The Bozeman courier. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1919-1954, 1922-08-02

at so to speak. / discovered, and
think In the message which ! sent to |
the legislature / mentioned, that in
eight years time the cost of carrying |
on community government in this
state, including the school district,
county, municipal and state, had in
creased from about $11 100000 to
$25, 900, 000. / do not think any spe-
cial party or group of men were re-
sponsible for that condition. During
that eight-year period we more than
doubled the population Of this state
They came into Montana at our invi-
tation by the tens of thousands in
1911, 1912, 1913, 1914 and 1915.
eve had opened up vast areas of
country to settlement, and laid out
roads and built school houses and
created new counties. l think it was
a condition that really all equally
participated in, and / do not accuse
anybody of being responsible. But
at the same time the cost of govern
ment l found had increased from
81, OOG 900 to $25, 0OO, 900. 1 knew we
simply had to call a malt, that taxa
tion had reached the point of confis-
cation along many lines of industry.
cit is not an easy thing to put the
brakes on when we have been used to
one kind of living and go back to an
other more prohibitive and more sim
pie. l pointed out these things to
your legislature nineteen months ago.
81 discovered at that time that
your state government had gone into
red ink during the previous two years
about $2,2OO,O0O; that we had been
operating the state government on
state warrants issued by the state,
carrying 4 per cent interest, and paid
out of the permanent school fund of
the state. l think practically it was
| the only way the state could have OPP
Grated during the last year or two.
| and while that money was taken
from your school fund and put into
A per cent state warrants, it had eX-
r hausted practically one-fifth of the
D permanent school fund of this state
by that kind of an investment.
81 discovered that during the veal
previous in addition to the $4,000,
600 we had already become RESPONSE
BILE for by the issuance of these war
rants, that your state institutions the
n year previous had gone into red ink {
$ little over SSoN, 600 beyond and above
the legislative appropriation. NJ
community can long live under those
i condi ions. Our one and big problem
was to find how to bring about som'
d kind of condition under which gov
e eminent could function in this state.
n 81 remember your insane asylum
e had gone into red ink about $4,000
: the year before, above the appropria
l. ito. Many of your educational insti
h buttons some, but not to any grea
extent. In looking around your stat
+ capitol, l found janitors on your pay
d roll on an eightrnour shift taking car
of but one room. / do not think o
= say anybody was especially responsl
BILE, certainly not politically, becaus
1t I the board was divided These thing
had sprung up and nobody much pal
IS any attention to it
II discovered that your state prise
the year before had cosS you $3.50
i'd 900 above legislative appropriation
ID / knew no specific instances, but
rs thought it was rather an ~extravagar
ir institution. Anyway, / determined
TO change the wardens over there, pure
b. ly and simply to try and put a sto
I'd to what l was fearful was at least a
to extravagant use of your money. An
of then l got into trouble. l do m
ms suppose you folks over in the Gall;
a tin have heard about that-have you
hit Now, 1 do not want to get into col
he tempt OF court, but yet | am going
en- tell you this much Of the truth:
p had cost you the year before S1.97
Sc maintain a prisoner a day. You pr
lst your sheriff in this county rs cents
ne day to maintain a prisoner, the san
we as every other county in the stat
in and if the sheriff has got a go
long boarding list of 25 or 80, und
len this system ne usually retires with
ak competency.
rs. "Another thing: You did not on
" 9 wv VI a hOAOO VI a "
I goat or a chicken at your state pr
wn On. All the other institutions di
and yet in eight years preceding t
ne change of wardens, you paid out, {
es- cording to the reports of the au
< I tors office, for hay and oats, SO
vas 900. You owned two trucks at yc
md state prison, and in one year previc
ISL ~ou paid-so the audit shows
ap- $4,000 for tires and inner tubes. Y
lily owned two trucks, and your gasof
can and oil bill was running a thouss
and dollars a month. To sum up
as whole situation, / want to say to ,
dy, that in the first year after the char
hen this was the result: The year
to fore it had cost you $685. 600, acco
get ing to the auditors report, to ma
are tain your prisoners. The first "
Of s1-71or tho noxv cvCforn g126 000 a 4