The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1881-02-25
OUR HELENA LETTER.

sion OF the montana Legislature Will nave
been numbered, and the number will be As.
By Resolution adopted on last Thursday
evening 1t was agreed that the adjournment
should be at O'Clock p. m. on the 23d, and
that no more bills should be received, giving
six days in which to perfect pending meas
ures. The Council has so far resolutely ad-
hered to this. One effect of 1t is to render
THE TOWN INCORPORATION ACT
practically imperative. Mr.. Donnelly,
Speaker, has been for the past two years per-
fectins an act Of this nature for the town Of
Benton, using the Wisconsin statute as the
basis. The disposition evidenced last fall in
favor Of general incorporation act induced
him to frame his act as such. 1t covers 90
pages Of legal cap and is ample in all Its pro-
visions. 1t passed and was approved. Its
first section requires that any town to incor-
porate must incorporate one square mile
$40 acres-an area of territory embraced by
few, If any, towns in the Territory. Atten-
ton being called to 1t, the House promptly
passed a bill amendatory, reducing the
requisite area to half that extent; but the
Council has so far refused to entertain 1t or
any other measure introduced after the adj
journment resolution. BY taking I'm
few adjoining ranches the act may be availa-
BILE; otherwise it will be dead letter law for
two years.
LEGIsLATISG OUT A SHERIFF.
Deer Lodge county came near losing its
sheriff last week under the law you cited in
relation to vacancies, but 1t was discovered
in time and an act went through promptly
providing the Silver Bow act should not be
construed to deprive Lou p. Smith of the Of
flee of Sheriff, but requiring him to perfect
his title by removing to Deer Lodge county
before the LIST Of May. This made it all
right for Smith and covered all his acts, for
the statutes provide that law which takes
effect at the date Of Its passage and approval
shall so take effect only at the capital, and
in other portions of the Territory, allowing
| fifteen miles from the capital for each day.
The Silver Bow bill was approved February
10th and the CONSTRUCTION act on the 10Th,
so that the Legislature had construed Its
"intent" before the division bill became
operative as related to the Sheriff of Deer
Lodge and the inhabitant Of Butte
AND OTHER OFFICERS.
But how about the members of the House,
resident in Butte, and cut off with Silver
Bow, but since representing Deer Lodge
county? The organic law and Territorial
law both apply in requiring them to be resi-
dents Of the county they represent. Messrs.
DeWolfe, Bell and Houser were as clearly
legislated out as was Sheriff Smith, with the
additional fact that their ineligibility is COZ
cred by an act of Congress which q curative
act by the Montana Legislature cannot reach.
Even giving them the benefit of the fifteen
miles a day" statute, the division bill has
taken effect to-day at their residences at
Butte, as shown by the certificate of their
mileage, and If they continue to act it ap-
pears that after this at least the validity Of
the laws which they influence by voice or
vote will be questioned and imperilled
This is the first effect Of the premature divis-
ion bill. Another item is that the terms of
the House members of the Legislature ex-
pire by the division, and, although under the
apportionment act now being legislated upon,
Silver Bow is given three House members,
there is no provision made for electing them |
until 1882, and the county without represen-
tation in the House.
FINANCIAL MEASURES.
The Legislature, evidently with good in
tent, but not with so good judgment, has !
reduced the Territorial tax levy from three |
mills to one mill, and the proportion of
moneys receivable by the Territory from Ii |
censes from forty per cent. to twenty-five
per cent. The tax roll of the Territory was |
about 5000, 900, the three mill tax bringing |
s54,0 900 into the treasury; the license collect
ions were about 100000, bringing $4,000 |
into the treasury-a total Of $4,000. The
Territory has $4,000 of bonds outstanding |
but entered the new year with about $4,000 |
on hand, leaving the actual net debt $4,000. |
OF the $4,000 on hand $4,000 was in the |
sinking fund for the payment Of interest and |
redemption OF bonds, and should have been |
kept inyiolate for that purpose. The Legis-
lature started in, in accordance with the |
recommendation Of the Governor, to reduce
the Territorial tax levy and run to the low
extreme Of one mill on the dollar; 1t also
reduced the percentage from licenses to 25
per cent. Estimating that the tax roll and
licenses this year will be about the same as
last the Territorial revenues will be from
tax 1000, licenses $4,000, total $4,000.
The Auditors estimate Of expenses for 1881 |
was 100000 To this the Legislature has
added for additional District Attorneys
salaries s., 500; for Attorney General $500
for the Worlds Fair S. 600; for two libraries
and fitting up libraries 81 900 |; probable in
crease for insane and convicts $500; max
ing the estimated expenditures over $40, 900.
At this rate the money now on hand and the
entire revenues will be required to run the
Territory for the next two years, and 1t will
still owe the SIC, 0OO Eitherthe Territorialtax
should have been fixed at two mills, or the
Territory should have continued to receive
40per cent. Of licenses. The two mills de-
crease on tax levies will be appreciated
highly by tax payers, but 1t Is not wise to
compel an inevitable increase Of debt.
Another day will end the Twelfth Session.
The regular slaughter of belated bills has
commenced and will continue to the bitter
end. To add to the usual latter day destruc-
ton, there is not the best feeling prevailing
between the House and Council as bodies, L
and they are "sending the gaff" in more
vigorously on that account. There has,
however, been quite large amount Of leg
islation, and the enactments of the Twelfth
Session will probably make volume as
large as those Of the Tenth Session, 500
pages. t.'t,s
TERRITORIAL OFFICERS.
The Council yesterday reconsidered its
action In the rejection Of Joseph p. Wool
man, for Auditor, and confirmed him by a
vote of to 4. The name Of w. Egbert
Smith, Of Butte, was also sent in yesterday
for Superintendent Of Public Instruction,
and to-day the nomination was rejected BY
vote of + To a. There " ne never a wnrea hlouy II