The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-03-01
TWELVE PAGES.
Passed Over the Veto.
YESTERDAY Governor Smi

veto of house bill No. 1872, the
Dill designed ITO prevent small minority
stockholders from stopping the opera
itions of company. Without delay the
ibi.l was passed over the governors We
ITO in both the house and the senate by
rmajorities even more decisive than had
Originally been the case. The vote in
fact was practically unanimous.
In his veto the governor refers to the
case of Forester and MacGinniss vs. the
Boston & Montana company and de-
iclares that case to be the secret of the
Introduction of the bill Surely that is
treason enough. The governor speaks
tof MacGinniss and Forester as minority
stockholders, but he does not tell the
Legislators what he must know, tina.
hhey are not bona fide stockholders of
the Boston & Montana company; that
rhey are officials of the Montana Ore
Purchasing company which is engaged
an extensive litigation with the Boston
& Montana company and that they
thought few shares of the stock of the
kBoston & Montana company for no
company and block it's operations.
The governor also refers to the fact
that he is one of the attorneys for the
Montana Ore Purchasing company and
for Mr.. Forester and for Mr. MacGin-
miss The Standard, for its part does
not believe that the governor has been
influenced in making his veto by the
fa fact l.,
ed party. The Standard has too high
an opinion of the executive of this state,
at has too high an opinion of the honor
and integrity of Governor Smith per-
sonally, to lend any credence to the
view that he was in the slightest de-
gree influenced by the fact that he is an
attorney in the case. The Standard re-
grets that the governor by being an
attorney in the case, was placed in an
embarrassing position; but it believes
that the governor in his veto acted sin
cerely. At the same time the Standard
DIS very sure that the governor is mis-
aaken in his view and that he did not
study the bill closely enough.
The governor brings up the old buga-
boo of Rothschilds and Standard Oil
magnates and trusts and copper com
bines. This is the sort of talk that is
always INDUCED in to prop up a case
which is supported by no argument.
Speaking of trusts and a combine, Under
the law as it has stood, what is to pre-
vent Mr.. Forester and Mr.. MacGinnis
from buying few shares of the stock
OF every copper company doing bust
ness in Montana? What is to prevent
them from then putting all these COM
panies into the hands of receivers, lust
as they did in the case of the Boston &
montana company? What is there to
prevent them from thus closing up all
the other companies doing business in
Montana and leaving the field free to
the Montana Ore Purchasing companyp
That would mean untold profits for this
company, but it would be a very bad
thing for the other companies and for
the thousands of men they employ.
But the governor claims to be afraid
of a trust or pool. He refers to the
fact that most of the corporations were
pulling for the bill. One might think
1t strange that the governor, if so OPP
posed to corporations, would consent to
be the attorney of a corporation The
governor says he fears that pool will
be formed and the price of copper will
be greatly enhanced. The Standard has
not been able to detect anything in the
bill which refers to the forming of
trusts or pools, and surely a rise in the
price of copper cannot be harmful to
Montana. The higher the price of sill
yer the better it is for Montana. The
higher the price of wool the better it is
for Montana. The higher the price of
wheat and lead and copper the better
1t is for Montana Can the governor
argue that high price for copper is
not beneficial to the people of this
state?
But the trust talk is without force or