Red Lodge picket. [volume] (Red Lodge, Mont.) 1889-1907, 1897-01-23
MON TANA LEGISLATURE
OF THE SESSION AL.
READ GONE.
Bills Introduced in the
House Alone, and But Two
Have Been Passed.

| Helena, Mont, Jan. 1.-THE Montana
| legislature has been at work another
| week. A quarter OF the session is gone.
| Eighty-four bills were introduced be-
tween the first day and the 18th, in the
house alone. The senate is modest this
year, and is content with making its leg
islalion strange and wonderful, but not
large in quantity. OF the 81 bills intro
duced, two have been passed. They ap-
propriated money to pay salaries.
The senate began the week by retreat
ing from its ungodly position and Tues
day elected Rev. L. Newton Smith of Hell
ena, to the position. Rev. Mr.. Smith be-
gan Wednesday, when he prayed just Is
seconds by the watch.
The maintenance of the states institu-
tions is to come up soon, the governors S
message recommending that the state
take steps to take care itself of the IN
sane patients it is now having attended
to at the asylum Of Mitchell & Musig-
brod, at Warm Springs, having started
great deal Of discussion of that phase OF
the subject. The Warm Springs insane
asylum is almost a tradition, and the
governors recommendation came as a
shock to some. Already a number Of
candidates are in the field, among them
being Billings, where there is an uncom-
pleted state penitentiary building, and
Alhambra, a one-time pleasure resort,
where a warm spring is located. The
Alhambra people came to Helena two
years ago with proposition that they
ct a
of buildings if it would give them a con-
tract to care for the insane at the price
it now pays. The insane item alone is
$4,000, which is greatly in excess of the
amount expended upon the care of the
convicts in the state penitentiary.
The state university funding bill, the
first step toward securing for that insti-
tuition a new building at Missoula, was
introduced and has been passed by the
senate during the week. The bill pro-
vides for the bonding of the university
land grant, the amount to be issued to
be 100000, and the interest to be paid out
of the revenue of the grant, if the reVe-
nue. is short the deficiency to be made up
by the payment of warrants on the same
fund. The scheme is something new in
finance to most persons in the capital,
but it is the bill asked for by the people
Of Missoula themselves, and the legisla-
ture is disposed to let them have it.
The senate committee on elections has
reported without recommendation eN-
cept that the bill be printed for informa-
ton, the bill introduced by Senator Han
nah to elect county commissioners by the
cumulative vote.
An important step was taken by the
house Friday, in rejecting several claims,
aggregating several thousand dollars,
for work done in the reform school at
Miles City. The work was done, but the
board of control exceeded the appropria-
ton of last year without authority. Ihe
question was whether the Legislature
would pass an appropriation bill to meet
the deficiency or not, it having been eN-
pected by the board when it contracted
the debt that it would be met by such
measure. The house decided that even
though it did work a hardship on the
contractors who performed the work, it
was a good time to teach boards who re-
lied upon future legislatures to support
their unlawful acts, a lesson. So the de-
ciency was not made up.
The house took a fall out Of the Null
vile pension bill Thursday. Mr.. Mulville
of Butte, had introduced a measure to
pension all persons over 65 years of age
who had lived in Montana more than 20
years, who would otherwise be sent to
the poor house. The scene at the death
Of the bill was one of the incidents of the
week.
"Is the poor house unconstitutional"
asked Mulville, pointing a long finger
over the house.
The measure was indefinitely postponed
by the remarkably close vote Of "a to SO.
The last day Of the week was a busy
one in the house. The judiciary commit
tee unloaded several bills, some with fav-
orable reports. The Elliott bill for the
initiative and referendum, was one of
those that received favorable reports. An
amendment was made to 1t requiring the
petition of Is per cent Of the voters in
the state, county, city or district where
the proposition is asked for to secure it's
submission. The original bill made it 10
per cent.
The anti-pass bill, introduced by Repre-
sentative Carol of Cascade county,
which sought to make it felony to ac-
cept a pass on a railroad, or for a rail
road official to tender one to a public Of
uceT, was lnCOnllHenIdlly killed. 1t ulu
not even muster the one-.-lird necessary
under the rules to order it printed for in
formation
The bill for the creation of Broadwater
county out of Jefferson and Meagher
counties, was favorably reported from its
committee Saturday. There are other
county division bills in the committees s
hands, which will be the subject of tes-
timony to be taken at a hearing We'd
nesday or Thursday, the goth or 21st.
Favorable reports were also made on
bills to prevent Indians running at large
away from their reservations, requiring
the court costs to be taxed to the de-
feated litiGants, including the jury fees,
and to repeal the law that formerly re-
qltired the attendance of officers of one
session of he legislature to open the ses
sion following.
The legis. ture will reconvene Monday,
and it is the outlook now that a number
of bills now on the general file will be
taken up and either passed or defeated
hafo no i-