Great Falls weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1894-1???, 1895-02-15
THE N. P. BLUFF WAS CALLED
How the Northern Pacific Railroad
Attorney Tried to Bluff Treas
urcr McCleIIand.
Threatened him with Contempt OF
Co.rt il lie PERI, rnled His Duty
NJ County Officer.

;, The Northern Pacific railroad com
pany did not make their scheme to avoit
the penalties accruing on %delinquen'
taxes against lands claimed by then
work in Cascade county, although il
seems they succeeded in some of tn
other counties of the state where they
had a better pull. A proposition was
made to Treasurer McClelland by the
railroad company through the attorney
general, II. j. Haskell, which, in effect,
was as follows: The company denied
their liability for taxes on lands claimed
by them, but for which patents had not
yet been issued to them, and proposed
that in one county in the state, to be Sc
lected by the railroad company, IA test
case should be made and carried to the
supreme court. In Case they won, all
taxes on the lands in question were to be
wiped out as a matter of course, and in
case they lost the company agreed TO
pay the counties the amount of the tax
with 10 per cent interest. is a condition
of this agreement, however, the counties
were to refrain from adding any penal
ties or selling the property for delinquent
taxes, and wait till the suit was decided.
After laying the matter before the
county commissioners the treasurer was
directed by them not to 90 INTO any such
deal, but proceed against the railroad
company as he would with any other
person or corporation. The property If
the company was, accordingly, Adverlisru
for sale. This brOuLht the count,
treasurer the following remarkable tel
egram the day before the sale:
HELENA, Jan, -, 1885.
j. f.. McCLELLAND, County Treasurer.
You will please take notice that the
lands advertised for sale for delinquent
taxes for the year 1894, az lands OF the
n. +. X. Il. Co.. are in the custody of the
United States circuit court for the dis.
trlct OF Montana, by virtue Of an order of
said court. made in an action brought
by the Farmers Loan and Trust Go.
against the N. p. r. X. Co. ct
al, to foreclose the mortgage upon
the lands and other property of
the \. p. X. r. Co. Any attempt
to sell these lands or in any manner in
terfere with the courts possession or
control thereof will be considered and
treated as contempt Of said court.
Il. NJ. DUDLEY,
Attorney for Thomas A. Cakes, Henry
G. Payne, and Henry G. Rouse, Re-
ceivers.
This cheeky attempt to use the name
the court to threaten An officer 10 the
of his duty struck Treas
urer McClelland as strange and he al
once called their bluff by forwarding to
Judge Knowles of the United States
circuit court a copy OF the telegram and
lnquiring il it was made with authority.
In reply he received from the court "A
pitby reply which said: IL know
OF no law that will hold
you guilty of contempt OF the authority
this court for doing what the avs OF
your state require Of you as all %.ilicer. |
This court is a judge Of its own con
tempt"
The lands of the company in Cascade
county on which taxes are delinquent |
we're accordingly sold for taxes and the
attorney will probably not
undertake to the courts &C
tons in advance for bulldozing purposes
in the future, J