The Bozeman weekly chronicle. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1883-1889, 1885-02-18
HEnENA. NJ. T., Feb. "A, 1885

HELENA. VI. i ., TcO- III 1000
The weather at the CAPITAL most OF the
past week has been charming. and the
sleighing very good. A slight fall Of
snow nearly every night reminds one
that winter has not passed away. The
coming week bids fair to be a lively one,
on account of the county division bills
now i'm the hands Of the committee on
towns and counties, which will likely be
reported back to the house early the
coming week. What the action Of the
house will be on these bills remains to
he seen. The passage Of the Bitter Root
bill in the house by such aderided ma
iority. naturally encourages more work
ing in the interests Of new counties, and
it is thought by some that all these bills
will pass the house regardless Of merit
MANY members III discussing the qaes-
ton of dividing the Territory no into
small regular countless comparing Nom
tana 10 the states Of Illinois, Iowa and
Minnesota where the country is fiat and
the lands almost entirely agricultural,
show most surprising Ignorance ofthe.
Territory they represent which is large
" mountainous rendering it entirely inn
practicable to 81 sllb-divide Montana, Us
many counties would not have Il single
resident within their borders, others
only a very limited number. Should
this theory af subdivision be carried ont
the number of counties would be largely
increased, the number of county officers
multiplied many times, and bankrupt
counties without number would be the
result. We sincerely trust that the
members of the Legislature will look
carefully to the interests of the tax-pay-
ers of Montana, taking into consideration
the fact that taxation i'm the past has
been very high, and that in but few
counties has his levy reached q point as
low as thirteen mills remembering that
low taxes is one Of the strongest incen
tives and greater attraction for new
settlers than any other one thing If
this view is taken the counties of Mon
tana, with few exceptions, viii remain as
they are for time at least. The house
resolution appropriating 81 900 as a re-
ward to the captors Of Con Murphy was
lost in the council by vote Of 70 4.
The action of the council seems 3 be
quite generally sustained, many believ-
ing that the Governor should not shirk
the responsibility on technical grounds,
after having offered the reward.
The house concurred in council amend
.ments to house bill 80 in relation to
the board of prisoners. The bin allows
sherifs IS cents per day for less than
five prisoners, and 60 cents per day for
all over five. During the discussion in
the house, and while this bill was on its,
final passage, much Amusement was.
created BY Mr.. Tingle from Dawson, Who
declared that prisoners could be fed and
turned out fat and slick, for IA TO p cents.
per day. This gentleman furnished the
house recipe for making very superior
vegetable soup, and was very minute and
exact as-to the amount Of such yegetat
bles as turlsips, carrots. etc. His afgu-
ments must have had some weight as
the bill passed by decided mqiorityj
The gentleman from Dawgon i now rec
ognized as authority ON soup.
All. Tytoln from Dawson offered \ raSn-
luton to the effect that the Legislature
should receive no more bills after the
2lst, inst This was voted dosva in the
house almost unanimously, By which i
would appear, that there is yet ouch
business 10 come before that body. 0.