The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-01-11

| broad and deep and strong the founda-
ton of this grand young common
| wealth. AS with the eyes of seers they
seemed to pierce the future and provide
against every assault that might be
aimed at the integrity, honesty and sta
bility of the state government. If a
| senatorial election, such as is now pro-
crossing. with all its rumors and whis-
pers and proofs of bribe-g ivers, go
| betweens and bribe-takers, had been
held but few weeks before the meet
ing of that constitutional convention, to
call their especial attention to every
/! form of bribery, the state fathers could
not have provided more carefully, or
more stringently, or with keener or
sounder judgment, against the at
| tempted corruption of the members of
the legislature. 1t is not necessary that
there should be any long line of judi
| clal decisions to interpret the Montana
constitution and statutes, wherein they
bear directly upon the corrupt practices
of soliciting, giving and receiving of
brides. The law is written plainly, so
plainly that he who runs may read
| The first reference in the constitution of
the state to bribery is found in article
V, section XII, which among other
| things, grants to each house of the leg
| islative assembly power to protect it's
| members against violence or offers of
| bride or private solicitation, and with
| the concurrence of two-thirds to expel
|
necessary for the legislative assembly
| Of a free state. A member expelled for
| corruption shall not thereafter be elig-
| ible to either house of the legislative
! assembly" But it is in sections Al, AZ
| and 43 of this same article that we find
the rock-ribbed foundation for all OF
our laws against bribery. 1t is we'll to
quote these sections in full, just now
when the eyes of everybody in the state
are turned toward the state capital
! Sec. al. If any person elected to
either house of the legislative assembly
shall offer or promise to give his vote
or influence in favor of or against any
| measure or proposition pending or pro-
| posed to be introduced into the legisla-
| tive assembly, in consideration or upon
to the same legislative assembly will
give or will promise or assent too give,
| his vote or influence, in favor of or
| against any other measure or PROPOSE
| ton pending or proposed to be intro
duced into such legislative assembly,
| the person making such offer or prom
Use shall be deemed guilty of solicitation
of bribery. If any member of the lagiS-
| lative assembly shall give his vote or
| influence for or against any measure or
| proposition pending or proposed to be
| introduced in such legislative assembly,
| or offer, promise or assent SO to do
upon condition that any other member
| will give or will promise or assent to
give his vote or influence in favor of or
| against any other measure or PROPOSE
ton pending or proposed to be intro
| duced in such legislative assembly, or
| in consideration that any other member
! hath given his vote or influence for or
against any other measure or PROPOSE
ton in such legislative assembly, he
| shall be deemed guilty of bribery; and
any member of the legislative assem-
| bly,, or person elected thereto, who shall
be guilty of either such offenses, shall
| be expelled. and shall not thereafter be
| eligible to the legislative assembly, and
/ on conviction thereof in the civil courts,
shall be liable to such further penalty
as may be prescribed by law
Not only does our constitution pro-
vide the safeguard in thus laying the
| foundation for statutes that will pre-
scribe punishment for corrupt and cor
rupting legislators. but the greaser, too,
was anticipated, and due provision
made against his nefarious business.
Sec. AZ. Any person who shall di-
rectly or indirectly offer, give or prom
Use any money or thing of value, testi-
monial, privilege or personal advant
age to any executive or judicial officer
or member of the legislative assembly
to influence him in the performance Of
any of his official or public duties, shall
be deemed guilty of bribery, and be
punished in such manner as shall be
provided by law.
Sec. 43. The offense of corrupt So
licitation of members of the legislative
assembly or of public officers of the
state, or of any municipal division
thereof and the occupation or practice
| of solicitation Of such members or Off
| GERS, to influence their official actions,
shall be defined by law and shall be
And all these crimes have been ac-
curately defined by law and may be
found in part 7, title ", sections $50 to
It's inclusive of the penal code of the
| state of Montana. Sections 1874 1866, 166.
| 1877, 1853 and 1859 should be given in full TO
show how faithfully our earlier legis-
| Iatures have builded upon the constitu
tional provisions hereinbefore cited,
and to show how completely provision
has been made for just punishment of
| all crimes relating to bribery.
| sec. 1874 Every person who gives or
| offers a bride to any member of the
| legislative assembly, or to another per-
| son for him, or attempts by menace, de-
| ceit, suppression of the truth or any
| corrupt means to influence a member in
| giving or Withholding his vote or in
| not attending the house or any COM
mittee of which he is member is pun
| ishable by Imprisonment in the state