The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1907-01-23
PROPOSED NEW LAWS.
Some Of the Measures That MAY Sc
cure Favorable Action.

Some Of the Measures That May Sc
cure Favorable Action.
HELENA, Jan. 1S.-The Shaw.Tudor
railway commission bill, introduced
in the house, provides for the naming
OF three commissioners one to serve
until 1909, another until 1911 and the
third until 1913. At the election of 19OSa
commissioner to succeed the one whose
term expires the following year is to
be elected, and there is to be an cleo
ton of q commissioner every two
years until the terms of the frst selec.
tions have all expired. Thereafter the
commissioners will serve six.year
terms. The salaries are to be fixed at
$1,000 a year, and the secretary, who
is to be selected by the commission, is
to receive q, 1000. The powers of the
commission are to extend to express
and sleeping car companies, as we'll
as to railroad companies. There are
several other railroad commission
bills in the hopper, ready to be
brought forth at any time.
If the legislature enacts the anti.
pass law which has been proposed at
this session, all members of the elev-
enth assembly will pay fare. In the
sen ate Gov. White has introduced q
bill of this sort and Whiteside has a
similar measure of THE sort in the
house. One Of these bills will surely
pass or at least q bill that is framed
from the two of them. AS one member
said the other night "Nobody will
vote against this bill, now that some.
body has had the nerve to introduce
it," It is not likely, either, that the
railway lobby will oppose the measure,
though the tinted cards have in years
past been q potent factor in securing
favors from members.
Senator Truscott of Valley county
has prepared a bill which, as it con.
Germs the revenue of the state, has
been introduced in the house. This
bill provides for the registration of
marks and brands and their transfers.
The only difference between this bill
and the present law is that provision
is made in the bill for the payment of
a fee of 81 for recording and prescribes
the disposition that shall be made of
the money thus collected. Under the
arrangement now in effect, the 50 fee
is collected but it is not authorized by
law and nobody on the outside knows
what becomes of it.
The recorder of marks and brands
is, Senator Truscott says, the only
state officer who collects fees without
the authorization of law and who
makes nc accounting of them. Under
the terms OF the bill, the fees are to be
turned over to the stock funds in the
state treasury and thus benefit the men
who pay the fees.
The presence in Helena of many of
the prominent gambling house men OF
the state has started considerable
gossip in the Hobbies concerning the
probability of the enactment of any
laws that will alter in any way the
present statutes of gambling in the
state. While there are many who will
always favorably regard the licensing
of gambling on account of the revenue
which the state would receive from
that source, it is a safe assertion to
say that the sentiment in this legisla-
ture Is unqualifedly against a return
to the license system of years ago.
There are some members who are un.
reserved in their expression of the
opinion that the state should have an
anti.gambling law that is even more
rigorous than the one now in force
and they say that they would give
their support to such a measure. Any.
way. it is 10 probable that any lobby
can ecure any concessions to the
gamblers at this session.