The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1917-01-11
STATE SO[ONS AP['
DOWN TC FORK
INDICATIONS POINT TO BUSIEST
SESSION IN HISTORY OF
THE STATE
SOCIAL CENTER IDEA UP FOR PASSAGE
Will Be Step in Right Direction and
Make For Better Farm and Home
Conditions

Pierre, S. d., Jan. 10, 1917. Special
to Register:-One of the propositions
which has been scrapped over in sew
eral sessions past has been that of
making an appropriation to begin work
on a new state insane asylum at
Watertown. For session after session
this has been an issue and has general
ly been backed by the eastern coun-
ties of the state, but the opposition
has always been SO strong from one
reason or another that it has never
got very far. The indications for the
present session are that the a%ppropria-
ton will go through at this session
with but little opposition. At least
that is the situation at the present
time, with no indications of breakers
ahead.
While NJ bill has yet been presented
TO carry out the recommendation of
the governor in regard to powers Of
the state game department, a law
along the lines suggested would be Of
local interest to many counties in the
eastern part of the state, as the re
commentator asks that power b.
given that department to purchase
lands necessary to secure inlets from
streams into the smaller lakes. or to
place dams across the outlets to in
crease the depth Of water. such n
policy carried out would go a long way
toward holding manJ Of the lakes Of
the state at a more wen water level
regardless of the amount OF rainfall
each year, as the level could be regu-
lated through a proper system.
Contrary to expectations the house
committee list was all cleared up at
the end Of the first week of the session
and chairmanships which went to the
eastern part Of the state are %appropria-
tons. Anderson, of Clark; Assessment
and taxation, Mathieson, of Codington:
Charitable institutions, Bartels, Of
lptutI, AltulCilt anu SUI Stiy MCT d.
land, of C%odington: Public Libraries,
Schultz, Of Kingsbury; School and pub
lie lands, Kennard, of Brookings; Sta
t%istics, Stein, of Codington.
While a part of the senate commit
tees have been announced, among
those who have given craftsmanship
honors to the eastern part of the state
are education, Whittemore, of Hamlin;
Temperance, Carlisle, of ~Brookings:
Charitable and penal institutions, As
leth, of Kingsbury; Insurance, South
wick, of C%odington.
One of the bills which will cause
more or less discussion before it is
finally disposed of is the one by Arm
strong, of Kingsbury, who seeks to
make it a misdemeanor for a city Off
money on hand to meet the same. He
attempts to make the signerS person
ally responsible for any amount shown
or a warrant which is returned mark
ed mot paid for want of funds" and
while he does not invalidate the war
rant, he does stop its bearing any in
terest. The only opening left when n
fund has been exhausted is to go to
the people for a vote as to whether
they are willing to put up the cash to
fill the deficiency which may exist in
any one fund set apart for the public
use.
The mix-up which was started az
Watertown at the time of the state
meeting of teachers, in which the
charge was made that Professor Jones
of the state university was attempting
to carry on physical examinations
among girl pupils of the state, has at
last got into the legislative game
through the resolution by Evander, of
Roberts, to provide a joint committee
of the two houses to investigate the
charges. This will no doubt lead to
other Investigations, as the past few
sessions have apparently "got the
habit" and three or four investiga-
ting committees to look into the where
and why Of things specifically in most
cases and generally in others is the
rule.
The social center idea which is ad-
vanced by former Governor Herreid
has been started or it's legislative way
by bills in both the house and senate.
His idea is that the people of the diff
ferent school districts Of the state
should get together at times to discuss
social and economic conditions. in fact