Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1921-03-17

,een in session.
I? By an overwhelming majority a
shown by the vote of 80 to 20 tn,
senate adopted an amendment reducin,
the rate from 3 to one per cent an.
then by vote of 40 to II concurret
in the measure as amended. The vote
! Ayes-Anderson, Booth, Bur-
| CESS, Burlingame, Church, Clark,
Coburn, Cone, Connolly; Cooper,
Cowan. Craig, Dearborn, Donlan,
Edwards, Esp. GalIwey, Gibson,
Greening. Haaiand, Haley, Hazel
baker. Hefferlin, Henderson, He.
rem, Jensen, Kirton, Larson, Lieut.
hold, Lewis, Long, Mccone, Page,
Parker, Paul, Siegfriedt, SIattery,
Stewart Of Meagher, Stewart of
Deer Lodge, White. Total 40.
Noes-Dixon, Foster, Greenup,
| Griffin, Harmon, Junod, Lowe,
| 10y, Mains, Pauline, Rorvik,
Total ~.
Abssnt-Mckay, Mears, Kenney,
Total 3.
The fight which has been made BY
those supporting the oil industry dur.
weakened the strength of the admins
tration IN the senate and thus the anti
administration forces were able to de-
feat the governor in one of the princi-
pal reasons which he had set forth fo,
the calling Of the extra session.
The debate OF the question was en-
ivened by several eloquent talks ane
was featured by Senator B. c. White
'of Fergus county by an attack upon
the governor in which he expressed
his resentment at what he declared to
be an attempt Of the governor to s'en-
force his will upon the legislative body
of the state"
White Makes Fur Fly.
Senator White. after quoting the
message of the governor to the effec,
that if few bills were introduced and
the legislature completed his business
for an early adjournment the people
will call you blessed" charged the
Republican party with complete fail
ure to carry out its promises of re-
form and retrenehment.
II charge upon the floor of this
senate that the Republican campaign
promises have not been kept he
shouted. You have fooled the people
with your system of increased taxa
ton
Stewart did not miss the oppor.
tnnity to tell the senate that he was
cot one of the nine apostles. nor was
he one of the five" referring to the
vote trading charge and added tha,
ne was acting without intelligent
direction taking another slap at wit
nesses in the alleged vote trading in
vestigation.
Goes to Conference.
The bill was amended to include
natural gas within its provisions as
well. The bill now goes to conference
as the house passed it with a 3 per
cent tax.
With Mckay in the chair, consid-
Grafton of the oil license tax was taken
up in committee of the whole. Larson
moved to amend the bill by striking out
per cent and inserting one per cent.
He contended that 3 per cent tax
on the oil industry in its present stage
of development would lead outsiders
to believe that radical sentiment pre-
vailed in Montana and that two years
hence the tax might be 10 per cent.
sid foreign capital would keep clear
Of the state.
Siegfriedt wanted to know how big
the oil lobby would be two years hence,
in view of its present size when the
industry was merely in its infancy.
Want Outside Capital.
Edwards contrasted prospecting for
oil in Montana with prospecting for oil
In Oklahoma where, after IA years. a
tax Of 3 per cent was levied. this in
lieu of all other taxes. Later he
spoke again and insisted 8 per cent
tax in Montana. along with the other
taxes that are levied would mean the
highest oil tax that Is levied in the
country. He said the legislature two
years hence could change the tax, but
he insisted that with the states
finances in bad shape and its citizens
financially hard pressed. the only hope
4 to bring in outside capital, and that
The tax should not be 80 high as to
AXE sway the inducement capital has
% develop the oil fields Of the state.
White spoke at considerable length
md charged that the Republican ma
ority had not kept the promises Of
made to the people last
all. He hkened Governor Dixon to
oseph the tax-gatherer mentioned in
he 47th chapter Of Genesis. He said
ha payroll ef the state shows 1857
lersons on the list.
White on War Path.
'sWhere = this great wave Of re-
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