The weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1878-1881, 1881-03-01

The twelfth regular session OF the Montana
Legislative assembly expired on the 23h inst.
1t was composed OF men who appeared to be
aclllatcd by a desire to serve the people of
Montana generally and their immediate con-
stituency particularly to the best of their abil-
ity. Nearly all of The members were old res
idents Of the territory, thoroughly conversant
with its wants and alive TO its interests. They
wasted but little time in speech making, but
generally voted right. Messrs. DeWolfe,
Cullen, Donnelly, Corbly, Blake and Gar
lock were the orators of the house. Messrs.
Toole and Ford, as it appears upon the face
of the proceedings, were the leaders in the
council. The most ihportant measure of the
session was the one providing for the division
Of Deer Lodge county. Though bitterly
fought by its enemies at every stage of its
proceedings, through the persistent exertions
of its able home advocates, Messrs. DeWolfe,
Aiken. Houser, Bell and Pardee, assisted by
Messrs. Cullen and Blake Of the house, and
Ford, Morris and Toole of the council, the
measure became a law. and Silver Bow coul-
ty an accomplished fact. To the gentlemen
above named, and to those who by their votes
endorsed the eloquent words spoken in be
half CT the new county, the people of Silver
Bow owe a debt of gratitude which they hope
to be able at sOme future time to repay. III
view Of the glorious victory won in their be-
half our people can well afford TO forgive the
te y who interposed every barrier to defeat
them.
Among the many bills which failed to be-
come a law is one that provided for the pay
ment by the territory of the sum of $50. 600
to Commodore Powers in tie event of his
successfully launching and running a steam
boat, to cost not less than $4,000, to some
notice that our Helena exchanges feel sorely
grieved over the failure of the bill. and some
What SHARPLY ~criLicise the Legislature for what
they are pleased to term its shortsighted poll
cy III refusing to pass it. 1t appears our Hell
ena cotemporaries have forgotten that the
last political conventions of both parties in
every county in the territory took decided
grounds against subsidy in any form, and in
corporated their hostility to it in their plat
forms. We cannot see how members who
were elected upon those platforms could sup.
port the measure without stultifying them
selves and setting at d. fiance the instructions
Of the conventions that nominated them. 1t
will not do to say that the ~anti-subsidy reso-
buttons adopted by both political parties were
aimed at railroads alone, and that, therefore,
the granting Of a subsidy to a steamboat or
steamboats, was admissible under them. We
say this will not do, for if the discussion of
the SUBSIDY question In this territory tor tie
last three or four years has developed any,
thing it has developed the fact that the people
are opposed to Substituting any object special
or general in its character. They have IN
their conversations and through their politica
conventions emphasized their belief that, to
use a homely but expressive sentence, "Every
tub should stand upon its own BOTTOM
Therefore, while the territory may be bene-
flied by the placing of a steamboat upon the
waters OF the Missouri above the falls, we
ca mot see how the peoples representatives
could very well do otherwise han they did
in voting against and defeating The steamboat
subsidy measure. They merely obeyed in
structions.