The semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1882-1886, 1884-02-06

this impulse grow our towns and
cities. The object of the COMMITTEES
In framing this section was to give t.
each interest its due share Of protec'
tton. Growing crops are exempted
from ta%xatien, Notwithstanding they
have merchantable value. because
there is an uncertainty about their
maturing. Calves under six months
old are not taxed because their exist
ence is preoarious until they have
lived through their first winter.
Mr. Clark called the attention of
the gentleman from Lewis and
Clarke (Hedges) to the fact that the
Constitution of Colorado, in limiting
the exemption of mines to a period
OF ten years, made no provision to
tax their product. He was opposed
to the amendment of the gentleman
from Madison Galloway to strike
out, because he was convinced thet
public policy required that the sec
ton should be retained. He should
be ashamed to ask any unfair par
tiality of the Convention in behalf of
the mining interest. He had been
brought up on q farm, IA boynood
his hands had guided the pillow, and
his mind retained pleasant recollec-
tons OF the farm and its varied pur-
suits. His desire was to award fair
treatment to all. If you tax the net
proceeds Of = mine you tax it for all
it is worth. 1t was beyond human
skill to arrive at the true knowledge
of the worth of a mine; no man,
however thorough an expert, could
look one inch further into the ground
than another. To arrive at the
treasure contained in the rocks mill |
ions of dollars have been expended.
He put it to the Convention whether
it would be a fair proposition to tax
the money thus invested as it it had
been devoted to the purchase of a
merchants stock. The speaker cited
a case in a neighbor Territory where
5 5000, 900 had been paid for a mine, |
and it had proved utterly worthless.
He also alluded to the Comstock
lode, which previous to its collapse,
vas supposed to be worth countless
millions. The Robinson Consoli-
dated represented a value Of S ,00O,-
600 In the stock board, and yet 1t
dickered ou.. like the snuff of q
candle.
He cautioned the gentlemen that
if they expunged this system, and
left no guaranty in the Constitution
securing safety to the mining inter-
est, it would be voted down. This
experiment had been tried in Color
ado, tire first constitution submitted
to the people contained no clause
.exempting mines from the demands
of the tax-gatherer, and it vas lndig-
nantly rejected. If this motion to
expunge is adopted, it will be
accepted by the public mind that
this body is hostile to our one great
interest, and this will be u milestone
to hang around the neck of our
organic law to sink 1t to perdition.
He was honest In his statement that
in Silver Bow county, the mining
would vote against it to a
man.
Similar arguments were used by a
humber ofother speakers, Mr.. Pember-
ton, MI. Collins, from Choteau: Mr..
Mccormick, from Missoula; Mr.. !
from Madison, and Mr.. !
from Gallatin. !
Those who opposed the provision
made good use of the argument that /
It was legislative. and should not be
embodied in the Constitution as a '
fundamental principle. The con-
litions that govern our social life, )
vas the argument Of Mr.. Hunt, are !
liable to radical change. Fifteen
years ago the fall Of snow was hailed {
Is a boon, because 1t afforded a sup :
ly of water through the summer to 7
id the placer miners; now q foot of
now on the ground sends a tremor r
through the nerves of the stock g
'wners, giving them gloomy fore
'odings of the safety Of their cattle. =
But these adverse arguments failed
. have weight with the Convention,
nd section four was adopted by q
arge affirmative vote.
p