The roundup record. [volume] (Roundup, Mont.) 1908-1929, 1909-02-19
Bright Prospects for Co.
Division Bill PaCCin6
Upper House
STEERING Com. FAVORABLE
Lewistown Bunch Got Off on
Wrong Foot and Are Due
Great Awakening.

the county division bill, altho re-
ported killed a number of different
times, never looked brighter than
theydo now. AS the session is nearing
the end, both houses have named
their steering" committees to ex-
pedite the working Of the lawmak-
ing body. The steering committee
decide upon which measures shall
be acted upon. and the fate of all
bills not already reported upon de-
pends on this committee.
The Musselshell county bill is
now in the senate, and not having
been reported upon, will be referred
to the steering committee. Major
Edwards of Rosebud and Senator
G. p. Tooley Of Meagher are mem
bers of this committee, the former
being chairman, and for this reason
a favorable report for the passage
Of the measure is very likely. Sen
ator Edwards, who fathered the bill
in the senate, will use his influence
for the favorable consideration Of
the bill. Senator Tooley is also a
friend of the measure, it being at his
instance that several townships of
Meagher county, which were includ-
ed in the original boundaries Of the
proposed new county, were left out.
With these two members, who have
considerable influence in the upper
house, friendly toward the bill.
there is 10 doubt but what the
measure will come up before the
senate for vote. That this body
favors county division is shown by
the fact that the bill providing for
the creation of Lincoln county out
cf Flathead was passed Tuesday Of
this week.
Representative Burke. who intro
duced the bill in the house, is chair
man of the steering committee in
that body.
The Lewistown bunch certainly
got off on the wrong foot in the
matter Of our county division prop
osition. They are due for great
awakening some day in regard to
the actual situation of affairs be-
tween Lewistown and Roundup.
Some of the Billings people got
over to Helena with a little opposi-
ton to the scheme, and at one time
a representative Of the Billings Board
of Trade was sent directly to appear
before the committee which at that
time had the bill under considera-
ton. While their arguments were
not particularly sound, there was
nothing in their attitude which
would make it hard for one to keep
his temper with them. On the other
hand. the Lewistown fellows never
could seem to say anything one
could have patience with. If Round
up happened to be suburb Of
Lewistown, discovered or built up
by Lewistown people, the position
that they take would have been
fairly reasonable. The fact of the
matter is, that Lewistown had pract-
ically nothing to do with the build
ing up Of this town or the settle
ment of this part Of the country,
Ninety per cent of the people in
Roundup never saw Lewistown, and
the majority of them may live here
all their life and never will; out Of
the fairly large number who went
down to Helena from Lewistowr
and opposed our measure, there is
not living one who is known ovel
here to have ever visited Roundup
or to have examined its mines anC
coal resources.
The Lewistown Democrat came
across few days ago with a mess
of figures and stuff that looked like
free silver argument in 1896, anc
the most of it was certainly good
Men better qualified to do this. ,
he says, would be hard to find.'
That is, you could find nobody bet
ter qualified than Messers. Hilgel
and Hobson to state exactly thu
conditions in the Musselshell vale,
and the needs of this section. No
body around here knows that either
of these fellows has ever been dowr
here, and it seems as if the some
body who had seen the place woulc
be fully as we'll qualified if not {
little better to tell something abOu