The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1910-02-02
COUNTY SEAT REMOVAL.
Chinook Citizens Extend Courtesies
To Visitors From Fort Benton.


To Visitors From Fort Benton.
As a result of the visit of q delega.
ton from the Fort Benton Commercial
Club to Chinook, the residents of that
town and vicinity are better informed
reg arding county seat removal mat
tiers. The visit OF the Fort Benton
was at the request of the
Chinook Commercial Club, q similar
courtesy having been extended TO q
Havre committee about two weeks
ago.
The meeting was held Saturday az
ternoon at the Chinook opera house,
with an udience of over q hundred
present, and was called to order by
L. v. Bogy, president Of the Chinook
Commercial Club. The Fort Benton
delegation selected F. E. Stranahan
present its eide of the county seat
removal question, and an interesting
address. replete with Instructive facts
county affairs, was made
by the speaker.
In reference to the claim that the
removal of the county seat to Havre
would effect q saving in district court
expense, the audience was reminded
that the per diem of jurors and wit.
nesses would be the same, no matter
where the county sea was located.
Not q single dollar could be saved in
this connection. In the matter of
mileage of jurors and witnesses, an
exhibit from the district court rec.
ords. covering the past six years, was
submitted for consideration. 1t showed
that the average yearly expense for
mileage of jurors and witnesses was
less than "a, 9O0-an amount 90 email
that it caused surprise among those
who inspected the data. How much,
If any, of these expenditures could be
saved by county seat removal to
Havre, is problematical as the change
would reduce the mileage charges
from some localities and increase it
from other places. In any event, the
difference would be compara tively in
significant.
On the other hand, q change in the
location of the county seat would In.
volve the building OF q new court
house and jail, the cost of which as
indicated by expenditures for similar
purposes in other counties would
probably be about s2O0, 900. In Mis-.
soula county, which has about the
same assessment as Chouteau county,
a new court house, for which bonds to
the amount of S175 900 have been is.
sued, is now under construction, and
in other counties similar large x.
penditures for public buildings have
been made. In order to pay interest
upon these bonds, and provide q sink
ing fund for their redemption, the
Montana laws positively require that
an additional TAX be paid toy citizens
owning property in the county. A
bond issue of 5000, 900 would require
Chouteau county taxpayers to dig up
about $40, 900 a year for interest and
an additional mount for redemption
of the bonds.
Other features of the county seat re-
moval question were discussed by the
speaker, who was followed in a short
speech by Mr.. A. S. Lohman, of Chi
nook. Mr.. Lehman deprecated agi-
tatiOn of the matter at q time when
are being 80 radically
changed by q large influx of new set.
tiers, and expressed the opinion that
at a comparatively early date there
would be q sufficient number of people
and amount of taxable wealth in
Chouteau county to justify the crea.
ton OF three or more counties out of
its present e Under these cir.
cumstances it IL not good business
policy to expend q large amount OF
public funds for county buildings 1t
a new location, a. similar expendi.
lures would soon have to be made at
the county al of the prospective
new counties.
AT the close Of che formal address.
es, there were q number of individ-
ual short talks betweeo the visitors
and residents of Chinook and vicini-
ty regarding various phases of the
i tuation. These friendly discussions
caused several to change their views
of the natter, some of those who had
signed the Havre petition declaring
that they had done SO under misap.
prehension, and giving the Fort Ben
ton committee authority to have their
names removed from the document.
Great Northern Exhibition Rooms.
One of the features of the immigra.
ton campaign that is being conducted
by the Great Northern Railway com.
pany, is the establishment of an
1mmigr alton Bureau and Exhibition