Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-02-18
TEN DAYS
MORE LEFT
In Which Legislative Work
May Be Done.
THE STEERING COMMITTEE
IS Mapping Out the Work For the Re-
malnder of the Session..
The Gambling Bill.
THE STEERING COMMITTEE
special to the Inter Mountain,


Helena, Feb. 1S.-The excursion to Mis-
soula and the adjournment over Satur-
day has taken many of the members out
of town and the legislative hall is a quiet
place today. There remain ten working
days of the session. These promise to be
exceedingly lively. Ninety-six bills have
been introduced in the senate and 161 in
the house. The limit of the introduction
| OF bills has about been reached in both
houses
| The steering committee has warmed the
house up to an appreciation of the
amount of work it has upon it's hands
and during Thursday and Friday the
evidences of an intention to get down to
work became apparent for the first time
in the lower house. During those days
( considerably more was done than on sew
eral previous days. The senate on the
| contrary has each day dispatched all of
it's business in hand and adjourned for
! want of something to do. Yesterday the
! house went through the bills assigned by
the steering committee, not adjourning
until the last one had been passed in
committee of the whole. 1t is true that
many were appropriation bills and sim
pier than bill enacting law, but there
was a certain amount of red tape that
had to be followed and the house plodded
along patiently.
About $50, 900 was represented in the ap
preparation bills passed All were de-
ticency appropriations. They ran from
three or four dollars in a few instances
to tens of thousands of dollars in the
cases of the penitentiary and other big
contracts. Many are asking where all
this money is coming from.
AS Senator Norris well said in his
speech of yesterday when he opposed
the bill increasing the salaries of the JUS
tees of the supreme court by allowing
each Justice compensation of 81, 800 per
wear for preparing his opinions for the
nublic printer: "Where is this money
coming from? We are passing measures
to increase expenses but when will we
pass some to increase revenues? Not
, bill has been introduced to increase the
states income and the session is nearly
ended The state expenses today exceed
the revenues, etc" The BeaVerhead
senator's statement of the case was a
pertinent one.
The fight next Tuesday in the senate
over the Powell county bill VIII be a
lively affair. The bill will probably pass
the senate, as it is believed the friends
of the measure have the upper hand.
How it will fare in the house and whether
! the governor will sign it are other mat
. ters There is a disposition not to in
crease the counties, but the Powell
.. county people have made such long and
determined fight and have so many
friends in both houses, that they are lla-
ble to get away with the battle.
. There will be a lively time in the house,
too, when the gambling bill is unearthed
! by the steering committee, if 1t is ever
found. Two years ago the steering COM
7 mittee did not want to find the anti
gambling bill, but the house forced them
: to do so. The same action may be taken
this year if the committee shows a dis
: position to overlook it in the daily as
signment of business.
l Speaking of the gambling BILL the Hell
ena gambling houses are open again after
! a couple of weeks shut down. The grand
\ jury'S investigat ton resulted in shutting
: them up, and lovers of observance of the
n law presumed that they would not have
y the temerity to open up again, but they
!, are boldly conducting business at the old
stand.
The defeat of the bill seeking to place
y the penitentary under the direct control
of the state is generally commended. 1t
, is the opinion Of the leading taxpayers
that the state is in no condition to under
take the management of the pen with a
fancy salary list that alone would cost
the state annually one-fourth of the pres
ent contract price. While the bill was
. hanging fire, everybody had lot of fun
' with Tom McTague, trying to make him
. think the bill would pass The same peO-
! pie congratulated him upon it's defeat.