Bozeman avant courier. [volume] (Bozeman, Mont.) 1872-1882, 1874-01-09

expended to obtain a nomination ant
an election, than at any time before.
think 10 argument is necessary to con
vince reasonable men that high fee
and salaries destroy the purity Of OH
elestions, rob the people OF their hard
earned substance and injuriously aifec
the morale of the citizen.
My former recommendation that th'
Office Of the County Treasurer be ahol
ished aud that the Sheriff be required
to collect and d:sburse the county rev
enues, is again renewed with more con
fidence in it's proprlety and wisdom
than heretofore. No reasonable argu
ment, think, can be advanced for th'
continuance of this Office, while tht
continued increase of the burden o
public debt demands its discontinu
ance. 1 have no apprehension thai
the duties of the office will be less eff
GENTLY discharged the Sheriff, thar
heretofore by another officer. The bond
of the Sheriff can be increased, his
fees as Sheriff proper and percentage
as collector Of taxes can be reduced
leaving him q fair compensation, enc
save the counties, annually, at least
five thousand dollars.
Under the present law the cost O
collecting taxes in Montana VIII quad
ruple that of collecting the same
amount in any of the Western or East
ern States; and yet our people have
no more oity or disposition to pay
high taxes than those of any Other
section of the country. l again com
mend this subject to your favorable
consideration.
The act providing for the payment
of Jurors and witnesses in Montana
Territory, approved November Goth
1867, authorized and required that jury
fees should be taxed by the Court
against the unsuccessful party, in each
civil action tried by jury. This wise
statute does not appear in Our CcdltieC
Laws and is therefore repealed. Ne
reason has been assigned for its repeal
hence we conclude that it was omitted
for the same reason that many othel
necessary things were omitted by thu
COdifying Commissioners. That the
tax PAYERS of the several counties
should be compelled to pay the ex
penses of juries in civil GAUGES in which
they have no interest, is so manifestIy
unjust that you should at an early day
in the session restore the old law, o.
enact a section something Like the fol
lowing:
Section.-For every case tried in q Court o.
Record by a jury, there shall be taxed. as {
part of the costs, a jury-fee of fifteen dollars
which shall be collected as other costs anC
paid into the County Treasury, to the credit
of the General Fund, by the Clerk, who shall
report the same to the Board of County Com
missioners at their next regular session, anC
they shall cause the same to be charged K
the Treasurer.
The failure TO engraft into the new
statutes a provision requiring courts tt
tax, as part of the costs in each trial
by a jury, jury fee, has cost the sew
era counties between five and ter
thousand dollars; and to that extent
has increased the present oppressive
debt Of the people.
THE Governor here recommends the
enactment of law preventing the sale
or giving away of intoxicating liquors
on election days..
l Iregard it as my duty to again re
the passage of law enfOrc
ing the observance of the Sabbath day
as a day of rest. Think you owe it tc
yourselves as legislators and to the
people you represent, tOsrequire the
observance of one day out Of every
seven as a day of rest. The absence
of law requiring the observance Of
the Sabbath day is reproach to the
Territory and is not in harmony with
the public sentiment of the people.
earnestly implore you to place Mon
tana on a plane with the States and
other Territories of the Union, by pro
hibiting common labor works of ne
cessity and charity exceptcd) ON tic
first day of the week; excepting from
its provisions those Of our fellow citi
zens who religiously observe the sew
enth day of the week as a day Of rest
Under the operation of the law pro
hibiting extra compensation from the
Territorial Treasury the amount OF
warrants drawn for current expenses
for the fiscal year ending December l,
1873, was S41,35O 21 less than that
of the preceding fiscal year, although q
session of the Legislative Assembly
was held each year; and Territorial
warrants advanced from eighty to 81
cents since the adjournment of the last
regular session of the Legislature.
[The Governor here favorably men
tions Capt. Jones' survey of a military
road from Point of Rocks on the Uni0I
Pacific Railroad to Fort Ellis, which
REPORT was published two weeks since
in this paper.
The law relating to marriage is very
imperfect in its provisions, and shOuld
be amended in many particulars. Thu
present law provides that the parties
to marriage contract shall be Of th'
age of majority, which is fixed in thi'
Territory at twenty one years for th'
male and eighteen for females. / re
commend that marriage be authorized
with the written consent of parents o.
guardians, at the age Of fifteen for fe
males and eighteen for males; and tina
q license in all cases be first Obtainet
from the Probate Court Of the count,
in which the female resides, before an,
officer or minister be authorized t
sOlemnize the marriage. A corti6cst
of the marriage should be returned t
the PROBATE Judge that issued tn