The semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1882-1886, 1885-02-11

EDITORIAL CORRESPONDENCE.
The Legislature-WOrk Before II
County Division Schemes Sher'
ills, Fee Bill-The Anti Gam.
bling BilI-Its Objection.
able Features "A New
Discovery, Etc,
Etc. =
HELENA, Feb. s, 1885.

HELENA, Feb. 8, 1885.
In the disposition of the immense
amount Of business before it the leg
islature seems to make haste slowly.
But this is only apparent, for really
the members are doing . great deal
of work where 1t tells the most-in
the committee rooms. During the
past two or three days the council.
has not been Ia session in the after
noon, having gone through Its regu'
lar order of business In the forenoon,
thus leaving its members ample
time to digest and perfect bills before
them. The other day this body passed
q concurrent resolution to a.
journ on the 2lst inst. The resolution
will not, 1t Is thought, be agreed to
by the house as that body has busi-
ness enough blocked out to occupy
every day Of the session to consider
aud dispose OF.
Ths several county division bills
Will greatly retard legislation In 9TH
er matters. Bills have been intro.
duced or will be introduced for the
formation of the counties Of Park,
Valley, Judith, Ravalli and Pen d.
Oreille. One or two Of the bills may
pass. the others will not. The i'm
preston seems to prevail among
members that the time has not ar
rived for such a general readjustment
Of county boundaries as all these bills
would necessitate. One Of the county
division schemes contemplates the
complete wlping cut of Jefferson
county by giving the proposed new
county of Valley one portion, Lewis
and Clarke another, Madison y part
and Silver Bow the remainder. The
scheme is one that does not commend
itself to the favorable consideration
CT either of the counties named even
if q majority Of the people of Jeffer-
son favored such a disposition of their
territory which they do not. The
main argument of the county divis-
ionists in the legislature is that the
expense Of running a county. is in
creased in proportion to the distance
its residents live from the county
seat. If this argument is sound nei-
Their Silver Bow nor Madison wants
none Of Jefferson county.
And now as to these county division
schemes. Montana has sufficient area
to form IS counties each larger
than the State of Rhode Island. But
area istnot the prime consideration
in the formation of new counties.
There must be population and above
all taxable wealth. Without the
latter no county. no matter how great
Its area, can maintain an organizes
ton. It H. argued, however, that If
the people Of any given section of
this Territory desire to organize q
new county for themselves that 1t
really does not concern other coun-
ties, rs they can have no part in bear
ing the expense of running it. W.
hold this is a mistaken view of the
whole matter. The people of any of
these proposed new counties may be
willing to tax themselves rs or IS
mills on the dollar for the privilege
of having a county seat at more
convenient distance to them. But 1t
will be conceded that such high rates
of taxation will keep out immigra-
tion aud virtually close the comfy to
further settlement and the invest
ment of capital. In this respect the
Territory ct large Is injured and
hence every county Is virtually inter-
ested in the formation of new ones.
The passage by the House of bill
providing that sheriRs shall be paid
but 60 cents per day for the board of
each prisoner in their charge, elicits
Q great deal of unfav0rable comment.
It is conceded that when q sheriff
has fifty or sixty prisoners to feed he
may make something by boarding
them at so cents each per day. But
In case he has but few in charge he
will lose money at this price. The
sheriff must employ q cook, a guard
and jailer. Unless he can pay them
out OF the profits arising from board
ing the prisoners he must pay them
from the fees Of his Office. In that
event God help the prisoners. The
sheriff and his family must live and
II rations must be cut down, the frat
law of nature directs where the cut
ting down process shall begin.
The anti-gambling bill, introduced
BY Nj. Forbis, has been disposed of
- far as the House is concerned. that |
body passing it by a vote Of Is ayes
- 8 nays. Governor Potts and sslig.
man Of Lewis and Clarke, Con Kohrs
Of Deer Lodge, Jesse Taylor Of Cho-
teau aud Messrs. speer and Baldwin
Of Silver Bow, cast the negative votes.
The measure was ably debated upon
both sides, and while every
conceded that gambling was
vice. and that it should be restrained
hey disagreed only in the method to
leach that end. Mess's. Forbis, Gala
way and Tingle, the speakers upon
he affirmative Of the proposition,
that the bill would effect
he object for which it was drawn.