Bozeman avant courier. [volume] (Bozeman, Mont.) 1872-1882, 1874-01-23
FAY or MEMBERS


county, member Of the Legislature
makes report as Chairman Of a com
mittee to correspond with Secretary
Galloway in regard to the pay Of mem
beers of the eighth Legislative Assem-
bly, Of Montana, and is informed tha'
the said Secretary has Only eish
thousand dollars t. pay for that pur
pose. The writer Of this has had :
good deal to Dc in the Treasury De
partment in adjusting the accounts fo'
Legislative expenses in Montana, ant
confcsscs to considerable surprise i
reading the report made by Captain
DusOld of his interview with the Sec
rotary. We cannot understand how
it is that there can only bc sS,Goo &c
pay members. Congress appropriated
at its last session "t,eenty thousand dol
lcys for Legislative expenses CT ,,1!on
tana." In the bill making this appro
priation there is not word said as to
the distribution Of the fund for this
ture. 1t Is true, however, that in the
Organic Act of Montana there is a
provision which !says that Ike appro-
priation should be expended by t:irsc-
ton of the Secretary Of the Treasury.
During the time that the writer was
connected ard familiar with the cx-
penditlres for Legislative purposes,
the Secretary Of the Treasury never
meddlcd with this appropriation, but
left its expenditure to the discretion
Of the Territorial Secretary. Mem.
bers were paid as long as the
fund lasted, and their accounts
were adjusted and paid before any
other. If there was deficiency, those
who held claims for printing, station
cry, &C., had to wait until Congress
made All appropriation in deficiency
bills to pay such claimants. For the
life Of us, we cannot see how-when
twenty thousand dollars was appro-
priated last March for Legislative OK
pcnses in Montana, and the money
available ever since the first ct July
last and could have been drawn by
the Secretary any time thereafter
that there is only eight thousand dol
lars to pay members. For what other
purpose is the remaining t,cc're thons.
T'M to be applied! Previously the
Secretary has informed the Legislature
hat only four thousand dollars could
'e used for printing. This still leaves
5000 unaccounted for of the $4,000
appropriated. The rent of Halls and c
ael surely will not cart tinut SUI, UP. n
70 part Of the twenty thousand dol ii
ars went to pay the expenses Of the Fl
extra Session, as Major Maginnis, or =
Delegate, procured from the Treasury t.
an estimate for those ex- I.
lenses and had the same inserted in Il
he deficiency bill now before Congress, b
nd which will doubtless become law st
Y the first of February. III
Tie first Comptroller could have : :,
irected the Secretary to divide the u
wenty thousand dollars (by direction
4
the Secretary Of the Treasury, say IL
muchfor printing, SO much foc rent nj
halls, 50 much for stationery and ii
lei, BUTT seems that this has not to
cen done, as the Secretary informs y
aptain Dusold that the had written q
the first Comptroller for advice on al
le subject" We think this course on =
IS part wholly unnecessary and not &C
quired of him. Congscss appropri- cl
es $4,000 for Legislative expenses e'
Montana, and no man ought to hold U
e Office Of Secretary that does not tlt
low how that money should be cx s'
nded }. and has to ask the Comptrol- sa
for advice before he can act. We
ink the Secretary has been derel;ct
not ascertafning all about this be-
e the Legislature met. He knew
at it would assemble OH tue first -
'nday in JANUARY, 1s7l-he knew -
ere was $4,000 appropriated to pay "
expenses. He ought to have had .'n
sry dollar of the money on hand to ~,
Y them each week. He knew that ''c'
SIX dollars-a day; from tic Govern =,
Mt was all they could get, as the .- 49,,
'sallowing extra compensation were VIC
'ogated by Congress, and therefore -,
y required their pay in order to :. :
'er their expenses whilst at the ,'''
pital. We are constrained 10 be. h''
e, from an intimate knowledge Of -
1t has boon the tourse Of the Treas. !, wa
Department formerly in regard TO W
appropriation for Legislative cy. ~
scs, chat the Secretary has not - :,
o Lis duty by the present Legis!a. le:
?, and a. nc is receiving large and or4,
~ A