MONTANA. 



517 



The court, Justice Sherwood dissenting, ruled 

 that it was not a special law, and that it did 

 not delegate legislative power to the people of 

 eacli county, city, or town, and that it was not 

 in its nature irrepealable. 



St. Louis. An election was held on April 5, 

 to select members of the City Council and 

 House of Delegates, in which the Republicans 

 obtained a partial success. Five out of seven 

 Councilmen were elected by them, and eleven 

 out of twenty-eight members of the House of 

 Delegates. One representative of the Socialist 

 party was elected to the latter body, g 



MONTANA. Territorial Government. The fol- 

 lowing were the Territorial officers during the 

 year: Governor, Samuel T. Hauser, succeeded 

 by Preston H. Leslie; Secretary, William B. 

 "Webb; Treasurer, Daniel H. Weston, suc- 

 ceeded by "William G. Preuitt; Auditor, Jo- 

 seph P. "Woolman, succeeded by James Sulli- 

 van ; Superintendent of Public Instruction, 

 "William W. "Wylie, succeeded by Arthur C. 

 Logan; Chief-Justice of the Supreme Court, 

 Decius 8. "Wade, succeeded by N. W. McCon- 

 nell; Associate Justices, Supreme Court, W. 

 J. Galbraith, James H. McLeary, and Thomas 

 0. Bach. 



Legislative Session. The fifteenth Territorial 

 Legislature was in session from January 10 till 

 March 10. It made a decided advance in liq- 

 uor legislation by passing a local option act 

 in addition to the usual license law. Another 

 feature of the session was the revision of the 

 revenue laws. The existing revenue acts were 

 superseded by "an entirely new law, creating a 

 Territorial Board of Equalization and charging 

 it with certain duties, the- most important ot 

 which are, to assess for the Territory and 

 counties all property belonging to railway cor- 

 porations ; to levy the tax for Territorial pur- 

 poses upon all the property in the Territory ; 

 and, third, " to examine and compare the re- 

 turns of the assessment of the property in the 

 several counties of the Territory, and to equalize 

 the same, so that all the assessable property 

 in the Territory shall be assessed at its true 

 and full value." 



Much discussion was had over the proposed 

 repeal of the so-called "gag laws," which 

 punished as a felony any interference with a 

 contractor, mechanic, or laborer in the per- 

 formance of any lawful contract or labor, and 

 ' any intecference with individuals or corpora- 

 tions in the control of their business, or in the 

 management of their employes, or in their 

 contracts with them. Attempts and conspira- 

 cies to accomplish such interference were also 

 punishable as severely as the crime itself. A 

 proposition to abolish these enactments was 

 voted down, but the sections relating to at- 

 tempts and conspiracies were repealed, while 

 the rigorous provisions of the other sections 

 were materially softened. Two important 

 measures, providing for the registration of 

 voters and establishing a Territorial asylum 

 for the insane, failed of adoption. Among 



the acts of the session not above mentioned, 

 are the following : 



Creating the county of Park. 

 Providing for the punishment of persons \vho bring 

 into the Territory property stolen in another State, 

 Territory, or country, and the punishment of any re- 

 ceiver of such stolen property, and every aider and 

 abettor of a thief bringing in such stolen property. 



Providing for a Territorial board of arbitration of 

 three persons to be appointed by the Governor and 

 confirmed by the Council, to settle differences be- 

 tween employers and employe's. 



Providing for the encouragement of tree-planting 

 and arboriculture by exempting from taxation to a 

 certain amount those who plant fruit and forest trees 

 by the acre, and those who plant and maintain lines 

 of forest-trees along public highways. 



Increasing the salaries of Territorial Auditor and 

 Treasurer to $2,500 per annum, and their bonds re- 

 spectively to $20,000 and $150,000. 



Authorizing district courts to change the names ot 

 pei-sons, cities, towns, villages, and counties, upon 

 proper application and proof of the desirability of 

 change. 



Providing who may and may not adopt children. 



Authorizing the Governor and Superintendent of 

 Public Instruction to maintain in schools at the ex- 

 pense of the Territory, for a longer time than has 

 heretofore been allowed by law, any deaf-mutes or 

 blind children who may show unusual ability or great 

 desire to continue their studies, and who might thereby 

 become self-supporting or capable of teaching. 



To declare and protect the legal and personal iden- 

 tity of married wome^. 



Providing for municipal incorporations ; permitting 

 incorporation as cities of the first clasSj cities of the 

 second class, and towns; permitting cities and towns 

 already incorporated to incorporate under this law, 

 and permitting incorporated cities and towns to dis- 

 incorporate. 



Authorizing the Governor to restore the rights of 

 citizenship to discharged convicts. 



To protect the wages of wage-workers, making 

 wages a first lien on property on which work is done, 

 in cases of assignment, attachment, or death of owner, 

 except in case of liens filed sixty days prior to assign- 

 ment, attachment, or death. 



Amending the fence-law, by taking away that part 

 of the old law making it a misdemeanor to have a 

 barb-wire fence without a pole on top, and making 

 owners of such fences responsible by civil action for 

 any damages to stock. 



Prohibiting the circulation of obscene literature 

 through the mails. 



Repealing that section of the revised statutes which 

 limits ownership of land by corporations to 640 acres. 



Permitting foreign railroad corporations to build 

 into the Territory without organizing under Territo- 

 rial lawSjpermitting the consolidation of railroad lines 

 in this Territory under one management and other 

 matters. 



Prohibiting the establishing of any saloon or other 

 place for the sale of intoxicating liquors within two 

 miles of any railroad in course of construction or on 

 which track is being laid. 



To prevent the sale of intoxicants in variety theatres 

 and in any place where women or minors are em- 

 ployed, or allowed to congregate. 



To provide for the registration of voters in incorpo- 

 rated cities and towns. 



Amending the law providing bounties for killing 

 certain wild animals. 



Providing for the incorporation of private banks 

 under Territorial control. 



Punishing persons for employing children under 

 certain ages in certain branches of business. 



To punish the making of fraudulent pedigrees of 

 live-stock. 



Authorizing county commissioners to build jails. 



