The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1903-10-30


fixed date for the important event.
and still she lacked the coruage to
tell him the truth. In due time he
presented himself to the clerk Of the
court and asked for license permit
ting him to wed the charmer who had
caused him so many hours OF doubt
and suspense. 1t would be expressias
it but mildly to say he was astonish-
ed when informed that he was too
late, that earlier in the day another
man, accompanied by the girl, had
appeared and secured a license and
that the wedding had already un-
dOubtedly taken place. For only a
moment, though, was he stunned. He
was not in the fight to be counted out.
Pulling himself together, he remarked
that there were Others" and then
with all the grace imaginable asked
that he be given license to marry
one of the sisters of the fair, but false
one, adding that Hettie had always
struck him as being the more sensible
of the two and after all he allowed"
she would make a better wife for
him. He was given the license, and
Hettie married him, as she appears
not to have been harrassed by lovers
and like the sensible girl she was
decided to take no chances.
Although it cannot be truthfully said
that they take the deep interest in
the matter the people of Butte and
some other communities directly af-
fected do, still the people of Billings
and hereabouts take more or less in
terest in the shutdown of the Anal
gamated mines and are watching the
course of events in the big mining
camp with a feeling OF more than
curiosity. Especially is this so since
talk is being heard Of an extra session
of the legislature. II proper assurance
can be given that relief would come
from an extraordinary convention OF
that body, they would probably not
be heard in opposition, but they are
not convinced that the remedy lies
in that direction. One unusually we'll
informed gentleman was heard to ex-
press himself the other day, and he
may be taken as voicing the opinion
of those who have given the matter
thought. II don't see,' he said, what
would be gained by an extra session
No legislation can be made retroactive
and the legislature could not set aside
the Clancy injunctions. That is a
question to be dealt with by the SUI
preme court. 1t is possible that a
law might be passed curtailing the
powers of judges in the matter OF
granting injunctiOns, but that would
not, as | understnd it. affect those
already in force. Then, again, i'm
parchment proceedings might be insti-
tuted against Judge Clancy, or any
other Judge, for that matter, il the
proper showing of facts could be made,
but even that drastic way of dealing
with the subject under discussion
does not promise to relieve the situa-
tion now existing at Butte. As it
strikes me, they are up against it
there and the only thing remaining
for them to do is to fight it out. All
that the legislature could do would
be to guard against future occurren- !.
ces of the kind, but even this is doubt
full. Where there are so many law
yers, and good ones at that, lawyers
who make speciality of complex liti- /
cation such as that which obtains
in mining camps, it looks like a NIGH
ty difficult proposition to enact a law
that is proof against attack. For all, |
that / feel sorry for the people OF
Butte, particularly those who find /
themselves out of employment be-
cause of the shutdown and the suf- I
fering it promises to bring to so
many
WATCH YOUR GATES.