The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1909-03-17
WEDNESDAY, MARCH II, 1909.
THE eleventh ASSEMBLY.

AAAAOSA VOVs
THE eleventh. ASSEMBLY.
The impression that q session of the
Montana legislature is generally ar
expensive affection, 10 confirmed by
the record of the assembly that re.
Gently adjourned. The expenses OF
the session amounted to something
like S75 900, but its work. so far as
can be learned, was worth to the peo-
pie considerably less than what it
cost.
The eleventh assembly, compared
with former state legislatures, was
probably an average body of Mon
tSna law makers. Some OF them were
capable and earnest men, desirous Of
enacting Legislation of benefit to the
people; but q majority Of the members
appeared to lack appreciation of their
duty to the public and were Indifferent
to the legislative needs of their con-
s%tituency. That is q failing peculiar
to state Legislatures. and the biennial
exhibition of such incompetence-or
something worse-suggests the con.
clusion that q Legislative session once
in four years would be amply sufficient
under present conditions.
A review Of the legislation enacted
by the eleventh assembly does not
develop any new Law that contemplates
reduced taxation, or promises to the
taxpayers better value for the public
money expended. Among the new
laws are several thst!create additional
public Offices With d%a!resultant increase
in the pay roll, and other measures
that we're enacted provide higher COM.
p%ensation for public officers who al.
ready enjoy e~moluments considerably
in excess of the cost of similar ser.
vices by employees: OF business institu-
lions. In no measure that vas favor.
ably considered blythe eleventh Assem-.
bly, were the interests Of the employers
of public officials-the citizens who
foot the bills-giveE the attention &c
which they are entitled in such mat
ters.
Many of the platform promises of
their respective parties were appar-
emily forgotten, or were treated with
contempt, by certain members of the
eleventh assembly. An anti-pass
measure was defeated in the republic
can senate. A bill that would secure
to the taxpayers the interest on public
funds in the care of county treasurers
was introduced and referred to q COM
mittee, but it appears to have become
lost or concealed until the time limit
of the session expired, and no legisla.
ton of that nature was enacted. A
similar fate befeli q measure intro.
duced by Senator T. M. Everett, which
proposed to give the people an oppor.
tunity to express themselves upon the
question of taxing mining property.
1t was referred by Lieutenant Gov.
ernor Allen, himself q mining man.
to the senate committee on mines, q
committee that has no connection
whatever with proposed constitutional
amendments, and it was held there
until the Legislature adjourned.
One of the interesting and disap.
pointing features of the session was
the political trickery that character.
lied an alleged effort to enact a direct
primary law for the nomination and
election of United States senator's.
The democratic majority in the house
favored q measure that was not &C.
ceptable to the republican senate; and
the latter body, after passing q bill
that was q palpable attempt to fool the
voters, agreed upon another measure
which proposed that q majority vote
of the members of each political party
should designate the senatorial choice
Of such party. This was q fair and
reasonable proposition, a plan that
%conformed to the present method of
nominating other elective oficia but
the democratic house rejected the bill.
In this direct primary subject, as
we'll as many other proposed laws, a
majority of the members of the
eleventh assembly appeared to be
controlled by influences that were
represented throughout the session by
an expert and perniciously active
lobby. In no former assembly was
the presence of q lobby so brazenly
manifest and its work 80 effective, and
II Montana law makers are to be
herded and directed by such inhu-
ences, the public interests that confic,
with those of the lobbyists and their
employers are up against q most de.
plorable condition.