Part Two The South Dakota Constitution and Commentary, Art.III Legislative Department

When adopted in 1889, Article III reflected both an opposition to the previous territorial system and a desire to eliminate legislative corruption in the future. Opposed to perceived corruption of territorial officials by the railroad lobby, South Dakotans incorporated within their constitution various measures aimed at limiting outside influences on the legislature.2 Securing local and state self-government from outside influence or manipulation promised to give South Dakotans greater control over their economic destiny.3 One way to achieve this goal was to...