The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1897-01-31
DEALS And DICKERS
All Sorts Of States and Combinations
Being FOrme1 and Broken.
BUSY WEEK IN THE HOUSE
Ex-Governor Eickards on the Sc
lection of the Public Lands
Fate of the AntLGambiing
Bill still Uncertain.

events OF the week In the state legisla-
ture have been the killing of the initia-
tive and referendum bill and the pass
age OF the bill creating Broadwater
county. While the vote for the initia-
tive ard referendum wasn't quite big
enough To reach. its size has given the
populist members and their friends en-
couragement TO believe II will pass
two years from now. There is some
talk OF starting an initiative and refer
endum bill In the senate. not with any
hope of passing 1t through that body.
but TO put the senator's on record.
Ihere are some members in both
houses who would like To dodge such
issues, but the disposition is to make
every man declare himself. Nobody
ever tried harder to evade a roll call
than Mr.. Humber of Deer Lodge. when
the initiative and referendum bill was
up, but the house wouldn't have IL
that way-no excuses went. The wo-
man suffrage bill will pass the lower
house beyond reasonable doubt IL
will probably be killed in the senate,
though Its advocates hope they have a
lighting show in that ultra -conserva-
tive body.
The fate OF the anti-gambling hill in
the senate Is still uncertain. Possibly
IL may be held back until senator
Leonard's return, as there seems to he
a general desire that he should have
an opportunity to vote against il. So
many trades and deals and dickers are
under way that Il is difficult to pre-
dict With any certainty the fate of any
important bill. Although the vote on
Broadwater county was ~ To ~, its
advocates were so nervous and appre-
hensive the night before that they
trembled In their boots. Up to the last
moment they were not sure that a
combination Of some kind would be
sprung TO defeat them.
! In his appointments so far Governor
| Smith has shown excellent Judgment.
his selections have met with universal
approval. The friends of President
Reid Of the Bozeman college regret
that he was not left a member of the
state board of education. but his place
will be filled most capably by Colonel
Chisholm OF that city. Il. Il. Howell Of
Butte IL another wise and popular se-
lection. In the choice OF his staff the
governor divided the honors up be-
tween the democrats and popullsts
l fhNths tNths. II VIII We interesting
TO observe whether the populist gem
erals and colonels provide themselves
with military uniforms with all their
gold lace and pomp and vanity. The
Montana National Guard will not he
wiped out of existence. Riddelrs bill.
cutting down some of the expenses of
the guard, but still retaining the an
nual encampment feature. will proba-
bly, pass with some amendments.
Ex-Governor ]. Il. Richards takes ex :
ception To the statement made by Rep
resentative George l.. Ramsey of Gala
tin county, In Butte. last Sunday. To
the effect that through the actions of
State Land Agent James NJ. Page, the
school OF mines grant had suffered by
Partially. He thinks that the state
ment would not have been made had
Mr. Ramsey been familiar with the
facts. Before leaving for California,
where he Will spend few weeks with
his family, the ex-governor said: THE
statement published does a manifest
injustice to the state land agent and
the board of land commissioners. al
though I have no idea that il was in
territorial, for know Mr.. Ramsey so
well as to believe that he would not
have made any statement of that kind
| had he not believed II TO be correct.
Could he have had the opportunity tn
have investigated the matter he would
have found that he had been misin-
formed. i wish tn say that there hasn I
been an acre selected and approved
by the general government for the pub
lie buildings grant since October. 1894.
one month before the permanent loca-
tion OF the capital. No lands however
selected can be of any benefit to the
state until the United States govern
ment issues patents to the state for
them. The first selections for the
school Of mines We're made from June
"a to Aug. 30. 1892. They aggregated
1870 acres and We're located in Beaver
head and Madison counties. In Sep
tember of the same year there were
| selected 1I.191 acres for the public
buildings grant. all located I'm Madison
| county. Any one familiar with the
lands selected in Madison county at
that time certainly would not claim
they were any more valuable than the
| 1850 acres which had been selected for
the benefit OF the school of mines. In
October. 1892. there were selected s,ls2
acres for the school of mines. the land
being located in Gallatin county. do
not believe that Mr.. Ramsey would be
| WlllillE W duilllt tndl lUiS ldf1u III MS
own county was inferior TO the above
mentioned lands in Madison county
credited to the public buildings grant
From November. 1892. To November
1893. there were selected 1856 acres foi
the public buildings grant that were
located in Meagher. Lewis and Clarke
and Madison counties. Now. II will bs
noted that very nearly all of this land
was selected before the school Of mines
had been created by law and before tn,
question of the permanent location oi
the capital had been settled. There
were selected In Flathead county, from
Jan. 3. 1898. up to Nov. l. 1895. 22,2O'
acres credited to the account OF tbs
school of mines. On Nov. Is of the sam'
year there were also selected for th'
school OF mines 7s9 acres located II
Deer Lodge county. In the annual re-
port Of the state board OF land com
missioners now in the hands Of th'
public printer. ii will he found that tn,
state school of mines has 4s.12s acres Il
its credit. divided among several coun
ties as follows: Fiathead county. g, lss
Beaverhead county. lo,5s4: Gallatir
county, l0.i59: Madison county. 5.026
and Deer Lodge county, 1S9 acres. Fo
the use OF the public buildings gran
there have been selected I5.e31 acres
as follows: Gallatin county. 35.2eS
F'lathead county. IA 9Is: Madison couu
- - a. a.