Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1872-11-28
THE WEEKLY HERALDl
PUBLISHED EVERY THURSDAY MORNING.
2: 2: ~ y r5sx.' Tssxk'' FISK BROS, Publishers
M, N. p. & U. r. r.
REASONS FOR AN EXTRA LEaiISLA-
49,, TIVE SESSION. .r,. ....,.
Advantages OF and Necessity for che
Railroad. 81 30 T.. .
Gard from .. IT. Hauser, Esq.
some OF the People who Petition the
Governor
To the Editor OF the Herald:
...#.. HELENA. NOyemher q

To the Editor OF the Herald: ''.' - Is. 4
HELENA, November Goth, 1872
Mr.. L. 6. Miller and myself having volun-
teered to canvass this city with d petition to
His Excellency, the Governor, praying for an
extra session of the Legislature, we started
out on Monday last and continued for two
days, visiting almost every house in the town,
and with what result you can judge from the
appended list of names of those who signed
the petition. Among them you will find the
names of nearly all our business men and
property holders Some of the names hope
you will publish, to show your readers the
general character of the men who are backing
the North and South Railroad, and to show
how universally our citizens endorse the en-
terprise. Among them are a few who signed
remonstrnace, but they did SO under false
impression, having been told by the parties
presenting the remonstranee that "if they
did not wish to be taxed for $4,000, 900 at
once, they had better oppose an extra session
of the Legislature; that in addition to ths tax
of $4,000, 900, an extra session of the Legisla-
ture would cost $40, 900 or $50,0OO," ctr. q /.
In contradiction of these statements, Mr..
Miller and myself told them, and the signersl
generally, that so far from these representa-
tions being true, it was not proposed
by any one to llyotc single dollar for
the present, or for two ol three years
to come, nor did we know of any per-
son who was In favor of increasing the
present tax one mill. As to the Legislature,
we did not believe 1t would cost to exceed
$4,000, if so much; that If the members did
what the petition contemplated-cut down all
extra compensation-th the session would
be saving, instead Of Is cost-ef 90, 900 or
$4,000, MS Represented. We further stated,
that so far as we knew, II was only proposed
to ask the Legislature to empower the several
counties to vote for or against a subsidy, not
to exceed total of %, 500, 900 for the five
counties; the bonds not to be issued until the
road was completed in sections of 5, 10 or 20
miles in the respective counties, and then to
be issued pro rata as the sections were to the
whole number of miles In the county. This
plan, we insisted, would lesson the taxes in
stead of increasing them, for obvious reasons.
to wit: a-l '".t .' }" ."
1st. The tax for the interest on six per
cent bonds payable in thirty years, will not
be collected or payable for three years to
come; and not for six months after the road
is completed, as the bonds are not issued save
upon completed road, and the interest payable
semi-annually. .-.' ~ I'D.
Cd. The road will be taxable, thereby in
creasing, itself, the present taxable property
one-fourth, and the reduction of freight on gen
eral merchandise and quartz, and expressage
on gold dust, will be saving to the present
population of over $500, 600 per year; or
three times the interest on the entire amount
of bonds. The last item (sxpressage On gold
dust) will be a saving of over $75, 600 year
to the miners, the rate now being q per cent,
and with railroad would not exceed one
half per cent. ya..Gri@ Il L 4H ttA0 H.
Sd. Three years from nov, with . COM
pleted road, our population will be five times
as large as it is to-day, and ten times what 1t
would be without, the road, and our present
taxable property increased four-fold. ne .s,a
4th. If our population decreases the COM
ing fall, as it has during the present one
which it will do, without we have q Certainty
. of railroad by that time-then our taxes VIII
be double what they are at present, as we
ILL &. A.. ooso bava only Onp-hAlf OF our