The semi-weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1890-1891, 1890-10-22
RECORDS ~CON7RASTED.

sent to all the republican daily papers in
Montana, r~eciting the wonderful things
he has done in two years service and
making the absurd and barefaced claim
that he had ACCOMPLISHED more than
Delegates Maginnis and Toole had dur
ing their long period of service. This
remarkable boast, fully characteristic of
Carter, was taken up by the republican
organs and reiterated from dav to day.
How UNANIMOUSLY false it is will be shown
by the following review of Major Ma
ginnis' record the first term he served.
1t must be borne in mind that ut that
time Montana was hardly known in the
east and that Major Maginnis was but a
territorial delegate who had no vote and
only the privilege of speaking in the
house. He had no senators to look after
Montana measures In the senate, but had
to work his bills through both unaided
and alone. When these facts are taken
into consideration his record for a single
term of two ~years-his first experience IN
congress--is simply wonderful, and lays
entirely in the shade The work done by
Boastful Thomas, the man who was so
recreant to Montana's interests as to vote
to put in the speakers chair the bitterest
enemy silver had, and who, on a test vote
on free coinage, was paired with a free
on;rnra jaupnprnt 1SoaI fha rarnrj.
Mr.. Maginnls was sworn in as delegate
in December, 1878, and in that congress
achieved the passage of the following
bills and legislative enactments on gen
eral bills, which Mr.. Cater justly claims
to be as deserving of credit lis the pass
ing of separate acts. We describe their
purport:
To remove the boundary OF the Black
foot reservation from Sun river back to
the Marias river, and to open the inter
vening lands, including the town of Fort
Benton, to occupation and settlement:
To remove the required payment OF
$3.50 per acre into the Indian fund for
all lands in the Bitter Root valley, and to
open the same to settlement under the
homestead law:
To create an additional land district
and establish a land office at the town of
Bozeman:
To make the general government as
sumo the custody, control and expense of
maintaining the penitentiary. Repealing
an unwise act of Mr.. Clagett's, which
was rapidly depicting the territorial
treasury
To establish an assay office in the city
of Helena, and to appropriate $4,000 for
the erection thereof, (This was alter
wards increased by the same congress
$4,000 more.(
To erect the central hall of the Deel
Lodge penitentiary $4,000 afterwards
increased in Other congresses by a def
cheney bill, to $4,000, and still alter
wards by 100000 10 build the other
Wing.)
These are the only two government
buildings yet erected in Montana, al
though the senate, without any of Mr..
Carter's agency, passed a bill granting
100000 for a public building in Helena.
This he failed to get through the house
even at the sun of $15O,0OO TO which the
house committee reduced it.
To extend the charter of the Utah and
Northern railway through Idaho and
Montana and to grant the right of way to
the same.
At the first session, Mr.. Maginnis drew
and advocated and passed through the
house great bill; which, delayed in the
senate through the opposition of Senator
Stewart In favor of an act of his own, was
finally accepted by that senate IN a man
Iv cnppph ujVlnr prp.i. -whurh Ipa n,I
passed the senate, and was signed March
3, 1876. the last day of Maginuis' first
congress. Inls wa int ncJO 10 grant to
all railroads through the public lands of
the United States Il right of way of TWO
hundred feet and twenty acres for sta
tons and side-tracks every ten miles.
Under this act 10000 miles of railways
have been built west Of the Missouri. An
act transcending in Its Importance and Its
effects on the development of the west,
any measure of which Mr.. Carter has
dreamed.
Legislative enactments to pay the re-
mainder of Montana war claims, AMOUNT
ing to about 1885,, DOC.
10 pay all the accumulate urrearages of
Legislative Indebtedness, going back to
the first legislature and liquidat-
ing about $4,000 of vouchers held main
ly by citizens of Madison county. These
arrears were Of the same class as the de
.iciencles for the late constitutional con
Mr.. Maginuis collected them,
placed them properly before congress
and had them paid; in startling constrast
to Mr.. Carriers failure to do the same
thing for the deficiencies in Ii conven-
lion. especially rs Montana was the only
me nj tho F1Ilp pn,r ptnfp, tl,t ,... -.
reimbursed.
TO appropriate the expenses of an eX-
olorlng expedition to open the Yellow
tone rlver-by the steamer Josephine
troops under the command of
)ols. Forsythe and Fred Grant.
10 build two military posts in the Vel
valley, 100000 each. (Subse-
luent!y increased to double that amount
.fter Forts keogh and Custer were estab-
Allotment to extend and improve Fort
ellis, $17,5OO.
Legislative enactments TO provide for
he first years running expenses of the
ssay office, $22,O
The removal Of the Indian reservation
overing the Judith and Musselshell val
eys, and the opening of the lands there
n to settlement.
Executive order revoking the extension
f the Grow reservation over Il forty mile
trip on thu north side of the Yellowstone
iver. To survey the public lands, spe-
INC appropriation, 100000.
Finally in conjunction with the dele
ate from the state of Wyoming, in a de-
ate on the Indian question which at
acted the attention of the country, a
,gislative provision on the Indian
i'll to reopen the Bozeman cutoff,
y Powder river and the Big Horn, and
ontining the Red Cloud and Spotted
all Sioux to their old reservation. This
revision, drawn and advocated by Mr..
and supported on the floor by Mr..
laglnnls, appropriated over a million
ollars for this great object, which was
consummated entirely until after the
Sioux war, in which Crooke and
and their commands fought and
ulster and his cavaliers fell. A move
.ent which resulted in the final opening
our gateways to the east.
AS to mails, in this first term Mr.. Mag.
mis- hal established for the first time
ally mails to Helena, and Virginia on
n nTde .a.-1 H.