The Montanian (Choteau, Mont.) 1890-1901, February 17, 1893, Image 2

T H E M O N T A N I A N - PebRahcd Every Fridsy Evening at Choteau Chateau Ce., Montana. S. M. CORSON, Editor. tB F X s m m & .'Z ’. : ■ r-r~— ~ FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 1893. Sfijumr-;; ■■■'\ a1- - . r : ; ; . - - . , '- - ,- . : « A R E M A K K A B L R N E ^ S F A - P E R E N T E R P R I S E . Combination is the characteris­ tic of this age, aud when capital lets are combining in trusts, work ing then in labor unions, and farmers in alliances, newspapers can hardly be blamed for joining the procession. Indeed it is re makrable that the press has not lead the way in taking advantage of the power of association, in­ stead of lagging behind. The Press Claims Company, whose advertisement appears in another column and will become familiar to our readers during the coming year, illustrates the ad­ vantages of co operation on an ex tensive scale. It is a combination of hundreds of the leading news papers of the United States for the purpose of protecting their pa Irons against unscrupulous Wash­ ington claim agents, and securing prompt, efficient, and economical service to all persons having deal­ ings with the government. Inci dentally the company expects to make a profit for itself. It will secure patents and pensions, per­ fect land titles, and attend to all other legitimate business of the kind on terms that will make its employment a necessity to claim ants haviug a proper regard for (heir own interests. Membership in this company is K guaranty of the high standing ol «By newspaper, all applications for stock having been carefull 3 r considered and passed upon by the board of directors before allot gaent. The company comes be fere the public backed by the col­ lective indorsement or over five hundred of the leading journals of ♦he United States. That T ee M ontanxan has been admitted to such an association is a compli­ ment which our readers will ap­ preciate as highly as ourselves. W e take pleasure in recommend­ ing the Press Claim Company to all who may desire the satisfac tory transaction of business in its line. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ E ngland , Scotland, France, Ger many, all South Americq Aus­ tral ia—e very country almost—re joices over the election of Mr. Cleveland and the overthrow (as they think) of protection in America, all the world, indeed, except the United States and Ire land. Why that, rejoicing? They »imply believe they can unload tbair products on America and get in rt turn American food and American gold, and get the best of the trade. What makes tin m think so is that whenever that has been tried before it has been a sue ees* to them and a black eye to the United Slates. We shall see Whftt l i t shall bVo«—¿iibovimuu* T H A T A M E N D M E N T . As indicated in these columns last week a bill to amend the con­ stitution has been introduced in the house by populist Bray, o ’ Silver Bow county, and there is some danger of its passing through lack of understanding on the part of the members from the less pop ulous counties, at the interests o;' whose constituent» it is directly aimed. It will certainly pass the house as the populous counties ean there have everything their own way because they have a majority in that branch of the assembly. The less populous counties, how­ ever, have a majority in the senate and should they be alive to the interests of tbeir constituents, the bill cannot pass there. If it should, the small (?) counties are gone, because the vote of the big (?) counties would be cast solidly for the amend­ ment, which vote, together with what scattering votes the monied men, who are most interested in it, could control on the outside, would secure its adoption. The scheme is in the interests of the few who control the many in the great mining camps of the state, and is antagonistic to those opposed to the centralization of power. The subjugation of our people is to be brought about through the desires of some peo­ ple lor county division and the offices such division will establish ’or tlu m. Having allowed the passage of four new county bills, the promoters cf the amendment plan now refuse to make any more new counties unless the amend­ ment law is passed, hoping in that way to secure a majority. And so great is the passion for office in Montana that there is great dan­ ger of the success of the scheme. The Anaconda Standard, alter discussing the status quo of the several couniy division schemes, adds: ‘‘As the constitution now stands the senatorial representation ar gument against the creation of new countii is, of course, a strong one. The members of the consti- tiona! convention who voted in ’avor of giving a senator to each county, no matter how small its population, admit now that they made a serious mistake. The bill introduced by Mt*. Bray o 1 Silver Bow, providing for an.amendment to the constitution in this regard, is designed to remedy this evil. The terms of this measure provide that the state shall be d vide l into 20 senatorial, aud 61 representa tive districts as nearly equal in population as may be. and com posed of continuous territo y to be called senatorial and repi^senta- tive districts. Each senatorial dis trlct shall elect one senator and each representative district shall elect one member of the house of rep rsentstives. The senatorial districts shall be numbered from 1 to 10 in nunif rical order and the ' numbered from 1 to 61 in the same order, commencing at the northern boundary of the state anc ending at tho southern boundary. To prevent gerrymandering as much as possible, it is providec that, in the formation oi such dis tricts, no county or city and coun ty shall be divided unless it con­ tains sufficient population within ittelf to form twe or more districts; nor shall a part of any county or any city and county be unite; with any other county or city anc county in forming any district. The enumeration taken in the year of 1895, shall be the base ad­ justing the senatorial and repre sentative districts, and the legis­ lature shall, at its first session af­ ter such enumeration, and after each national and state enumera­ tion, that is once in every five years, adjust and apportion the representation to preserve .the senatorial and representative dis­ tricts repectively as nearly equal in population as possible. C O U N T Y B I L L S U N C O N S T I ­ T U T I O N A L . ‘‘The discussion of the reduction of the salaries of the officials of Missoula county consequent upon the division of that count v,” savs The Missoulian, “ has developed the fact that the laws creating the new counties are unconstitutional because they reduce the class of he county remaining and conse quentlv the salaries of the* officers of such county while the constilu- ion says that the emoluments of any county officer shall not be in creased or diminished during the term of the office which he was elected or appointed.” “ Developed the fact that the law is unconstitutional?” Well, well, that’s a pretty howdy dol But let u» see about that. M iy be it is the orther ox that is gored. Our tsteemed contemi oran, will admit that the constitution provides for the division and crea­ tion of new counties as well for the non reduction of salaries ol officers, and that the creation ot new counties is, therefore, consti­ tutional, and any law that would stand in the way of the exercise of the constitutional right thus con fer^d would would be in conflict with the co tstitution and there fore void This is exactly the case with the law classifying the coun­ ties and fixing the salaries of the officers. It is unconstitutional be cause it interferes with the free exercise cf the constitutiema) right to create new counties. The law creating new counties is therefore constitutional and any law in con fliet therewith is unconstitutional and should be so declared. County officers will do well to make a note of this. T S I E » O . v f A N i A V . TERMS OF SUBSCRIPTION. BY M i Uu—-FOSTA'« S f Use copy, one >ear (la Ad v anc«, .......... $S 00. Six Mure ns ...... “ \ .............130 Three Months... “ “ .............2 ft). >ing v Copies .. “ “ ............. 10. M r . C leveland ’ s anxiety.to set*' tie the silver question before the. close of this congress is liable to result in a compromise in the house. The proposition is that the purchase of silver under the present law be stopped; that all the silver bullion in the treasury at this time be coined, aud that hereafter the the government pu’ • chase no more silver, but coin tW;o millions a month of American product on presentation at the mint by the owners, the eoin» to be taken away by the owners and not to pass into the possession of the government through the mint. T hn people of at least twelve ot the sixteen counties oi the state having representatives in the leg­ islative assembly, should at once instruct those representatives to vote down the coi-stitutioial amendment bill, as it» passage will forever deprive them of a voice in framing the laws of the state. The amendment is not for the welfare of the cummonwealth at large, but in the interests of the lew who contr »1 the many io the more populous sections of the state, Down with the amend­ ment! T un Panama Canal swindlers have been tried and sentenced a8 follows: Ferdinand.' De Lesseps, five years imprisonment aud 6,000 franos-fine; Charles De Ecsseps, five years and 3,000 francs; Fon- tane and Cottu, two years and 3,* 000 francs each; Eiffel, two year* aud 20,000 frauds. ' The 'sentence» caused »profound sensation)os pecially thatT. o f . Ferdinand De > ssp ;«8. The judgment/ finds them guilty of swindling and jreach of trust. T eton C o u n t y ’ s officers will be entitled to pay as follow-: Trea * imr, $2,200; sheriff, $2,700;, asses* .'»or, $1,500; clerk and recorder, $2, 200; clerk of court, $1,500; supfc. of schools, $1,00 J; under sheriff, $1,- 500* deputy sheriff, $800. A ll other deputies receive $1,200. but their number will be limited. As the spirits m the thermome ter continue to go up, so dc the spirits of the stockmen rise. B e t t e r T b a u a M a g a z i n e . Tbo arrangements recently perfected by tbs 8t. Paul (Minn } Weekly Pioneer Press (or original reading matter (or the ensuing year make it mors deeirabla t h a n a mugasine, because the Pioneer Press also fives the curreut news oi tbs day. Robert Louis Stevenson has written an intensely interesting story especially for the Weekly Pioneer Pres». It begins next Keek and rune three , months. Other storieB every week by tbs rnosi noted authors in the land. New Women’s Department, Youth's Depart­ ment, Fiction Department, ttoientifls Department, etc. Oorrespondeats doing eprcml work all over Europe. Notes and Queries Department still a feature. Send postal for sample copy and illustrated p t e m i u m supplement, giving particulars ot 311 valuable premiums, all suitable for holiday gifts. Some* thing for every member of every family. 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