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

Following is the tex of the veto mas
sage regarding Bill 1872:
.eMr. Sneaker and Gentlemen OF the
House of Representatives. sincerely
wish it were possible for me to agree WIN
YOU in the passage of House Blll no. To-.
dislike exceedingly to place my JudS-
ment and opinion in opposition to what
seems to be a unanimous judgment OF
this body. But in the discharge of offl-
cial duty there ought to be but one guide
and that should be the constitution ana
the law as revealed to us by calm ana I'M
biased study. In my humble Judgment
no measure was ever presented to a leSls-
lature more fraught with evil to a people
or more obnoxious to a constitution than
this bill. The very reasons which &C
tuated the introduction Of this bill are
dangerous to our institutions ana our
liberties. These reasons are as Follows
"First-The Boston & Montana Cop
per and Silver Mining company, a cor
poration of this state, in May last UNI
dertook to sell all it's property to a New
York corporation and compel Its stock
holders to accept stock in n foreign
corporation in lieu Of stock neld IN the
domestic or home corporation. suit was
brought by Forester and MACHINES,
stockholders. to prevent sucn Onduc
and the supreme court of this state, on
November IS, by a unanimous opinion,
sustained the plaintiffs and ordered a re-
conveyance of all property to the Mon
ana The lawyers and par
ties defeated in that case are here trying
by this bill to reverse the decision of our
supreme court, and, l am told, because
/ happened to be one Of the attorneys
for Forester and MacGinnis. that l can
rot afford to veto this bill. But when L
am sustained by the unanimous opinion
of our supreme court and by the conSt1-
tuition of our state, 1 can and will veto
o,-- ,,oa-,,, tho &c &c xininIIc a. this
bill.
The second reason for the strong fol-
lowing and lobby behind this bill is as
follows: The ROthschilds and the mag
mates of the Standard Oil company, &C
cording to all report, are now engaged
in trying to control the copper output OF
the world, and they desire to include our
great copper properties in the pool. This
accounts for the strong following this bill
has with the corporate interests OF the
state. These reasons alone. without fur
tner remark, ought 10 be sufficient to de-
feat this measure before q free and m
dependent representative body of this
state.
In addition to the foregoing there are
still more vital reasons for its defeat
This bill makes it possible and easy to1
corporations in the state to combine WITH
any other corporation, foreign or do
nestle, and thus form a trust or pool
ttIIo ~ Va 49,
, constitution, reads as follows
} ono corporation, stock company, per
, son or association Of persons in the state
of Montana, shall, directly or indirectly
? combine or form what is known as {
, trust. or make any contract with an!
: person or persons, corporation or stool
ompany, foreign or domestic, through
I their stockholders, trustees, or in an.
name whatever, for the purpose of fix
Z ing the price or regulating the production
q of any article of or of the pro
I luce of the soil, for consumption by tn
Y people. The Legislative assembly shal
pass laws for the enforcement thereof b,
adequate penalties to the extent, II neceS
Sary for that purpose, of forfeiture o
their property and franchise, or in case
of foreign corporations, prohibiting Their
from carrying on business in the state
This bill is in direct violation of tn
foreign provision of our constitution. |
: is not necessary that the bill should de
clare in it's title or the body thereof tina
it is intended to regulate the productio
or the price of copper, or other articl
of commerce., in order to violate the pre-
vision quoted. If the bill can be used c
utilized for forming a combine or trus
to regulate the production of any articl
of commerce or production of the soil,
is obnoxious to our constitution. Ca
any man read this measure and say
cannot be used to form coppe or mlnin
o trusts or combines, and thereby regulat
g the price or production of an article {
commerce? The present great rise in tf
price of copper is largely due to the cor
3 templated trust which is reported in tt
press of the country. Silver, lead, lrol
copper, and every other production
our mines, except gold, are articles
8 for consumption by the pc
g ple,' and any law tending to create trust
for controlling their production or fiXin
. the price Of their products, is in viols
ton of the constitution. Instead of pas!
q ing this law to foster these trusts an
combines, it is your duty under the GA,
& you nave taken and under the directlo
3 of the provisions Of the constitute
Q quoted, to pass a law f%orbidding and pr
2 hibiting any such effort, by n corpora
& ton or company.
8 Il wish to call your to Il
q difference between your body and Il
g Colorado assembly now in session. II
smelling and mining corporations, &C
3 ing under the same impulse felt in tn
@ state, contemplated a similar move
z Colorado, but Governor Thomas sent
< the legislature a message asking it
8 pass a law prohibiting such trusts al
9 pools, and in a very short time after h
x message was read, one house of that boz
had passed a bill in accordance with h
8 suggestions; and he wires me that Il
9 legislature is trying to prevent a smelt
z trust in that state, while you, on the co
& trary. are trying to organize a copp
3 trust. with the Standard Oil magnates
9 control. This bill further violates O.
constitution in this: Section IL, article
s provides that no ex post facto law, n
law impairing the obligation of CONTRACT
9 or making any irrevocable grant
= special privileges, franchises or immur