The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1913-02-19
Spogen of Cascade, Eliel Of Beaver.
head, and Carnal of Hill.

Spogen of Cascade, Eliel of Beaver.
head, and Carnal of Hill.
BY q vote of q to IS. Ktrschwing's
bill imposing . license tax on every
pound of copper, lead and zinc mined
In Montana was placed on general
orders in the house this morning.
When the bill came back from the'judt-
cisry committee without recommends.
tion, Crippen moved that 1t be placed
on general orders. Norton moved a.
substitute that further considera.
ton be indefinitely postponed.
Walker spoke in favor of the Norton
motion. at the risk, he said, of being
styled corporation tool, but he felt
it was his duty to take that risk and
present his honest views on the meas
ure. He attacked the bill on the
ground that it was demonstrations al.
He asserted that it was aimed directly
at the Anaconda Copper Mining com.
pany. Contrasting conditions in
Montana with those in other western
mining states, he said that they all as
sessed their mines as does Montana,
but that they produced copper for
seevn cents and in Montana it costs
II cents, and that wages are so per
cent higher in this state than in the
others.
He said that If the bill were enacted,
it wonld impose an additional burden
of S750,000 year on the Anaconda
company and S325,000 on the other
Butte companies. He insisted that
they would be unable to pay this
charge and meet competition in other
states. Capital be continued, would
60 elsewhere for investment.
Kirschwing advocated the bill going
on general orders. He said the fact
that 80 many "Butte legal lights"
had appeared before the committee
was evidence enough of the constitu.
tionality Of the measure. he cited the
report Of the state mining inspector to
show it costs nine cents and not eleven
to produce copper In Montana. He
read what he said was . letter from
John D. IN to the Surety company
OF New York in which the statement
was made that though the Anaconda
company owned more than nine mil
lion dollars worth OF property In
Cascade county, 1t returned to the as.
SCISSOR but little over q million dol.
lars worth. He pointed out that the
farmer pays . tax on his land no mat.
ter what the price of wheat is, and in
sisted the farming industry needs pro.
lection more than does the mining in.
dustry.
Notice was given by the committee
on fairs and expositions of q pub.
lie hearing Tuesday afternoon at
four o'clock on the Mains bill for the
removal of the state fair from Helena
to Great Falls.
Among the bills introduced was one
imposing a license on the gross earn.
ings of express companies. and one
by Lovelace to abolish the railro ad
commission.
Carnal's bill for the establishment
OF q hail insura ance department to pro.
tect crops. was killed.
HELENA, Feb. 14.-In q fight last
ing from shortly after 2 O'Clock in the
afternoon until after IL o'clock last
night, the house OF representatives
overruled its speaker on the appoint
ment of the members of the joint steer.
ing committee; also it witnessed one
personal encounter on the floor be-
tween Senator Whiteside on one side
and Representative Lovelace on the
other. Several blows were struck and
Immediately the house was in an up
roar. Members rushed in between the
fighting men, they were separated and
held apart despite their efforts to re.
new the encounter, and Whiteside was
hustled out of the room, and Lovelace
was pushed back 10 his place in the
house.
Crippen, chairman of the special
platform committee, sent up a report
to the house showing the status of
platform measures, and, on motion of
Cults, the printing committee was in.
structed to have all platform measures
in its possession correctly printed and
back in the house by Monday.
The status of platform measures, as
shown by the report, Is as follows:
q. B. 1lS, the public utilities bill.
On general orders, the special order
for Monday.
n. B. los, the creation of state tax
commission. With the printing COM
mittee.
H. B. l, the compens alton act. On
general orders, and special order for
Monday afternoon.