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

N 1917
ton provides for the printing OF the
quarterly reports made by the state
treasurer. This alone costs at least
$500 a year, when IL 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 10 en-
onerous burden to the commonwealth.
and the law should either provide for
n reduction in the advertising and
printing rates or IL 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. am satisfied that this
recommendation will not be popular
with the press Of the state. but l am
impelled TO take this step by reason
OF the fact that the public printing
charge is exorbitant and out of all
reason for the good that IL does to the
commonwealth.
Sixth-Again. before leaving this
head of retrenchment and the reduc-
ton OF expenses, l must call your at
tentiQn to the fact that legislators too
often set the pace Of exorbitant ex-
penditures and appropriation by their
own action. / trust. however. that
your sense of duty to your constituents
and to the state at large will. at all
times, be sufficient to prevent any In
diligence in e~xtravagant appropriations
or unnecessary expenditures in and
about the transaction OF you busi-
ness while you are here semble
For IL Is upon your work. and the
character of the legislation that yCu
may give to the state. that depends
to a great degree the veal or woe of
our commonwealth. The party now in
the sscendency in this state may
strongly entrench itself and fortify its
position In the affections of our people
by hat wise and conservative course
which will give to the state n It's
citizens the very best legislation pos
istration of public affairs consistent
with efficient performance of public
functions.
During his legislative assembly an
apportionment bill, reapportioning the
state for senatorial and representative
districts should be passed. I 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 "a I'm 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 effi-
GENTLY all the duties imposed upon the
legislature.
state bounty Law.
In 1897 I felt called upon to make
certain recommendations with refer
ence to the bounty upon gray woiN es
and coyotes. During 1896. 1925 cllims
for the killing of coyotes had been Ned
with the secretary of state. AZ n at
time i pointed out the possibility OF
paying this bounty with the revenues
Their 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
n half was imposed upon the stock in
terests of the state for the purpose OF
paying these bounties. During the
past two years II 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 kin have been
fraudulently imported from Chicago
ard 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 1891
there were 2.0S2 coyotes and 6.1l2 gray
wolves killed in the state, for which
bounty claims were filed. And that.
during IL months Of 1898. up to and in
Guiding November. 0.797 coyotes have
been killed and 1856 wolves. to which
should be added the claims that will be
filed during the month Of December.
TCaC TAt. nth aAa.hfaAIy hrfn1 the
total number up TO the number given
for 1897. The total cost OF these claims
for 1897 Is sS4 SIS. and for IL months OF
1898. $7s,459. IL will thus be seen that
the maximum number OF coyotes killed
had not been reached I'm 1896. as we
were assured at the time was the case.
The increase has been more than 1000
per annum since that year.
am constrained TO believe that the
bounty on the coyote should be reduced
to 81, for this reason: the present rev.
enue Is not sufficient To meet the pres
ent demands. The old bounty claims.
amounting to about $40. 900. remain un-
III the new bounty claims are con
tlnually increasing and the hunters and
trappers under these conditions are
compelled to discount their claims. An
other reason for this recommendation
IL. 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 viii never allow a coyote to escape
II he can prevent IL. 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 Of
as many coyotes as at present. and at
the same time will so relieve the bounty
fund as to make IL possible to meet the
accrued demands; and such a law. II
properly guarded with reference TO gray
wolves. would remove the great tempta-
tion now paid as bounty upon coyote
claims. our neighboring states pas
only about 81 per capita fer such boun-