The enterprise. [volume] (Harlem, Mont.) 1899-1926, 1914-08-27
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
County Division Facts.

County Division Facts.
TOOLE COUNTY ECONOMY.
Toole county is composed of fifty
five townships. 1t has l25 miles of
Great Northern and Burlington rail
road main line) with railroad valu-
alton Of 200 for every township in
the county. The county seat is at
Shelby, at the intersection of both
railways, where all taxpayers can
reach and transact business, and re-
turn home in three hours. This is
what Toole county made by county
division, whereas formerly they went
100 miles to the county seat and 25
miles by stage to Chouteau, Teton
Co., and the taxes were higher in
Teton than they are now in Toole
county. The people of Toole county
had very hard fight for division, and
after having to fight their way through
the State Supreme Court upon techni-
cal grounds, they won out, and the
little county was created after two
years struggle. Still the people are
more than pleased with their expert
ence of county government and it's
economy.
SMALL COUNTIES.
Freeborn county, Mimi, has but
26 townships, and it is one of the most
prosperous counties in the state. The
butter product of it's creameries alone
comes to 81 100000 year. Its roads
and all it's schools are of the very best
and it's taxes are never very high.
ROAD DISCRIMINATION.
Does the remote and distant part of
a county ever get a fair deal from a
large county I'm the way Of schools.
and roads, and Improvements? No,
that is impossible, as the distance is
so far from the county seat, and the
school districts are so large, it is i'm
possible to do justice to the outlying
districts, and yet they have to pay
school and road tax as if they received
their share of the profits. This dis
elimination will 90 on until there are
smaller counties and the seat of gov
ernment is nearer to the people.
Phillips county will be one of the
richest counties in northern Montana.
The mines of the Little Rockies add
much to it's mineral wealth, and the
government irrigation in the Milk
river valley that is soon to be COM
pleted will be another source of rev.
enue to guarantee the success of sup
porting a home government for this
county. The low bench lands adja-
cent to Malta are the most fertile in
the state, and we know of no new
county that starts out in Montana un-
der more favorable circumstances
than does Phillips county.
The farmers of this section have
had long distance to travel to the
county seat of Valley county-in
some cases well on to hundred miles
distant--and yet they were patient in
this waste of energy.
1t has now come to the time when
we must have remedy for this waste
of time and money. All the other
large counties in northern and east
ern Montana have been divided and
subdivided, and there is not one of
the smaller counties that would like
to go back to their former position
with the parent county Besides. the
new counties have all gained in valu-
alton faster and prOspered more than
the older ones. Take for instance.
Sheridan county, that composed one
third of Valley county's territory.
When segregated, Sheridan gained 100
per cent. in wealth in is months, and
made two and half million dollars
gain in the last assessment. This
goes to show that division stimulates
improvement and adds to the develop-
ment OF the new county. Sheridan
county had more road improvement
done last year than was done in that
territory during the history of Valley
county. 1t also built II steel bridges
and more new school property than
had existed i'm it's territory before.
And yet Sheridan county taxes are no
higher than that of Valley. 1t is a
well-known fact that it is more expen-
sive to conduct the government of a
large county than a smaller one per
capita, and this is largely consumed
in time and distance, of officers. jur-
Ors and witnesses i'm the courts. and
also the hoard of deputies employed
in the larger county.
ECONOMY or government can only
be used in small, compact county,
and this will also prevent discrimin#
tion in roads and bridges, and Il q
building of schools and fixing Of
school districts.