The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1897-01-15
OUR HELENA LETTER
OPENING OF THE SECOND WEEK
OF THE LEGISLATURE.

OF III lEGlSLA URE.
Kelly of Anaconda Creates An Uproar il
the House by Objecting to the Intro
duction of the County Division Bill, hui
it Goes to the Committee.
Special Cor. of THE NEW NoRTHw EST
HELENA Jan. 14.-Tbe opening of the
second week of the Montana Legislature
was marked by the resolve of the senate
to employ chaplain, a resolution tha,
was opposed by the pastor member of the
body, Rev. William Hannah of Sweet
Grass county. The way to the employ
ment of that addition to the force was
paved hy the introduction of resolution
by Senator Auld of Dawson county which
set forth the fact that this is Christian
community and that the sovereignty OF
God is recognized by the constitution
and that in view of the custom from time
immemorial there ought to be chaplain
to open the sessions of the senate with
prayer. All but four of the senators
present voted for the resolution, and then
the selection of Rev. Isaac Newton Smith
OF Helena, who was one of the leading
candidates for the place, followed as a
matter of detail
There was a scene in the house Tues
day when the first objection to the intro
duction Of bill remembered by the old
members was interposed. 1t was Capt.
Kelly, of Anaconda, who interposed the
objection, and he was objecting to the in
PRODUCTION by Mr.. Humber, Of Deer
Lodge, of the bill to create the county of
Powell, with Deer Lodge as the county
seat. The form of the speakers address
when bill is sent in, care there any OBJ
jections to the introduction of this meas
ure!" has become SO stereotyped Of late
that the entire house is surprised when
there is reply. Capt. Kelly was on his
feet in an instant. 'Mr. Speaker" he
said, wrathfully, 81 object. The com
mlttee has enough to do now, and should
not be burdened with this measure.
move that it be postponed until Feb s."
There had evidently been some one
behind Mr. Kelly's move, and it was evi
dent later on that other counsels had pre-
vailed upon him, for in the midst of the
uproar that the objection caused, and
after Mr.. Humber had interposed quiet
dignifed answer, Capt. Kelly stood up
again and withdrew his objection, so that
now the bill will be considered on it's
merits in the committee and after a re-
| port is had will be voted on by the house.
Representative Marcum, of Deer Lod ge
county, is assigned to committee duty on
the committees on privileges and cleo
tions, towns and counties, education, and
roads and highways. Representative
| Humber is on the committees on state
boards and officers, and on affairs of
cities. DR.. Warren is on the committees
on appropriations, state lands, and state
| institutions.
There promises to be big grist of
| bills in the house, and it is thought pos
sible by some of the members that this
| session will see the record of the last
surpassed. Two years ago 500 different
schemes of saving the country found
| their way into the hands of committees,
| only few OF them ever to come out
| again.
Some of the phases of the text book
| question found expression in two bills in
| the house and two in the senate. All of
them are different, and will require a
good deal of harmonizing before there is
an agreement. Representative Shitfel-
| bins bill is for free text books, selected
| by "teXt book commission" which is to
be empowered to name the system and
| fix the prices at which publishers shall
| furnish books to the districts, which are
| required to furnish them free to pupils.
Representative Greenfield favors uni
| form system Of books, but makes it OPP
| tional with the districts as to whether
they shall have free books or not. Sena-
tor Watts bill is one of the bills that will
seek to have the legislature fasten the
system on the state, and is made ont in
blank, to be amended by inserting the
names of the books to be furnished and
the prices at which they are to be dis
posed Of Senator Auld thinks the state
board Of education should fix upon sys-
TEN and advertise for bids, and then fur
| nish the books to the children at actual
cost. These are four systems developed
in the two days that have been open to
the introduction of bills.
The county division bills are all having
| their origin in the house. Mr.. Whipple,
of Meagher,one of the pledged champions
of the Broadwater measure, was first in
with his bill for that county, which seeks
to take from Meagher and Jefferson
counties and make Townsend the county
Awarded