The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1893-11-12
County Commissioners Who Will
Serve Until 1895 Meet and
Formally Organizes
Something About tho Work the
Old Officers Did During
Four Years.
rhe Jail Built, Model County Poor Farm
r.t.hIashed. and Much Work Done
In the Country Districts

a.fioe until Jan. !, 1895. Mr.. Beach was
alectsd chairman. With the coming IN Oh
Ahe nav commissioners the old officers ia,e'
aovn the responsibilities they have been
carving for four years. While the work
dsna b. the old commissioner presents
nothiae remarkable, those who performed
IL have She satisfaction OF feeling That 80
far a. they were able they did their bess
for she interests Of the whole county. A
review OF their work Will at this time b In
tsresting.
The board. consisting of Messrs. knight.
Edperscn and Burns, held their first meet
ING ON The 18th day OF November. 1883. WIN
sherwood Wheaton as clerk. Mr.. Wheaton
had long been in the employ OF the county
and clerk Of the previous boards n the
territorial administrations. and was, there
fore, thoroughly converssnt With all the de-
tails Of the Office. and during the Time
which he remained as clerk, which was m
Ill Nov. 10. 1892, proved himself to be q
most thoroughly competent. ooliGlnR ana
efficient administrative officer and CLERK io1
the board. Mr.. Wheaton's resignation
vas for the purpose Of accepting q Dover
position. and he wal followed by MI.
Combs and later by Mr.. Clyde Tooker.
Tho board feel that they have been uncom.
monty fortunate in having three clerks OF
euch marked efficiency as each have pEoyeo.
Az the first meeting. at the motion o. MI.
Edoarton M. Knight was elected chairman
Of the board. Mr.. Edasrton was made
Temporary chairman to act on all oeeaslons
In the absence of tho chslrnan; MI. Burns
vas assigned TO the general work OF LOOKING
sfteY the roads of the county. n M.
Edgerton more particularly to the outles
m 2, continued until . county audito. vas
eIected under the recent law OF 1882.
DuriEn the first portion of their term.
the duties Of their Office were quite arduous.
and both Mr.. Knight and Mr.. EdRsrton.
Who were located in town, were required to
devote q large part OF their time 70 lookln0
assumed and taken care Of by the auditor.
In fact, the work that the auditor nov does
vas entirely performed by the commss-
atousrs. without compensation. Ths hrst
work Of any importance. outside OF tho
general running Of the county. which -
largely routine. 40 statutss nx she man
part Of the duties to bs performed, vas
Arranging for Offices for the state officers in
che county court house. This required
considerable Encouragement OF the building
and fitting up of new rooms both in the
basement and attic. which had never been
finished, having them remodsled and
opened up for general purposes, ana M" -.
offices occupied by the county officers:
This required an expenditure all told Of
from Eve TO ten thousand dollars.
Al she election In 1880 the people voted
for and directed the levy of q tax and the
expenditure of SEC, 600. for the purpose Of .
new Jail. Nearly a year wat consumed in
i%nvestissting different plans and designs
and proposals., aud an award was finally
riyen, letting the contract to tho Detroit
Safn-Lock company, on the 28d day of
April, 1891, for as. 405. The actual con-
struotion was undertaken by Messrs. +: A.
Bell & Co., under the supervision of +. j.
note that the construction Of the building
was under instead Of over tbs m set
by the people.
1892 In which the roads Of the county were
literally torn TO pieces throughout all the
mountain districts. The records show that
on the Canyon Crock road there were over
fifteen bridges destroyed. Over the Prickiy
Pear and all the other streams. including
the Dearborn and other north county
streams, a large number of bridges were
washed away and grades demon
Allied and general d~est.aesion snsued;
care, time and large expenditure. the
roads not having yet been fully rehabitated
in all places. A large number of new roads
have been laid out, almost entirely in the
northern part OF the county, and the sum
Of SIS, 149 has been expended for bridges
across the Sun river and Dearborn. No
expensive work has been performed on any
OF the county. and large sums. aRgregatinR
Sl2,S 81, have been expended to mako safe
and passable the roads and streams of the
northern portion Of the county. While it il
true that the majority Of the board, con-
sisting of Messrs. Knight and EdRerton.
were Helena men. at the same time, 80
far as discretion went, tie expenditure of
public funds WAS altogether disproportion-
ate in favor of the northe n portion OF the
county,, which can we'll afford to be pleased
with the elegant new structures this last
year placsd across their most turbulent
water courses.
Another very important feature was the
new arrangements in additions that were
made to the county hospital. The poor
farm has been cleaned up and ~rearranged,
the pest house placed in good condition.
and a beautiful lot of trees arranged fol
making it quito ornamental; and "a hos
pital itself it is second to Zone in the state
conducted for charitable PURPOSES. II Ia
heated by steam and provided with all the
ordinary surgical appliances and convsn-
fences used In hospitals of like character.
and the commissioner have selected physi-
cians throughout the entire term of theiI
Office who were second to acme in the state.
and it may be said to the credit of Lewis
n Clarke county that during the past four
years men who were too poor to
employ q physician or medical treat
ment were able to receive at the
hands of the county medical aid
and surgical attention. coupled with hos
pital facilities equal to any that could be
secured by the rich; and it ia . notable fact
that operations have been performed under
the supervision of the county board and its
attendant physicians that have been a
credit to any hospitss in the largest cities,
and that would have cost hundreds of dol
lars had the patients been able to pay. The
management has been under Mr.. VIM.
stuewe the entire period. who has ptoven
an admirable superintendent.
During the four years there has been nc
friction or disaRreeable episodes. and N.
only sad occurrence has been the loss o.
Mr.. Burns by death. which was followed b,
the appointment of Mr.. Horsky for the re
mainder of the term BY Judge Hunt.
During this period Col. Nolan has boer
the legal advisor of the board and th,
records do not disclose the retaining of as
sociats coune nor do they show any varis-
tion from the advice of counsel of thsi
regular legal attorney. with the exception
Of one instance when he was sbssn
from town. 1t 10 greatly TO the credis o
that young attorney to say TINT for fou.
years the counts has had no reversions and
its proceedings have been sustained by tn,
courts and the best legal authority in tn,
state. This 10 no mean compliment whel
IL IL understood that owing TO the uuex-
psotsd and somewhat arbitrary assessment
made In 1851 vigorous attempts were mad
70 defeat the collection of taxes in part o
IN WhokQ far that vAAg IN Whirh p0ruvvo,