at q salary of 500 per month
each. Mclean thought this an unneces-
sary expense and said the bill was a
Joke over the state. He thought the
sheriffs should do the work. He said
the bill was good politics but bad bust
ness.
Urdahl offered an amendment max
ing the number of wardens three in
stead of five, He said the Investigate
ing committee had reported that there
were too many forest men, He thought
the forest reserve in the Black Hills
should be able to take care of the
buffalo. Stephens said the money in
forest reserves and buffalo was an in
vestnent instead of an expenditure,
and that the amendment would cripple
the department. McKinnon said there
was $4,000 on hand in the game fund
and that hunters feel it should b. spent
IN protecting the game. Urdahl thought
the running expenses OF the game de-
partment equaled the income. The bill
was finally passed.
The proposal to appropriate $4,000
for fniCGi7p~ @. mn. the 20 J.rp>eTc9 iputfty,ta
work of the fiscal year again up on
q motion to reconsider the vote by
which it was lost on o previous day.
Bielski, of Stanley, objected to the APP
preparation and suggested an investi-
cation to find out what was done with
the liberal appropriation made for his
work. He said young men just out of
college We're getting 5000 a month and
expenses to travel around and lecture
to m Women, no better cooks
than my wife," are getting $40 a day
to talk on home economics. Young
men are getting S2,400 a year for talk
ing to when our state officers
are receiving only $500. and the peo-
pie of the state refuse to vote to raise
their salaries. He did not want to OPP
pose the farmers. but thought some of
those posing as friends of the farmer
were wolves in Sleeps clothing" An
derson. OF Corson, thought it was
cheaper TO take a good farm paper
than to come to town to attend a farm
ers' institute. Boreson, of Davidson,
objected to the practice of planning
the work so that there would always
be a deficiency. Discussion was stopped
by moving the previous question, and
the bill was again lost by a vote of
% for to AZ against, failing to get the
necessary two-thirds for an appro-
p~riation. Swanson, of Brown, asked
to explain his vote and said he voted
mo" because he found that in his
town 1T was the sidewalk farmers who
attended the Institutes.