The Montana post., 1868-12-04
THAT DEBT.

Ouf ntlRn DOR OF the LlcWocFUt, as well
as the Gazette, has made reply to our
article on the debt of Montana which
would be creditable to him if it were
true. But the premises taken are false.
The Bannack Legislature, as it will be
seen, from the names composing it, was
largely Democratic. Read
CoUNCII-Lawrence. Bagg. Potter.
Worden, Merriman, Thompson and Lea
witt
HoUsE-Bell, Buck, Courtwright, Det-
wiler, Faulds, Huffaker, johnson, Ma
hew, Mccormick, Ryan, Stuart and
Smith.
There were four Democrats in the
Council and eleven in the House. II
these were under the control of Radi-
calls, we would like to know how. Will
the Democrat or Gazette enlighten US :
According to the showing of the gazette,
they voted $2S,297 extra compensation
to themselves. Code Commission, com>
posed of two Democrats and one Repub-
lican. 50 ,0j3.52 Commissioners to To-
cate Capital-one Republican and two
Democrats, $222. The other expenses
were such as the laws, adopted by a
Democratic Legislature, allowed. If
Radicals were fortunate enough to get
any OF the money it was simply because
they happend at the time to hold posi-
tion. They were not to blame for that.
The whole debt of $S5. .004.50 was of
Democratic origin, and could not have
been made without the sanction Of laws
passed by Democratic Legislature.
But the people understand this. No
reply is necessary to the tissue of mis-
representations which lack even the
dignity of respectable sophistry that
they have paraded before the public as
an explanation of our financial condi-
tion. Both the Gazette and Democrat
feign to laugh at the idea of sixty thou
sand dollars being a large debt. Tax
payers, who have to pay for it, and get
nothing in return, think differently.
The Gdzette, on the strength of il, pro-
claims that the debt has been reduced
100000. This is simply untrue. The
100000 is the funded debt-the addi-
Gional debt is nearly half as large. and
unprovided for, and was made by the
bogus and last Legislature. But we
have no patience in exposing these mis-
representations. We reiterate all we
SAID in our former article, which is COR
roborated by the records of the Terri-
tory, and which we will have trans
cript OF in a few days. We Wa.
then publish and ask the people To
examine for themselves. A mere battle
of contradictions between the Democrat
or the Gazette and the Posi-, proves
nothing. Go TO the records. See what
party made the laws, and enquire into
the reasons of their passage. See which
party has been in power, ever since the
organization of the Territory, and what
they have done by legislation TO develop
il, or provide it with conveniencies. See
into whose pockets the money goes that
is now yearly raised by taxation. There
are no Judges paid now-no Code Conn
nIission-no capital locators. but an in
creased Legislature dSSeMbky--dH increased
number Of Territori0I offcerS-and they
are undeniably Democrats, and for that
reason get the peoples money; all the
blather and nonsense of our neighbors
to the contrary, Notwithstanding. Will
the Gazette tell us how much has been
paid them for public printing. at difftr~
whether il was ten, twenty or thirty
thousand dollars, in all that he received
from the Territory on the same account?
To the charge that we are governed by
selfish motives in the exposition we have
made, we plead guilty in one respect.
We are tired of paying taxes, when the
benefit is all partizan and at the peoples
expense TOO; but whether selfish or not,
we invite investigation. IL we are wrong
in our statements, prove it. Our selfish
ness has nothing to do with the matter.
We love Montana, it's resources, and its
citizens We know that il is to-day
the richest and most oppressed Terrific
~ on the continent, that it is receiving
and has received ever since its organi-
zation, more injury from those who
ought to have been its friends, than
from any other source. We are tired OF
it. Our people are discouraged. Thou
sands have LETT the Territory under dis
which sprang from bad
legislation, and Territorial mismanage-
ment The party in power has hung
like a leech upon our resources, until
the life blood of the system is terribly
depleted. We wish to see the remedy
applied before it is too late. If our
neighbors of the Territorial press will
not help us, we will work single handed
until the people arouse and thorough
reform is secured in our legislation.
The Reno (Nev) Crescent says: "In
all the comfy from Chief Justice to Jus-