The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-03-01
Special Dispatch to the Standard.

| Helena, Feb. 2S.--The expected hap
pened to-day. House bills 1872 and 124,
which free Montana corporations from
the blackmailng schemes that have
heretofore beset them and which at the
same time amply protect the minority
stockholder, if he is honest, We're re-
turned to the house by the governor, ac-
companied by his veto. The two bills
were speedily passed by both house and
senate by vote that was even more
decisive than the original support that
they received. The veto messages of the
governor were surprising documents.
More remarkable documents were never
submitted to any legislature. They were
dramatic and prepared in the evident
expectation of stampeding the house.
but in this they failed. The house vote
in favor of 1872 was So ito Is and the sem
ate ballot was q to 3. In the senate the
reading of the MESA ges was dispensed
with.
Following is the text of the veto mes
sage regarding bill 1872:
Mr.. Speaker and Gentlemen of the
House of Representatives. sincerely
wish it We're possible for me to agree
with you in the passage of house bill
No. 132. ] dislike exceedingly to place
my Judgment and opinion in opposition
| to what seems to be such a unanimous
judgment of this body But in the d.s-
charge of official duty there ought to be
but one guide, and that should be the
| constitution and the law as revealed Ito
| us by calm and unbiased study. In my
| humble Judgment no measure was ever
presented to a legislature more fraught
/ with evil to a people or more obnoxious
to constitution than this bill. The
very reasons which actuated the intro
duction of this bill are dangerous ito our
institutions and our liberties. TneEe
! reasons are as follows:
"First-The Boston & Montana Cop
per and Silver Mining company, a cor
| poration of this state, in May last I'M
dertook to sell all it's property to a New
York corporation and compel its stock
| holders to accept stock in foreign
corporation in lieu of stock held in the
domestic or home corporation. Suit was
brought by Forester and MacGinniss,
| stockholders, to prevent such conduct,
and the supreme court Of this state on
| Nov. rs, by unanimous opinion, sus-
! tanned the plaintiffs and ordered a re-
conveyance of all property to the Mon
! tana company. The lawyers and par
ties defeated in that case are here try
| ing by this bill to reverse the decision Of
| our supreme court and I am told, be-
| cause | happened to be one of the at
torneys for Forester and MacGinniss,
that | cannot afford to veto this bill.
But when / am sustained by the unani-
nous opinion of our supreme court and
by the constitution of our state, / can
| and will veto any measure that is as
vicious as this bill.
| ''Tha Secan6 req son for the Sfropcr NJ
lowing and lobby behind this bill is as
| follows: The Rothschilds and the mag
| mates of the Standard Oil company, ac-
| 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.
IhlS accounts for the strong following
| this bill has with the corporate inter-
| ests of the state. These reasons alone,
| without further remark, ought to be
sufficient ito defeat this measure before a
free and Independent representative
body of this state.
In addition to the foregoing there are
sun more vital reasons for it's defeat.
This bill makes it possible and easy
for corporations in the state to combine
with any other corporation, foreign or
| domestic. and thus form trust or pool.
| Section 20, of article Is, of our state con-
stitution. reads as follows
No corporation. stock company,
person or association of persons in the
state of Montana, shall, directly or liz
directly, combine or form what is
known as trust, or make any contract
with any person or persons, corpora
tions or stock company, foreign or do
mestic, through their stockholders.
/ trustees, or in any manner whatever.
for the purpose of fixing the price or.
regulating the production of any article
| n Yo1n nf hn tl,.
soil. for consumption by the people The
legislative assembly shall pass laws
for the enforcement thereof by adequate
penalties to the extent. if necessary for
| that purpose. of forfeiture of their prop
erty and franchise, or in cases of for
eign corporations, prohibiting them from
carrying on business in the state
This bill is in direct violation of the
foreign provision of our constitution. 1t
| is not necessary that the bill should de-
clare in it's title or the body thereof
that it is intended to regulate the pro-
| duction or the price of copper, or other
article of commerce, in order to violate
the provision quoted. If the bill can
be used or utilized for forming a COM
bine or trust to regulate the produc
ton of any article of commerce or pro-
duction of the soil it is obnoxious to
our constitution. Can any man read
this measure and say it cannot be used
to form copper or mining trusts or COM
bines, and thereby regulate the price
or production of an article of COM
merce? The present great rise in the
price of copper is largely due to the
contemplated trust which is reported
in the press of the country. Silver. lead.
iron, copper and every other production
of our mines, except gold. are articles
OF commerce for consumption by the
people, and any law tending to create
trusts for controlling their production
or liking the price of their products. is
in violation of the constitution. Instead
of passing this law to foster these
| trusts and combines, it is your duty
under the oath you have taken and un-
! L il nE r.e