Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-01-03


duction of expenses the governor makes
the regulation attack on the mileage of
county sheriffs and gives copious illus
t~rations to clucidate his point. Without
touching upon the merits of the position
taken by the governor on this matter, the
argument that sheriffs should be de-
prived of their mileage, because they
travel on passes, might encounter a frost
when it meets his excellency's recon-
mendation relative to railroad legisla-
ton. 1t is quite likely that if the gov
ernor's suggestions as to a railway COM
mission, and lower rates, are formulated
into law by the present legislature, the
railways will withhold passes from the
s~aeriffs. In that case what would the
sheriffs do if deprived of mileage? Is it
wisdom to frame a law based on the
courtesy which a corporation may tenn
pOlaflly eNteIu ~ d pubill oiiioSi'
Instead of recommending the abolition
of mileage could not his eXcellency, with
greater propriety, ave recommended a
law that would prohibit all public officers
from accepting passes, including the
governor, so that his suggestions rela-
tive to a decrease in freight and passen-
ger rates might have some practical
value to the public, instead of being
thrown into the message for political
effect.
With true democratic simplicity, his
excellency recommends the enactment of
laws for the suppression of intelligence.
He wishes to curtail general knowledge
of public affairs by cutting down the ex-
penses of the printing department of the
state government. He would place the
matter of public printing wholly in the
hands of the state board of examiners,
so that important information concern
ing the transactions of a state admins
tration could be suppressed whenever a
political exigency made it desirable to do
so, and reports would be printed only
when a good showing could be made!
His excellency is not only a statesman;
he is likewise a bird. By what right
does he declare printing and advertising
rates to be exhorbitant? What does
he know about the printing bust
ness? Upon what does he base the state
ment that much of this printing is of no
practical value?
In these matters Governor Smith sets
his face against the experiences and
practices of the federal government since
it's organization, and would outline to the
legislative assembly of this state a course
of procedure that would inevitably lead
up to a widely diffused ignorance of pub
lie affairs. That may be good democracy,
but it is not good citizenship and is a
burlesque on craftsmanship.
IS
When his excellency gets down to the
coyote question he shines to better adj
49, .o1,,@;o-
of the bounty on coyote skins to one dol
lar and increasing that on gray wolves
to $5-a matter which the legislature can
investigate with propriety. From what
the governor says on this subject it ap-
pears that there is a striking similarity
of other states, so much so that Utah
skins are impoBted to secure the bounty.
The Canadian gray wolf has more re-
spect for the proprieties. He wears his
kin into Montana and gets killed X a
man. It must be a comfort to him to
realize that the treasury of the state is
not despoiled when it pungles up S. for
his skin, like It would be when it puts up
81 for the post-mortem coyote from the
Promised Land. No doubt his excellency
has been deeply impressed cogitating
over these skin games.
The governor dwells at length on the
several state institutions, to which