The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1881-01-21
HOUSE BILL no. Q.

NEW NohIh-h ESI Vi last Nech, the SiaoSS
providing for deducting half the cost of the
Court House from the Deer Lodge county
debt before appotioning any of 1t TO Silver
Bow county having been stricken out.
When 1t is remembered that one firm in the
town of Deer Lodge probably paid more OF
the cost Of that Court House than did ALT
residents Of the proposed county of Silver
Bow, the concession is not so remarkably
generous as 1t might be; neither Is 1t reck-
lessly liberal to charge up to the old county
the entire cost Of the county Jail, the neces-
sity for which was largely occasioned by the
commitments from Butte, and which has
principally sheltered and kept In durance
persons from that locality. .. -..
This question of division of debt is, how
ever, one of secondary consideration In the
estimation of Deer Lodge county. The ex-
penses of Butte to the old county have fully
equalled, If they have not exceeded, the en-
tire revenues derived from it to the county.
As long as Butte maintains Its present status
or continues to grow, this condition will not
be materially changed, except for the worse,
unless terms Of court are established there.
The failure to establish these two years ago
and 1t Is proper TO say here the Legislation
deemed necessary In such case was defeated
by those who are now Butte divisionists,
against the efforts of Judge Knowles to accom-
plish it-and to build Jail there was the Err
ror In judgment and government from which
much expense and many evils have sprung.
With all the wealth of Butte the old county
can live and prosper without it, have expedi-
ton In its legal business and maintain its
government with a low rate of taxation.
1t Is apparent, however, that the Butte
promoters of division propose to do some in
consistent, unjust and imprac:icable thing in
carrying through their scheme Of dismem-
berment, and that they demonstrate in adj
vance incapacity to manage county govern
ment. While it would be violent presump-
ton to assume that the motives of the divis-
ion pushers are wholly unselfish and inspired
purely by public interests, we take it, for the
sake of discussion, that the objects are prin-
cipally as alleged-that Butte may have
terms of Court and county records without
the inconvenience, expense and delays Of
travelling forty miles. Let us see what II.
b. No. o does toward accomplishing those
objects. In his message 10 the Legislature
the Governor, probably having in view the
enormous debt that the commissioners have
already saddled upon Custer county, the
volume and burden of which no man to this
day knoweth, suggested that limit should
be placed upon county commissioners in the
amount Of debt which, assuming legislative
functions, they may involve it for. To the
divisionist eye this executive intimation was
regarded as "Notice to Trespassers,"
fraught with danger to the new county, and
therefore Section 10 was tackled on to III. ID.
No. 8, limiting the indebtedness that might
be incurred or contracted for in the name of
Silver Bow county TO s25, 900 over and above
the amount on hand in the county treasury.
This was the bid for executive favor Now
let us see what the effect will be. The bill
proposes that the entire cost of the county
jail and and all the moneys in the hands of
the county treasurer shall first be deducted
from the debt of Deer Lodge county, and
and that the remainder shall be apportioned
between Deer Lodge and Silver Bow counties
in proportion to the taxable property In
each. The entire amount of interest bear
ing Deer Lodge county warrants registered
to January /, 1881, was ,5S2. The ac-
crued interest on the same Is about $500
q total in round numbers Of $4,000. The
balance in the county fund January /, 1881,
was $3.50. The school fund has been ap-
portioned; the contingent funds exhausted;
the poor fund had $e,911 in 1t, and has since
been appropriated to some extent. It may
be assumed, however, that the county and
poor funds will contain $1,000. Therefore,
we may reckon the net debt which 1t Is pro-
posed to divide at $4,000. From this it Is
to deduct the cost of the county
Jail ISL, 1000, leaving $4,000 debt to be di-
vided. The taxable valuation for 1880 was
less than $4,3O0,oO0. The Miner of Janu-
airy IS asserts that about $1,000, 0OO-or
three ourths-of this is In the proposed Sill
yer Bow COMMUNICATING the debt with
which the county will start over 900, or
$4,000 more than 1t Is permitted under any
TO incur, and which 1t declares
In advance shall be null and void, and is
thereby repudiated. Beside this 1t has to
assume the expenses Of an election, of
transcribing the records, of providing for and
Quitting county government, the holding
Of court terms, with the consequent expen-
ses, the providing of public buildings, main
tenance, durance, transportation, ETC., of
poor, prisoners, insane, convicts, etc, at
season Of year when few taxes are paid and
q county has to live, like DIR. Tanner, off It's
own tissue. II debas itself by the very
terms Of It's establishment from erecting du-
ring the year 1881 any public buildings or of
having them completed foroccupancy before
the latter part of 1882. 1t is evident that
such financiering Is impracticable. Even If 1t
should be construed that Silver Bow county
may contract debt of SIS, 900 in additiont to
The old debt, there will not be more than
Sufficient revenues until December, 1881, to
pay current expenses, and no public build
ings can be erected until 1882, even II court
terms can meantime be held. To do 80 the
tax rate will have to be placed very high,
and the mining interest, however productive
Il may be, is one largely exempt from taxa
lion and alert In securing larger immunities.
It has been urged by those favoring diyis-
ion that it Is unjust for Deer Lodge county
% seek to retain within Its boundaries peo-
pie sufficient In numbers and property to or
,anize government of their own and de-
,irous Of establishing . mining county. In
;idental to this there have been waited out
,ome dainty sneers against the rural districts
ind unftness of the inhabitants theleof to
lass just and intelligent judgment In legal
tribunal considering the misdoings Of those
engaged In the more exalted industry Of
ligging holes In the ground and breaking
ocks. And yet, no sooner does the desire |
o erect . new county take form than there |
} developed an envious longing forthe broad |
ores of the farmer TO give, area and his