The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1921-03-17
The South Dakota
Legislature

The house adopted the house bill
calculated to put teeth in the securi-
ties commission law and keep out seal
awag stock statesmen. 1t requires all
stock sold to go through the office of
the commission SO hat they may know
when the amount authorized has been
sold. 1t requires dealers in tocks to
deposit $500 in securities and sales
men to put up $10O, 900 pond as to their
good faith in selling in the state. 1t
prohibits resale of additional unauth-
orized stock within the amount permit
ted by the commission, and generally
permits a more careful scrutiny into
the affairs of such companies, with
stronger penalties than the present
law.
Neither the senate nor the house
yet have shown any intention nf let
ting go their hold ON the Sunday base
Dall-movie censorship deadlock. Sen
ators contend that the Sunday base
ball bill would be no good if the emer-
gency were not left in. as the ques-
ton could not be submitted in NUM-
CAPABILITIES under the local option fea-
ture this spring, and the house has not
yet been able to get the majority ne
cessary to pass it as an emergency
measure. The senate contends that
the emergency is necessary on the
movie bill if it is to be at ali effective,
and the house still insists that there
should be left provision for submission
u the question to the people.
Charges Of cruelty TO prisoners, mis-
management, carelessness and iueffi-
cheney on the part of management Of
n South Dakota penitentiary at
Sioux Falls, under former Warden G.
C. Redfield were contained in the re-
port of the Legislative investigating
committee, submitted to the legisla-
'ture. Instances where prisoners we're
tortured to such an extent that "they
became mental and physical wrecks
were brought to the attention of the
committee, the report stated. One
method of punishment, the report
went on, was to leave doors and win
dows of the cells op2n in the winter,
causing prisoners to suffer from the
cold.
The house had it's second fight on
h question Of exempting from taxa
ton Of religious and benevolent or
carnations not used exclusively by
them. A bill requiring exclusive use
for exemption was killed in the ses-
sion leaving the law applying to all
property owned by them. Hagg of
Corson had a bill in specifically ex-
empting church p~arsonages and Park
er sought to amend by cutting out
the provision for exemption whether
so used or not. The amendment was
killed and the bill passed.
Linking of the western part Of the
state with the eastern half received a
great boost when the house passed H.
B. 81, authorizing a levy of one-telth
mill Upon assessed valuation OF the
state to rovide for state bridge funds
Under this plan it is hoped to raise
enough money to build across the Mis-
souri, river every five years. One
bridge Will open UP the Mobridge
country, another the Rosebud region
and another will be located at Pierre.
Approximately Is years will be re-
CURED to consummate the plan.
South Dakota will continue her pres
ent road building program, highway
committees of both houses have de-
cided. Funds will be raised by a grad
uated automobile tax and a tax of /
cent a gallon on gasoline used in mo.
tor vehicles to meet the ST., 700, 900 fed
eral aid in the coming years. The
state has funds sufficient t meet fed
eral aid during the present year and
next year, but must be assured by the
present legislature of none for 1923
and 1924 so that contracts may be
signed up with the government.
The house passed a bill which If not
deferred will be effective in the COM
ing campaign On numerous initiated
and referred laws. 1t prohibits candi-
dates from spending their campaign
funds to boost or oppose any consti-
tutional amendment or initiated or re-
ferred laws. The trouble has been in
the past that while 1t was not legal to
spend much money for or against
these laws, partisans on one side or
the other could favor candidate for
highly paid offices and spend con-
siderable funds in such propaganda.
The house passed the senate bill
creating a department OF agriculture
TO replace and enlarge the activities
of the marketing department and to
make an estimate of the cost Ut Iro-
duction Of crops IN South Dakota.
The senate sheared off half the
amendments submitted by the State
affairs committee to the moving pic
ture censorship bill and adopted the
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