Bozeman avant courier. [volume] (Bozeman, Mont.) 1872-1882, 1879-06-26
STRIPPED or DISGUISE.

If current rt,mors are any criterion b.
D. which to judge plans and purposes. then
: is highly probable that we are to have al
extraordinary session OF the Territoria
Legislature at very early day. Incredi
: :, BILE as the thing may seem. the Helen;
- Herald Of the 18th inst. not only gives
> as street rImor that Governor Potts vii
, call an extra session Of the Legislature, t.
u convene about the first Of July. but add
!, the following significant remark:
! 1.-The Governor has not signified his in
. ien'ions direct to the Herald. but We know
: that lie has expressed his intention Of 0ll
. ing an extraordinary session at tie time
!. mentioned
: When the report first gained currency
5 we were inclined to regard it as purely sen
e sational. or at most, highly improbable
hence. let it pass without comment, but
. now, that the Herald appears to speak so
positively in regard TO the Governors in
. tentions, we feel scmewha. warranted in
''chipping in" and saying our say while the
, question is open for debate.
. OF course. we are just az liable to BE-
. wrong in our views and expressions as
: any person who knows no more about the
subject than we do. and jus: as liable to be
:. right as those who may be influenced by
local. pecuniary or selfish considerations /:
. but. looking at the matter fairly and
sluarely in all its apparent bearings, we
must say. most emphatically. that q e can
see no existing necessity at present suffiei-
ent to justify the calling of an extra ses-
sion Of the Legislature. When the sub
jet was first talked of. II was urged that a
great saving could be made in the keeping
4 the - Penitentiary convicts, by appro-
PIRATE legislation: then other and less i'm
portant, and. il possible, more frivolous
reasons were assigned for calling the Legs
lative Assembly in extraordinary session.
The first was effectually disposed of By
facts and figures" furnished by the Ec1
North-Fsst of the 18th inst. and the 9TH
/ ers have Teen abandoned as pretcx;s too
:Tifling TO b. seriously entertained by can
did. thinking men.
! With degree of candor. quite as unex-
pectel to US as il is unusual to our Helena
contemporaries When discussing railroad
matters. the Herald of the 10th inst. strips
the subject Of disguise by placing it in its
true light and stating in plain English what
the real motive is in tie proposed conven-
ing Of the Legislature. 1t says:
The reasonable presumption is that the
interests OF the Utah and Northern Rail-
road are the principal if not the moving
cause. There are symptoms of yelling the
real behind some pretended purposes. but it
seems to US that nothing can be gained and
something may be lost by so disingenious
course. II there Is not enough of merit |
about the project to be defensible. it ought |
to be dismissed and opposed. On the con- |
trary, il il is worthy Of submitting to an
extra called session. nothing can he gained |
BY shrouding it in mystery or false pre- |
tense"
We are under the impression that the en-
tire question, in all its possible features.
was thoroughly canvassed and discussed
during the last session. and that the advo-
Gates OF railroad subsidy or exemption or
whatever name they assumed. were fairly |
and hOnorably defeated. and so far as the
actions of the majority of the members
were concernedi in this matter, they'were I'M
mistakably approved by their constituents.
In our opinion, no change Of situation or
circumstances has occurred since the adj
journment that justities the granting Of
any special exemption from taxation or
the bestow;ng Of subsidy to any railroad
company in any form. On the other hand.
evidence has been accumulating and reas-
ons Increasing against the wisdom, justice.
or expediency Of every exemption or sub
sidy proposition.
Without tho ADVANTAGE which s',.l, laois-
lauon would give. the Utah and Northern
Railroad Company has already struck a
vital blow to the interests of Helena, and
indeed to the whole Territory. in the signal
overthrow of the Upper Missouri River
Navigation scheme. Talk about '.smitiny
the hand that feeds,'' Does any one for a
moment suppose that tho Utah and Nor.
[hern, or any other railroad, company will
be SO philanthropic as to seek the promo
ion Of any other interests except its
own: The parties directly interested in !.
ne narrow gauge project will push the !,
Dad into Montana. and to Helena, on a
strictly business proposition il they con- !
:lude that 1t will pay to do 80, and they are !.
ct alone in the matter; but il they are tam
'ered with. and the tempting hope of
ubsidy or exemption is held out to them
s probability or possibility, and which. =
fter all, should, and in our opinion. :
most assuredly will, be defeated then it
nay seriously change their original inten- !
ions. We should be in favor of telling =
hem plainly, and at once, to build their :
DAD where it will do the most good, at +
heir own risk and at their own expense.
Montana is now attracting such attention
broad that, in any event, we shall not be
,uch longer without railroads. II the pl
'nion Pacific Company decline to build Ii
ranch road into the Territory, other COM re
anies will construct main lines at no dis at
INT day through its very center and that 81
'ithout Territorial aid in any form. m
Practically, the old-time settlers of Mon hi
ma know little if anything in regard to til
Re workings of either railroad subsidies az
exemptions, but they have had fair CD vi
ortnnities OF informing themselves in re- of
lrd to their rllinOus tendencies and results fis
sewhere. Missouri, Iowa, Illinois, Kan or
s and Nebraska are financially ruined Wis
ith them to-day, unless all Information an
the subject is utterly unreliable. Mis- &c
uri is virtually bankrupt through her viz
ilroad subsidies; sufficient taxes cannot ito
'ssibly be collected to pay the interest on bill
r railroad bonds. Exemption from tax
ion Of the property of incorporated CON-
MES is only another form OF subsidy. It
prives the State of that revenue neces !
~ for the maintenance anu protection of M
very property exempted, and saddles a.l
burdens Of the Commonwealth upon no,
; laboring classes. The immigrants who crv
flocking into our Territory this year On
ve been, in most instances, compelled M,
leave their former homes on account of g.,
cessive taxation, and they are almost ,.r
animous in their opposition to subsidy :
any special favors being granted to rail- "a,
I'd corporations. Having passed thro, ~
terrible ordeal, their experience should -.
worth something to us, and it will be g.; -