The semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1882-1886, 1885-12-05
THE HELENA COURTHOUSE.

faction to prevail in Lewis and Clarke
County, in regard to the plans and con
tract for the new Courthouse, it matters
not. Certain it is, however, judging from
the murmuring OF public opinion, ant
rumbling of the press, that there is a con
centration of forces either OF indignation o.
of disgust going on which will, sooner Of
! later, cause a CONFUSION of such magni
tude.a as to -appal the honest Taxpayers
and scatter dismay among those who ar
responsible for the gross negligence ALLEGED
to exist somewhere in the management O
the big job. Theinhabitants of the country
contiguous to Vesuvius, whenever they SCI
volumes OF smoke issuing from its crater
become terror-stricken and fee to places o
safety; and So, judging from the rumorf
prevalent in Helena, the people there art
terrified, and are anxiously looking about
them for a means to escape from the
threatening danger.
If the Helena pressis a palladium OF lib
erty why do not the Helena papers, by
ferreting out the cause undermining public
confidence, or by penetrating the true in
wardness OF the alleged crookedness, ex'
pose them, SO that they may prove worthy
OF the glowing title ascribed them? News.
papers, OF late years, have done SO much
toward unearthing frauds, exposing
schemes of corruption and removing
groundless suspicion as to cause the peo-
pie to lean upon them whenever there is
reason to suspect crookedness by public
servants, or when any canker is ~gnawing
it's way into the body polite. The press il
not only a palladium Of liberty, but when
managed with an eye single to the public
welfare, it becomes an irresistible power to
expose and punish those who in any way
infringe upon the rights OF the people. The
Philadelphia Times has secured a world
wide reputation for it's incessant assaults
upon individuals or associated efforts to
prosecute corrupt schemes or shield trans.
gressorsfrom the penalties OF violated laws.
Through it's efforts the system OF whole
sale plumber in public departments has
been broken up; lotteries and ga milling,
being prohibited by law, have been sup
pressed, corruption in public Offices and
kdIlOuS OUllCl dUuSC0 udSC CCtSCu Y VAASu
Other newspapers have rendered public
service elsewhere equally valuable. Why
then do not our contemporaries at Helena
take hold of the Court House matter
which excites so much suspicion and fully in
vestigate it., so that if the rumors are
g%roundless they may be dispelled, but if
we'll founded the guilty ones will be ex-
posed and receive such punishment as the
law prescribes?
Whitewashing will not answer, because
the public demands the fullest and fairest
investigation. The report OF the Grand
jury very clearly points to gross irregular
tiles. If there was not something radically
wrong somewhere, why did these solons SO
intimate? Was not somebody censured?
Why were they? THERE'S something above,
around and underlying their report which
cannot fail to impress an observer with the
the belief that there is something radically
wrong. The oath of Grand Jurors requires
them to diligently inquire into and present
by indictment all persons committing pub
lie o~ffenses, to their own knowledge, orfrom
the evidence of Others. If it be true that
the foundations of the proposed pile OF
stone, of which the immense structure is to
be composed, have no firmer basis than
than the tops OF tunnels excayated for
mining purposes, the people ought to
know it, because they will be com
PEELED to transact public bust
ness within it's walls, and place their
lives in jeopardy. 1t does not seem reason
able, to experienced architects, that a
building Of such huge dimensions, weighing
thousands of tons, like the propo: ed court
house, can possibly be safe with insecure
foundations. The wise mar built his house
upon the rocks, but the foolish man built
his upon the sand, and the rain
descended and the floods came and
the winds blew and beat upon that house.
and it foil; and great was the fail Of it. Is
there not therefore some reason to fear
that this grand and imposing structure, be-
fore or after its completion, might fall?
With the knowledge OF the fact, before the
site was agreed upon, that the ground was
honeycombed with drifts and tunnels, there
is some reason to suspect that there were
Inducements other than public con-
v~enience which induced it's selection.
The we'll founded report that the building
will cost more than twice as much as the
contract price, $3.50 00, to erect and COM
plete is OF itself sufficient to excite a sus-
picion of crookedness somewhere. THERE'S
q system Of contracting carried on very ex-
tensively throughout the country of seek |
ing and letting contracts at such low figures
as to ruin the original bidders and to CON-
pei the owners to pay from 25 to 100 and,
n some cases, as high as 200 per cent. more
20 Others in order to have the work COM
oleted. Several instances OF this character
occurred in our city the past summer. In
'hese cases the contractors found that they
Gould not complete the work for the price
lgreed upon and they collected all the adj
'ances and skipped the country, leaving
hose who furnished the material and poor
vorkingmen in the lurch. Contracts for
public work and supplies are sometimes, by
%onnivance among the bidders, awarded at
uinous figures, after which they are given
o the next lowest, his price being largely
n excess OF the value OF the work or ma
erials. This system was piled with so much
mpunity and success before the depart
nents at Washington that it finally became
matter OF public scandal, and was sup
'ressed by Congressional action It is said,
nd doubtless very truly, that the con-
FACTORS for the Helena Court House were
nisled into bidding for such a s%tupendous
at a price far below whatit will actual
y cost, for it is said that it will require an
Expenditure OF $500, 900 to complete it. If
his be true, then there are good reasons
Or believing that the fears OF our neighbors
re we'll grounded.
OUR Supreme Court Judges are undergo
ng the change which always follows a polit-
revolution in the National administra-
Democrats will occupy the places of
1t was hoped that Montana
awyers would be appointed to these places.