The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-01-04

/ coSt oI pubic printing. Our constltu-
/ ton provides for the printing of the
| quarterly reports made by the state
| treasurer. This alone costs at least
| $500 a year, when it is of practically
| no benefit to any one. In the same
! way, everything that is done by any
| state or county officer is required to
| be printed in some paper in the state
| or county, and frequently in more than
one paper. This charge alone is an
| onerous burden to the commonwealth,
and the law should either provide for
u reduction in the advertising and
printing rates or it should provide that
many of the things now required to lie
published might be dispensed with in
| the discretion of the state board of
examiners. I am satisfied that this
recommendation will not be popular
with the press of the state, but l am
lmpelled to take this step by reason
of the fact that the public printing
| charge is exorbitant and out of ali
reason for the good that it does to the
| commonwealth.
Sixth-Again. before leaving this
| head of retrenchlnent and the reduc-
| ton of expenses. I must call your at
| tention to the fact that legislators 100
often set the pace of eXorbitant eX-
| penditures and appropriation by their
own action. I trust, however, that
| and to the state at large will, at all
times, be sufficient to prevent any in
| dulgence in eXtfaVagant appropriations
| or unnecessary expenditures in and
| about the transaction of your bust
ness while you are here assembled.
For it is upon your work, and the
character of the legislation that you
may give to the state, that depends
| to a great degree the veal or woe of
I'M n ha he rtv in
the ascendency in this state may
strongly entrench itself and fortify it's
position in the affections of our people
by that wise and conservative course
which will give to the state and it's
citizens the very best legislation pcs
sible and the most economical admin
istration of public affairs consistent
with efficient performance of public
functions.
During this legislative assembly an
apportionment bill, reapportioning the
state for senatorial and representative
districts should be passed. l trust
that in such apportionment you will
reduce somewhat the membership of
the lower house of the assembly. In
my opinion 60 members is the outside
limit required at the present time.
These, with the "a senators required
under our constitution, would give a
membership of 81 in the assembly.
This reduction in the number would
somewhat curtail the expenses of the
legislative assembly, and at the same
time they would perform just as eff
GENTLY all the duties imposed upon the
legislature.
State Bounty Law.
In 1897 I felt called upon to make
certain recommends ions with refer
ence to the bounty upon gray wJlt es
and coyotes. During 1896, 1926 claims
for the killing of coyotes had been filed
with the secretary CT state. At II at
time I pointed out the possibility of
paying this bounty with the revenues
then at command of the state. This
suggestion in my message was met by
the statement that the coyotes of the
state had been almost destroyed, and
that from that time forward we would
see a large reduction in the number Of
bounty claims for the few coyotes
killed In order, however, to produce
more revenue, an additional mill and
a half was imposed upon the stock in
terests of the state for the purpose of
paying these bounties. During the
past two years it was proven, by the
arrest and conviction of at least one
person, and the Imprisonment of two
others at Bozeman, that our state
bounty law was defective and that nu-
merous frauds were being perpetrated
by reason of the failure of the law to
throw sufficient guards around these
bounty claims. Coyote skins have been
fraudulently imported from Chicago
and Salt Lake in order to secure the
large bounty our state pays.
The records of the office Of the secre-
tary of state show that during 1897
there were 220S2 coyotes and 6,112 gray
wolves killed in the state, for which
bounty claims were filed. And that,
during II months of 1898, up to and in
Guiding November. 20,797 coyotes have
been killed and 1856 wolves, to which
should be added the claims that will be
filed during the month of December
1898. This will undoubtedly bring the
total number up to the number given
for 1897. The total cost of these claims
for 1897 is $S4,5S2, and for II months of
1898, $7S,459. 1t will thus be seen that
the maximum number of coyotes killed
had not been reached in 1896, as we
were assured at the time was the case.
The increase has been more than 1000
per annum since that year.
l am constrained to believe that the
bounty on the coyote should be reduced
to ST. for this reason: the present rev.
enue is not sufficient to meet the pres
ent demands The old bounty claims,
amounting to about $4,000, remain un-
paid; the new bounty claims are con-
tinually increasing and the hunters and
trappers under these conditions are
compelled to discount their claims. An
other reason for this recommendation
is that in hunting for the gray wolf,
the coyote will be destroyed almost as
effectually as he Is to-day. The same
poisons and the same traps that are set
for the wolf will destroy the coyote,
and the hunter who is hunting for the
wolf will never allow coyote to escape
if he can prevent it, In my opinion,
the bounty on coyotes should be re-
duced to 81 and the bounty on gray
wolves increased to S. This increased
price, with the assurance of a cash
payment for their claims, will induce
a more systematic and thorough search
for these destroying pests, which will
eventually result in the destruction of
as many coyotes as at present and at
the same time will so relieve the bounty
fund as to make it possible to meet the
accrued demands; and such a law, if
properly guarded with reference to gray
wolves, would remove the great tempta-
ton now paid as bounty upon coyote
claims. Our neighboring states pay
only about 81 per capita for such boun-