The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1909-03-03
MEMBERS OF STATE LANDS BODY
FREED FROM ACCUSATIONS
OF COlLUSlON.
LAX BUSINESS METHODS
investigators Recommend That Plan of
Conducting Affairs Be Changed and
That No Effort Be Made to Buy
Back FIathead Ground-Penitentiary
Committee Makes Recommendations
eciaI to The Daily Missoulian

Special to The Daily Missoulian.
Helena, Mont, March RE
ports Of Investigating committees
was feature of the legislatures ses-
sion today. The committee which in
vestgated the state land business
mande lengthy one, about 1000
words. 1t exonerates all members OF
the board from the charges of graft
or colluson. While it condemns the
general conduct of the land office.
the officials therein are exonerated
from charges of dishonesty, the meth
DDS simply being attacked as lax.
The report advises against the re-
purchase of the Flathead county
tracts and urges the adoption of a
law to legalize the sale not only of
the Flathead but all other lands
which are alleged to have been sold
in violation of the enabling act and
the statutes. The dummy system
used in the Flathead timber sales is
condemned in particular. The report
says:
I'VE regard all the officials charged
as our most loyal citizens, and to so
wilfully and without cause yillify the
characters of men so far above re-
proach as those of the members of
| our state land board, is objectionable
and deserving Of the severest rebuke.
We have exercised the greatest lati-
| tude, allowed every desire exoressed
on the part of those so charging our
| officials, and no real evidence has
| been produced"
| When the report was presented in
| the senate it was ordered filed and
| the committee was dicharged. In the
| house Hutchinson of Flathead led a
| fight against its adoption. His mo-
| tion to table was lost, tut the report
was received and placed on file, 400
| copies being ordered printed, and the
| committee discharged with the thanks
| of the house for it's full report and
| complete investigation" Hutchinson
| spoke at length. He said that the re-
port showed that the committee ad
mitted the sales were illegal, but he
| said that even then he would not OBJ
| ject to its adoption except for the fact
| that the state had not received the
full value for the land.
Claims laxness.
He declared that the lawyer who
conducted the investigation admitted
| to him that he the lawyer) had not
| had time to properly make the inves-
| tigation, and that the questioning of
| witnesses had been insufficient. He
charged that D. F. Smith and w. N.
| Noffsinger attended the hearing every
day and cross examined all witnesses.
but they disclaimed they did go in the
interest of any lumber company, but.
said Mr.. Hutchinson, when the COM
mittee on townships and counties met
Mr.. Smith appeared as the represen-
tative of the julius Neil Lumber
company Whaley G. Mccoy, MEM
bers of the committee, spoke in favor
of the adoption of the report and ex-
planned why. MacGinnis ended the
discussion by his substitute to receive
the report BY vote of "a to ii
Hutchinson's motion to table was lost.
The house adopted the unanimous re-
port of the committee on privileges
and elections recommending Herbert's
state wide prohibition bill for indefi-
mite postponement
State Prison.
, The report or the committee on the
state prison investigation was also
made and adopted and the committee
discharged. Its chief recommendation
is that a commission be appointed OF
disinterested persons to appraise the
property now owned by Conley and
McTague and needed by the state to
run the prison. Another recommends
/ ticn is made concerning what shall be
l done with the overflow of prisoners
, the penitentiary being inadequate to
house them all. A third reeommenda
ton is that the convicts be put tc
work manufacturing binding twine.
e The recommendation as to the valua-
t ton of the private property follows:
y ITO intelligently determine the true
= and fair value of this property would
g require the undivided time of the COM
: mittee for a much longer period thar
e that available to your committee, ant
t we recommend that the Legislature
e name the following five persons; Will
: liam Lindsay, Glendive; ]. c. McNa'
n mara. Helena George Stanton. Grea
= Falls, and Thomas Lockman, Missoula
they to constitute a committee with
: the authority to act in determining tht
: values, to subpoenae witnesses and te
n employ a secretary, the committee ant
q the secretary to be paid from the gen
: eral fund at the rate of IS per day
and necessary expenses. This com
mittee to report in full its finding tC
the board of prison commissioners as
to the value of the property in ques.
: ton and the board of commissioners in
n turn 10 report to the next ession OF
y the legislature"
PRODUCES MUCH GOLD.