Rocky Mountain husbandman. [volume] (Diamond City, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1879-02-13
FROM B~EAvERHEAD.
EDITOR

keep the HusBANDMAN wide awake and
prosperous, | write, not so much to send
news, OF Which there is a derth at present.
as TO give my opinion with that of others on
current topics. The black-leg seems to be
disappearing from among the cattle here,
ana hopes are entertained of its radiance
this year. People are paying their princi-
PAL attention to convalescing from the lung
ana throat diseases that have been epidemic
here this winter, and a series of protracted
meetings at the Poindexter school house
are projected Tor next week, to begin on
Wednesday, | believe.
The boys had a debating club in running
order a short time ago., but business cares,
ana a desire on the part of the disputants to
all speak at once, caused u decline in the at
tendance, and it is now like the dynasty of
the Caesars and the tower of Babel, a thing
OF the past. Some occupy their time in TAX
ing a mental birdseye view of the doings
OF the Legislature, and a feeling of trepida-
ton exists in that connection. All who
don't love butcher shops would be pleased
to see law, making theft a criminal offence.
pAiaCt LtC SGllulCSs GSDtctaIIV
cattle stealing. 1t is risky to shoot a man
for stealing beef steers, as in Wyoming. he
might possibly turn out to be somebody's
brother. and the shootist get burned at a
stake with a sage brush fire. This would
involve a supplementary law, requiring
thieves to be prosecuted and punished, or
else that people should elect sheriffs who
have no sympathy with crime in general.
The consolidation of the county superin-
tendent's office with any other is to be dep
1ecated. Let the school superintendent be
elected either by the school directors or BY
residents of the counties whose names are
OIL the tax list, instead of by every loafer
who votes for a drink of whisky. or for
some particular man who has placed him.
under an obligation. Then give him a sala-
ry sufficient to enable him to hire a boy to
attend to his chores while he fulills the du-
ties of his office. Education cannot be too
mighty priced. 1t is the keystone Of Amer
ica's freedom and culture, and if the people
VINO constitute our citizenship are not alive
to its value, the members of the legislature,
who are supposed to belong to the upper
class in intelligence, should enact laws to
secure the election Of such officers as will
see that the children of the land do not
grow up in ignorance, more than circum-
stances render unavoidable.
Another good law would be to exempt
hay from taxation. There is not as much
produced o in Montana as should be to
provide against a possible hard winter. and
In a country where farmers nave already. to
pay such disproportionate taxes, nothing
SO unjust as taxing hay should be lone to
discourage The stock-groWing interest. 1t
would be too much like paying taxes on
bunch-grass.
l think something ought to be done IN re-
gard to the office Of county commissioner.
which IS a very important position. AS the
law now stands the commissioners may all
be chosen from one locality, whereas the
interests of different sections frequently
conflict or lie in different directions. IF the
counties were divided into precincts so that
each could be certain of electing a man who
would represent the interests of that partic-
nlar locality, it would obyiate the danger of
combinations for the building up OF any one
section to the detriment of others. Not
many years ago a law was passed by our
Legislature, restricting the %appropriating
power ofcounty commissioners to So 5000
tor any one object. The members from
Beaverhead county, procured and exemp-
ton from this law in favor of our county
commissioners for six months. The re- :
sult was a $4,000 court house. in the facet
a remonstrance of more than one-haH F,