The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1917-02-07
Stoct; and Mining Interests
Put Finis 10 Herd Law
Legislation.
CONTROL IS PASSING
TO OLD GUARD HANDS
Heated Debate Precedes Fl
nal Action on Bill in
Lower House,

tW. q. Ferguson. staff Correspondent
Helena, Eeb. 6.--If Inference IL per-
u1assible It misht not be too much OF a
gress to venture the assertion that one
nere legislative assembly viii pass
without seeing an equitable tax placed
oMl the mining Industry Of tho state.
The reason for such.a prognusticati0n
is based on the first defeat handed out
to tho farming contingent in the house
of. representatives this morning when
accumulation Of stockmen with the
representative soDthe mining interests
practically wrote finis to herd law
Hesitation as far as this session Is
concerned. The debate on the measure
came on motion to re-refcr to the COM
mittec on livestock and public ranges.
BY q vote of - to 43 the farmers and
their adherents met defeat.
In the senate the principal. work Of
the day was on the creation of the
counties Of Wheatland and Sykes. In
SO far as the senate Is concerned these
two new counties are created. Wheat
land county is out of Meagher and
Sweekgrass. while Sykes is both sired
and damned by Fallon county.
Day In House.
The herd law was brought before the
house when Representative Bernard,
F1athead. moved that It be re.referred
10 general orders 80 that some amend
mcnts might be made to the measure.
Mr. nnv ovsA uA~ AArl M No
there were some concessions due to
the stockmen and that the members
who voted tor the measure when it was
up for discussion in committee Of the
'WssUaO lele~ase- tl0agh j II should be
amended before being finally passed.
Representative McMahon, Silver
Bow, at this point moved that the bill
he te-rcfered to the committee on live
stock and public ranges. It was on
this motion that the debate was hold.
Bernard said that was a fine motion
TO be coming from a mining man, who
came from an underground" county
and had no interest in the farming
districts OF the state. Answering Mr..
Bernard, Representative Mcmahon
stated that the county of Silver Bow
produced 10000 bushels of wheat and
$4,000 bushels Of oats last year and
could certainly be classed as an agri-
cultural county. He also said that Mr..
Bernard stated the other day that
there were dairy cattle in Flathead
county worth between $1,000 and
$4,000. or some such figures. and that
the assessors sheet showed them TO be
valued at about &2250 each.
White Pleads for Bill.
Representative Baxter, Meagher. of
the livestock committee; pleaded for
re-referring the bill to his committee
that it might receive Intelligent" con-
sideration. b. c. White, Fergus, who
championed the measure in committee
of the whole when it was passed to
third reading. defended the measure
vigorously and branded the attempt to
rc-refer' as simply q, means Of killing
the bill. He pleaded for the small
farmer. who could not. afford to fence
his place and needed protection from
tho range cattle. He asked that all
who were In favor OF more rapid
agricultural development opposed this
move on the part OF the measures
enemies.
The combined forces of stocknen
and miners proved too strong. how
over, and, the bill was sent back to
committee by a vote Of ~ to 43.
Tho roll call was az follows: