The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-02-05
GETTING DOWN TO WORK
Twelve Bills Passed by the Com
mittee of the Whole.
NO RADICAL LEGISLATION
Some of the Important Measures Before
the House-Marcyes Introduced a
Rosebud Bill-Pledged to De-
feat Such a Measure.

| AASASAitt, L GU. f-lJuTlHS the week now
closing the house has done more work
In the way of legislation than it had
| accomplished in all the preceding weeks
| OF the session. Twelve bills have been
passed in committee of the whole and
! six of them have been read a thgd
time and passed by the house. These
six are now in the hands of the SEN
ate committees and the remainder will
PROBABLY be sent to the upper house
early in the week. There are now on
the general orders of the house 21 bills,
| which will be considered as rapidly as
possible. While it appears that the
work OF the house has been somewhat
slow, it will be seen by comparison
win the record of the last legislature,
that the work has progressed this, year
| more rapidly than two years ago.
| Inere mas not been a disposition on the
part OF members this year to intro
@ @uuce as many bills as was the rule in
1897, and this fact will, it is believed.
commend the sixth legislature to the
| people Of the state. The general opin-
ION among members is that there should
| not pe as much or as radical legisla-
| tlon as was the case two years ago and
| 1t seems likely that the present house
| VIII not pass as many bills as were
| rushed through the last house. Nobody
VIII regret this. Aside from the appro-
| prlatlon bills, there have been fewer
| measures introduced during the first
| M lour weeks or this legislature than We're
presented in the first week Of the last
assembly
among the important bills that are on
seneral orders are the two that were
| NV rhni,
irrigation committee These bills Gre
ate the office of state engineer and pre-
scflpe ms duties, powers and compensa-
tion ana substitute the cubic foot for
the miners inch as the unit of water
measurement. The latter measure
seems 20 be popular with the engineers
| oL the state, and there has been no on
position to it thus far. The only OBJ
| lection that has yet been urged to the
appointment of state engineer is the
TACT that the state is getting SO MANY
appolntive officers that the pay roll is
becoming rather burdensome. On the
otner nand, 1t is urged that the office
IS becoming a necessity, with the de-
Velopment of the irrigating systems or
the state and the general appropriation
OF the waters of the streams on both
sldes OF the range. The bill will come
up early in the week
sltlon to the bills that have been intro
duced by Hedges, reducing the legal
rate OF interest and the rate that is to
De pald on county and state warrants
Ihe legal rate is reduced to 8 per cent
oy the bill that has passed the house
anu IS now IN the senate judiciary COM
mlttee, and the house in committee of
the whole Friday passed the bins re-
aucing the rate of interest on war
rants to per cent. 1t is the oninion
OF the state treasurer as stated bv
Mr., Hedges, that these warrants will
pc desirable investments, even at this
rate of interest
one Dill that was introduced this
week shows that the country is deyel-
opihs. Two years ago there was no
necessity for such a measure as that
introduced by Day. providing for the
protection of life and property that is
]eopard1zed by the construction of dams
ana reservoirs, but that it is consider
eu necessary at present is evidenced bv
the petition of those residents of the
MISSOURI valley who are below the DOW
ef dam at Canyon Ferry. The bill pro-
Vides the penalty that shall be imposed
upon the owners of these dams FOR
neglect and for the amount of damages
that they shall pay for injuries to life
ana property as result of the break
ing OF their dams. The petitioners also
desire a telephone or telegraph line
+ that will make it possible for them ia
receive warning OF break in the dam
IN time to escape. The bill is now in
the hands of the committee on Internal
improvements.
Much credit is due to the iudjoiarv
committee of the house for the able
manner in which it has disposed of
many bills of doubtful merit. These
nave not been allowed to take up the
tlme OF the house, but have been in
oennlteiy postponed upon recommended
tlon OF the committee, and the work
of the house has been greatly facili-
tated This committee is the one of all
IN the house that has the most Worl,
70 40. 1T receives a large majority of
the bllls introduced and is in almost
constant session during the hours that
the mouse is adjourned. The decided
stand that the committee has taken has
not tended to make it popular with
some OF the house members, but the
comm1tte stands well with the ma ior-
ity.
The committee on appropriations is
another busy lot of men. This commit
tee has accomplished much in the con-
Sldefat1on of the measures that have
been referred to it. All of the defici-
ency bills have been reported and will
be printed by the time the house con-
for the maintenance of the state insti-
tut1ons are being considered as rap
idly as possible The committee seems
disposed to be reasonable in these mat
ters and, while it is the desire of the
members to follow as closely as possi-
BILE the suggestions of the governor in
the way of retrenchment, it is thought
that the estimates made by his excel
lency are in some cases too low. While
the committee has not yet made any
report in regard to these matters it is
probable that the result of its delib-
erations will be fairly satisfactory to
all concerned.
The committee on ways and means
mas under consideration many sugges-
tons as to methods for increasing the
revenue OF the state, most of them be-
ing contained in the message of the
governor. One of the most important
OF these is to give the state board of
equalization the power that is possess