The semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1882-1886, 1884-01-26
OUR HELENA LETTER.
Debate on Memorial Of Delegate
Douglass.
The Begging Resolutions Laid on
the Table.
Special Correspondence of the MINER.
HELENA, Jan. %, 1884.

! praying Tor the 0OnatlOn OF puDllC
lands to the State of Montana in aiG
Of State University. to erect public
buildings, and improve the Upper
Missouri, Yellowstone and Columhis
rivers. l have previously mentioned
the reference of this memorial to q
special committee of three, and to-
day 1t was reported back with amend.
ments, for the action of the house. A
motion for it's adoption brought Mr..
Hedges to the floor, who expressed
his doubts of the propriety of adopt
ing the resolution in the form pre-
sented. A portion of it he approved,
but that portion relating to the i'm
provemeLt of the Missouri and Vel.
lowstone rivera. he thought was al.
ready fulfilled. The government was
already committed TO the perform
ance Of the work, and he believed
there were other objects for which we
should need appropriations. He
much regretted to say that for the
improvement of the streams we
should rest on another basis than the
moneys to be derived from the sale of
lands. Such a work is in pursuance
OF a general plan of the government
to improve the Missouri river and all
its tributaries. If the resolution
should pass it would throw doubt and
discredit on some more worthy OBJ
ject, and as for the State University,
provision had already been made for
that, a certain number of sections of
land having already been donated
and selected for its maintenance. He
would like to see the resolution sub
divided.
Mr.. Dixon said: do not desire to
take up time discussing this matter
but it seems to me if the resolution is
adopted we are making a bad start
towards applying for admission into
the Union. The appropriations ap-
piled for are not very beneficial or
useful. When we 60 to Congress
with the Constitution and ask them
to admit us as State, We should not
carry in our hands a begging petit
tion. Our show for admission is not
very favorable; but this matter, as I
understand it, in regard to the dona-
ton of lands, is a matter of course 70
a new Stale, and we will receive our
share. I think it very impolitic to
add this clause.
Neither does 1t strike me ~ being
within the province of this conven
tion to memorialize Congress to make
appropriations; that would come
more properly from the Legislature
of the Territory. AS far as am con-
cerned 1 don't like this manner of
our quest by going with a
begging petition in our hands. Con-
gress will admit it to come in as a
State law, as other State laws do. I
don't want them to say: "here is an
other mendicant knocking at the
door for admission" It is not policy
to adopt laws and resolutions at this
time, and 7 therefore move to lay
the resolution on the table.
The motion to table was adopted.
The session to-day was brief, as but
few of the standing committees are
ready to report, and hence but little
business is brought up in the Con-
But this complaint of"dull
times' will be corrected in few
days.
Mr.. Hunt moved that a committee
of three be appointed (which was
to five) to prepare an ad-
dress to the people of Montana set
ting forth the salient features of the
Constitution. His motion was
adopted, and the chair will name the
tomorrow. He explained
that his reason for asking the ap-
pointment of such a committee thus
early in the session was because at a
later day the Convention was likely
to be crowded with business, and
then the preparation of the address
could not be so we'll attended to.
Mccormick, of Missoula, absent on
leave, is expected back Tomorrow.
That the red man of the plains