Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1919-01-18
STATE LAWMAKERS
Legislative Session Gets Under Way.
Black Hills Has Bunch of Live
Wires in Session

Pierre, s., D., Jan. l3.-The Black
Hills has a bunch of live wires in the
present session, and they are all boost
ing to help out the changes asked for at
the School of Mines at Rapid City.
While their proposition has not yet
been brought out into the open, the in
dications at the present time are favor
able for proper consideration Of the
needs Of the western part Of the state in
the way of educational needs.
The prevailing flu epidemic is leav-
ing its mark on legislation, one of the
propositions it is bringing prominently
to the front is the need of legislation
which will give counties the peer to
establish and maintain county hospitals
Representative Frank Beck, of Belle
Fourche, is looking after a bill along
that line, and the conditions all over
the state have been such the past few
months that the members are ready to
take up and act upon some plan along
this line. Up to the present any move
in that direction has met with opposi.
ton on the ground of cost, but that con-
sideration goes into the discard under
present conditions, which require some
thing concrete to meet the needs of the
occasion
Up to the present the members of the
session have baen putting in most of the
time in getting acquainted and getting
shaped up for the future grind. There
is no rush at present to get in any great
number of bills, but the coming week is
likely to show considerable activity
along that line. But most of them will
never get beyond the introduction stage
until after the recess which is slated for
the 23rd of this month. While some
few measures may come up for final ac-
ton prior to that date the one which is
certain is that carrying the appropria.
tion for legislative expenses, which al
ways gets through without any great
trouble, and which rarely has negative
vote recorded against it. Possibly only
one such having ever been recorded and
that on the part of member who want
ed a record of voting no on every
thing.
The naming of committees does not
apparently show any great speed, only a
part of the committees of the senate be-
ing yet nam sd, and even a smaller num-
ber of the committees of the house.
Among the Black Hills senate chair
manships which have shown up in the
list so far are: Mines and Mining,
Stoner of Lawrence Irrigation, Miner
of Butte Legislative Phraseology, Helm
of Custer Live Stock, Ham of Meade !;
Railroads, Helm of Custer. Several
other chairmanships will no doubt be
shown in the other committees when
announced.
In the short list Of house committees
so far announced Black Hills chairman
ships are: Judiciary, Guilfoye of Fall
River; Mines and Mining, Clark of
Lawrence. Clark is also on the labor
committee and DriscoIl on banks and
judiciary in the list SO far announced
Just what the general lineup of legis-
lation affecting the Hills will be is hard
to say as yet for the reason that SO little
has developed, but it is likely that an
appropriation will be asked out of the
state game fund to allow the state TO
acquire few more of the private hold
ings within the state reserve. 1t is also
possible that fishing license will be re-
quired on account of the fact that the
state department is expending so great
part of its funds for increasing the
fishing opportunities and stocking OF
streams with fish. The hunters who
pay all the license fail to see Just what
they get out of this fish expenditure.
To the old timer who has attended
past sessions of the legislature the pres.
ent one would look like a quiet party.
The old rush and buttonholeing of the
days Of early sessions is gone. Equal
suffrage is out of the way, and prohibi,
ton is no longer an issue and with the
budget board taking up the work which
has formerly been done by the appro.
priations committees and devoting weeks
to where they would have days, there
is no rush of heads of state institutions
here to ask for what they think they
need for their various places As a re,
suit, while the usual number of mem.
bers and employees are on the grounC
that is practically the limit and in com
parson with the past there is no crowd,
The condition even went so far thai
many of the members did not take the
time or trouble to come in for the legis
latiye canvass on Monday evening tc
select legislative employees, and sale
they were not interested, but we're will
ing to let the others choose. In tha
line the Black Hills so far has on th,
list, John Grams as sergeant at arms o
the senate, and Miss Mae Andrews, o
Sturgis, as bill clerk of the house. Nei
Hall, of Deadwood, is one of the senat,
door keepers, and with Grams at on,
door and Hall at the other any BacI
Hills resident ought to be able to pro
duce the pass word to get into tha
room.
Pierre, $. d., Jan. l4.--In the hons,
committees named Black Hills member
who get committee places are High
ways, Warren of Lawrence Commits
stoned Governed Cities, Buell. of Pen
nington, Bird Of Lawrence; EngrosseC
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