The weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1878-1881, 1881-04-19
THE ..wILLING WITNESS.

and that the county remain divided. This
may be- SO. But the people Of Siluer Bow
will credit It with just that amount of SINGER
ity that its attitude and action in this injunc-
ton business may seem to warrant. To many
the position of the Nec North Vest reminds
them of that occupied by the old Quaker
during a battle in the revolutionary. war.
Seeing an American soldier in the act Of
firing at the enemy he glanced over his mus
ket and thus addressed him "Friend, l am
a man Of peace and counsel neithe, war nor
bloodshed but if thee intend 70 bit that man
in the red coat over there thee must point thy
gun a little higher The Ner North Vest
would remain at peace with Silver Bow o
ty. 1t desires to see the bill 'sstand as a law
and that the county remain divided" but if
the little clique who are at the bottom of this
disturbing injunction would hit Silver Bow
county to the heart it does not lack a Quaker
TO stand behind ito glance over it proceed
ings and prefer advice in the form of sugges-
lions and questions. In its issue of the Sth
inst. the Neao No,t h-IVcet says: "WMle
we trust the courts will not sustain the con-
test, and hope that the division bill which has
been accomplished will stand, it is. conceded
that the contestants are entitled to a fair
hearing of the case and to all that they can
obtain under the law" What do they wish
to obtain under the law? and under what
law can they obtain their wishes Has Sill
yer Bow county robbed any citizen OF
Deer Lodge of any rights he does not now
enjoy? 1t is true that at the last general
election a few men al Deer Lodge were elect
ed to fill certain offices for Deer Lodge coun-
ty. But does the division bill take
those offices from them? Are they
not still officers of Deer Lodge county?
Does Silver Bow county interfere with them
in the discharge of their duties? Not at all.
But the division act simply circumscribes or
reduces the area of the territory IN which
such duties may be discharged and CORE
~spondingly reduces the fees and perquisites
belonging to the several Offices. Only this
and nothing more. Then as the division act
does not attack or destroy the right of any
officer in Deer Lodge county, we must look
in another direction for the cause of this
suit in which, as the "Willing Witness says,
s'the contestants are entitled to a fair hearing
of the case and to all they can obtain under
the law" Nor do we have to 60 far to find
it. As none of the sacred rights of an Amer
lean citizen are destroyed in the bill as the
broad nsis of the constitution is still thrown
around the patriotic of1iceholders of our
| sister county, and they are still protected in
.lite, liberty and pursuit of happiness in
their positions for which they fought, tled,
and in which they would like to die, we have
only to descend from the higher plane upon
| which reasonable causes rest, and erovel
among the most sordid and selfish motives
which influence men to discover the animus
of this move against Silver Bow county. We
find it in the effect the division bill has upon
the pocket books of a few men in Deer
Lodge. "They lust for the flesh-pots of
Egypt There is a fairness in the land Of
Silver Bow for which their bowels yearn,
and to obtain it they would attempt upon the
most miserable of p%retenses, to overthrow the
law of the land. They would array their sell
fish interests against the interests of five
thousand people, aud force the latter to pay
tribute to their exhausted exchequer. Be-
hind these selfish, designing few, stands
their "willing Witness" In his desire to see
the division bill 'stand as a law" and '1he
county remain divided" he ruslles to The
front and eagerly makes All inquiry and asks
a ne stion Or two as follows:
"In this connection it would be interesting
to know by what power the legislative as
sembly of Montana can ~legislate men into
Office. The first commissioners Of Silver
Bow county were thus made officers; but it
appears that in not only this, but other par
tlculars, the bill is opposed to the provisions
of the organic act. In case 1t will be proven
the legislature had no power to create Off
GERS, aud the decision Of the court be to. that eE-
feet, how can the actions Of the commission
ers Of Silver Bow county be legalized ?"
After reading the above, in which our citi-
zens are told" the bill Is opposed to the pro-
visions of the organic act" they will be
ready to eNcla,m, "God save us from our
friends" if the New North West is our
friend. If the division bill is in violation Of
the organic act, will the "willing witness
point out wherein it violates it. If cit would
be interesting to know by what power the
Legislative assembly of Montana can legislate
men into ofice," Ue weuld refer the
inquiring mind to the first clause OF
section 6 Of the organic act which
reads as follows; ''That the legislative powe,
Of the territory shall extend to all riglttul
subjects Of legislation consistent with the con
stitution d. the United States and the prsvi-
siOns of this act" No one claims the lesis.
lating OF men into or out Of Office is incon-
sistent with the constitution of the United
States, and no one can find a word in the Or
game act that prohibits it. Again, y, section