The semi-weekly miner., 1885-03-18
OUR uRLENA LETTER.

A Few Rsnarks About Legislative
work.
A Brief History sf Tia Fansas 6anh.
ling Bill.
County Divisisa Bills and Other Hat.
ters.
Correspondence of the xmEa.
HsLBNA, March IA, 1885.
The 18th Legislative Assembly Of
Montana, which has just adjourned.
passed . few good measures. and
failed to paes others Of grave import
to the people Of the Territory. OF
los bills which were enacted into
laws, 50 were Of q special nature the
rest general in their application.
Among the most prominent or I'M
portsnt were laws to suppress and
prevent tho dissemination Of conta-
eious and infectious diseases among
domestic animals aud Texas cattle ;
authorizing county commissioners to
award contracts for keeping roads In
repair; tor the appointment OF road
supervisors by county commission
ers; to punish and suppress prise
fighting: creating the ONCE Of county
attorney; to authorize the Governor
20 contract for the keeping and
maintenance of Territorial prison.
ers; to suppress hurdy houses and
dance houses; to provide . series OF
text books for the public schools. and
to provide for the organization Of the
legislative assembly. y
Among those which failed to pass
both houses, and which incited more
or less discussion, were bills provid-
ing for the suppression Of gambling;
providing tor the building Of aa In
sane Asylum; providing for the reg
istration Of voters, and providing
for the election of State officers and
two United States Senators. The +
FoRB1s' GAMBLING BILL, ~;
which met it's death on the laat day
of the session, has An interesting
history. It was an object Of greater
solicitude, upon the part of many =
created more comment and
excited more general interest
than any other bill introduced during
the session. The bill was introduced,
during tho early days of the session.
by Hon. John w. Forbis, of Silver
Bow county. 1t prohibited al gamb-
ling by cards. dice. wheels, balls and
other devices, provided for the in
Fiction Of heavy penalties upon those
who kept gambling houses or who
dealt the games or gambled at them.
It also provided for the search of
suspected houses, and for the seizure
and destruction Of all gambling
implements etc. found therein. The
bill was = very stringent one ana
aimed at the complete suppression of
gambling by the methods above
named. After much earnest and at
times acrimonious debate the bill
passed the House. The opposers of
the measure took the ground that the
bill contained provisions Of doubtful
oonstitutionality, that 1t was too
radical and sweeping in Its character,
that it would not be sustained by
public sentiment and, hence could
not be generally enforced.
When 1t reached the Council that
body substituted another bill for it.
This provided for the removal
of all games except billiard and pool
games. to rooms at least nine feet
above the ground floor Of the build
ing used for gaming purposes. The
bill went to the House for its con-
currence. That body refused to concur
and requested the Council to recede
from its amendment. The Council
receded, but when it learned that the
House construed this action upon its
part as tantamount to the passage Of
the Forbis bill by the Councii, 1t Inn.
mediately reconsidered the motion to
recede and then voted not to recede.
The House still refusing to concur
with the Council amendment, the
bill died between the two legislative
bodies. 1t ID to be regretted that the
House did not consent to the Ooun-
ell amendment and thus remove
gambling from public view. The
COUNTY D1v1sfoN BILLS
were all killed except tho one pro-
vlding for the organization of Fergus
BY some oversight this
county will be left without represen.
tation In the next Territorial legisla-
ture unless . special session be called |
TO rectlfy the error. The bill provid-
ing for exem2ting from taxation the
BUTTE AND BOHEMIAN
for "a period Of ten years
passed both houses and was sent TO
the Governor for his approval. The
however, will not sign the
bill. He holds that under section
1889 of the Revised Statutes Of the
United States the legislative assem-
bly, has not the right to exempt cor
porate property from taxation. The
section referred to reads as follows:
1.-THE legislative assemblies of the
several territories shall not grant pri-
vate charters or especial privileges,
but they may. by general incorpora-
i've acts, permit persons to associate
together as bodies corpo-
rate for mining, manufacturing and
other industrial pursuits, or the con-