Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1900-05-24
To NO
AGREEMENT
COUNTY AND CITY OFFICIALS
FAIL TO REACH UNDERSTAND
ING AS TO SMALLPOX.
LIVELY SESSION WITH
BOTH SIDES AGGRESSIVE.
Citv Wants Division of illegally Col
lected Road Tax and Threatens
To Collect Again.

The Joint meeting held by the city
booard of health and the county COM
missioners yesterday afternoon Tor the
purpose of deciding the manner IN Whlcn
the expense of caring for smallpox pa
tients should be met resulted in a NJ
zle $. far as reaching an understanding
is concerned, out it was not a hippo
drome otherwise. For two hours or more
the matter was discussed in an earnest
manner without either side winning a
fall. AS stated yesterday, at times the
discussion was animated.
The Who'll trouble had its origin in a
fracture of faith on the part of the city.
When the pest house was established the
municipality agreed to bear half the eX-
pense of it's maintenance, but later on II
~abrogated the proposition and practlcal-
ly told the county to put up or smut up.
The expense OF keeping the institution
amounts to something over $1,000 per
month. Knowing hat many eases or the
disease had been successfully treated IN
the homes of the patients the county,
when the disease had to all appearances
died out. decided to shut up the pest
house and thus choke off the expense
of maintaining it. but about the time the
button was to be pressed a few more
cases of the disease bobbed up and We're
thrown on the county. The one that
created the call for an understanding
was that of a man named Hughes. His
case was reported to the city and DR..
Alexander, the city physician, sent him
to the county commissioners to be cared
for.
During the course of the confab yes
terday Alderman Mayo said the bill OF
the county had not been paid by the city
because the county had refused to accept
a patient from the city.
You took a man out there that did moi
nave the smallpox, kept him isolated fol
three weeks and then discharged him be-
cause he did not have the disease" said
Chairman Clark of the commissioners.
H did have smallpox" retorted DR.
Alexander
Alderman Bryant said if the county
would deed the city half the pest nous
the city Would pay for it. and Mr.. CLARK
expressed a desire to deed the Who'll
works, but Cornelius Kelly, who was
present to espouse the cause of the coun-
ty, added that the county should moi
deed more than was necessary. He Woull
rather see it assume the obligation.
eff we take charge you will have t
get your health officer out of the way,
said Mr.. Clark, punctuating the %sentenc'
with a meaning shake of the finger a
the city's representatives we have tn
road tax money and will use it to defra,
the expense
IF smallpox breaks out in a room w
will keep the patient there and quaran
tine the whole block" said COMMISSIONS.
Terrell.
IF you do you are liable to lose a goo,
many votes for the party responde,
Alderman Bryant.
1T ooks as if the whole thing was
matter of votes" said Mr.. Kelly.
i, The majority of the city's representa-
! tives then left the room and City Treas
J urer Calkins n Aldermen Bryant an
Elderkin engaged the commissioners O
! the proposition of a divvy of the none
! collected for road and poll axes.
W do not believe you are entitle
J to a dollar said Mr.. Clark. The at
/ torney general has decided that the ia
I has been illegally collected and if tn
: county turned any of it over to the cit
! those who paid 1t would be apt to max
I the county responsible for it."
There is one way of getting at It," re
) snonded Mr.. Calkins. land that is for tn
2 city to collect 1t again and I will see thu
= it is done"