Butte semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1886-1890, 1886-10-23
THAT RESTRICTIVE BILL.

THAT RESTRICTIVE BILL.
Occasionally THs MINER finds it neces.
sary to step aside from the even tenor Of
it's way just long enough to teach it's lam.
entably ignorant or inexcusably mistaken
evening contemporary q lesson or two.
This time it is for thepurpose Of setting the
Inter Mountain right on what it 10 pleased
to term That Infamous Restrictive Bill"
Judging from the comments our amiable
evening contemporary has made upon that
measure it appears oblivious to the fact
that while q wide difference exists between
special and general legislation, all legisla-
ton which IL essential to the welfare and
prosperity OF a people may be reached by
the enactment of general laws, or laws
which have q general or common applica-
ton.
The power to enact special laws for spe-
cial purposes is in this age a dangerous
power and is too frequently used to build
up large interests and to foster large enter
prises to the injury of the masses, hence in
the constitutions Of a large number of
States a provision has been incorp grated
prohibiting it. The object of this prohibi-
ton az has been stated is to prevent legis-
lation that would benefit one portion or
section OF the Territory at the expense of
the Others; to prevent a syndicate OF
capitalists or corporations from buying up
legislators for the purpose of procuring a
valuable franchise under which they could
shut out all competition in their particular
trade, or commerce., or manufacture; to
prevent the enactment of q law that would
operate in the interests of the few to the
detriment OF the many. For instance un.
der that restrictive measure OF which our
contemporary complains, the property of
no one railroad company in the Territory
could be exempted from taxation. That
would be special legislation. But by q
general law the property OF every railroad
could be thus exempted.
A few years ago each legislative assembly
Of the Territory was besieged with appli-
cants for divorce. Several divorces were
by legislative enactments. That
was a species OF special legislation that
1idn't suit the lawyers and if we mistake
lot Col. Sanders was among the first to
'aise his voice against this kind of class
esislation. As we rave said special legis-
alton is dangerous legislation. It has
oankrupted counties elsewhere and seri-
'usly crippled the finances and injured the
:redit OF States.
In the warmth of it's indignation, or in
he density Of it's ignorance-we will not
ay ~which-our evening contemporary cries
,ut:
IAN imperative need exists for the en-
argement of the city limits of Butte, but
lnder the operation OF that law such an
ia impossible. That iniqui-
Gus measure ties hand and foot every mu.
'icipal and county organization in Mon
ana, and will materially retard the growth
every community within the territorial
unmitigated nonsense is the proper term
o apply to such rot. The city limits oil
lutte ran be enlarged under a general law
a law under which the limits OF every
own and city in the Territory may be en-
arged as well as they Gin. under a special
aw. A few years ago special laws we're en-
cted oy which Butte, Helena and other
laces built school-houses. This is done
way with now, and any town or city can
uiId just as many school-houses as the
eople thereof see tit to build, under a gen.
al law which applies all over the Ter '
tory. Nc municipal, county, or other Or {
are tied hand and foot, or tied
any other way by this congressional re- !
measure. The people can enlarge ;
ty or tow limits, divide counties, Law out 9
Dads and school districts. and, in fact, en- /
y the same full measure OF constitutional
berty they always enjoyed, but they ,
not run the Territory in debt above h,
certain amount. This is a blessed pro- !
for it completely shuts out the pres
1T and future Sanders of the Territory t
aaddlino IL -:AI I-e- -~.s,uy VIZ rail- =
,ad bonus debts.
Another thing we will whisper in the ear :
our ill-informed evening contemporary: q
That Infamous restrictive bill' does not C
oply to Montana alone, but reaches v
cry Territory in the Union. And in every q
errItory there will be an election for Dele
tie in Congress the second of next Novem. !,
but there is not a newspaper in a sim i
Territory outside OF Montana that has 8
i'd a word concerning this bill during the C.
.nvass. And in Montana there are but :
or three that have raised their voices y
a'nst it. 1t is charitable to suppose they
e doing it through Ignorance rather than v
rough a desire to make a little campaign E
out of it. p
is one thing, however. we cannot :,
'derstand. The Inter Mountain refers to y
e measure as that infamous restrictive v
|" and this in the face of the fact that W
9 bill unanimously passed a Repub-
United States Senate, thus receiving q
3 endorsement OF the leaders of the o.
'ole Republican party. Would the Inter II
'untain charge that the Republican lead. d,
are parties to an infamy-an infamous hi
as're? fit is such an Ubiquitous thing, "
is it that those grave. gray-haired, ex-
and wise old Republican Sena- " "
q didn't drop on it's wickeduess and n
it with their majority in the Senate? OF
is is something we are free to confess we dc
not understand. Will our evening con en-
nporary, who, it appears, has been lying So
axe O. nights over this bill, please en- II,
ten US upon this point? W.