538 



MONTANA. 



him with the star of the order Pour le Merite 

 with the medallion portrait of Frederick the 

 Great, a distinction usually reserved for royalty, 

 and wished to confer on him the title of prince, 

 which Moltke declined. The simplicity and mod- 

 esty of his character, the absence of self assertion 

 and personal ambition, were the secret of the 

 affection shown for "Father Moltke" by the 

 officers and soldiers of the army. He chose as 

 his confidential assistant Count Waldersee, who 

 was appointed quartermaster-general, and who 

 succeeded him as chief of staff when he resigned, 

 on Aug. 29, 1888, and was succeeded in turn by 

 Count von Schieffen. When he assumed the 

 office the period required for the mobilization of 

 the Prussian army was estimated to be twenty- 

 one days, and when he asked the young Emperor 

 to relieve him because he could " no longer 

 mount a horse " it could be done in ten days. He 

 still continued to act as military adviser to the 

 general staff, and was appointed President of the 

 National Defense Commission. In politics Gen. 

 von Moltke was a member of the Conservative 

 party, but not a strong partisan. " Erst wdgen, 

 dann wagen " (first weigh, then wage) was the 

 motto he took when he was made a count. Like 

 Napoleon and Wellington, he did scarcely any 

 regimental duty during his career. He had a 

 reputation for cool calculation and imperturbable 

 sangfroid, and his courage was well known from 

 the few occasions when, for sufficient reasons and 

 without the least bravado or ostentation, he un- 

 hesitatingly exposed his life, as when at K5nig- 

 gratz he rode down into the first line of skirmish- 

 ers in the wood of Sadowa, in order to observe 

 the enemy's position. 



MONTANA, a Western State, admitted to 

 the Union Nov. 8, 1889; area, 146,080 square 

 miles ; population, according to the census of 

 1890, 132,159. Capital, Helena, which has a pop- 

 ulation of 23,834. 



Government. The following were the State 

 officers during the year: Governor, Joseph K. 

 Toole; Lieutenant-Governor, John E. Rickards; 

 Secretary of State, Louis Rotwitt ; Treasurer, 

 Richard 0. Hickman ; Auditor, E A. Kenney ; 

 Attorney-General, Henri J. Haskell ; Superin- 

 tendent of Public Instruction, John Gannon ; 

 Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Henry N. 

 Blake ; Associate Justices, William H. De Witt 

 and E. N. Harwood. All of these officers are Re- 

 publicans except the Governor. 



Finances. The balance in the treasury Jan. 

 1, 1891, was $187,181.49; the amount of' State 

 taxes collected in 1891 was $331.301.63 ; the bal- 

 ance on Jan. 1, 1892, was $315,330.32. 



The total assessed valuation of real and per- 

 sonal property in the State for 1891 was $144,- 

 688,752. The rate of taxation was 2$ mills. 



The total debt of counties on March 1, 1891, 

 was $1,830,006.51, a reduction of $107,143 from 

 the total debt of counties in 1890. 



Legislative Session. The deadlock in the 

 Legislature, caused by the disputed election of 

 representatives in the Thirty-fourth Precinct, in 

 Silver Bow County (see "Annual Cyclopaedia " for 

 1890), continued after the time for opening the 

 session, Jan. 5, 1891$, but was i,nally ended at the 

 close of the month. While the subject of a com- 

 promise was under consideration in the third week 

 in January, the Republican House adjourned 



and about half the members went home. The 

 half remaining agreed to accept the proposition 

 of the Democrats in case the consent of the ab- 

 sentees could be obtained. This was secured, 

 and a caucus was held on Jan. 26. The main 

 feature of the proposal of the Democrats, name- 

 ly, to organize with 28 Republicans and 27 Dem- 

 ocrats, thus giving the former 3 and the latter 

 2 of the contested seats, was readily accepted ; 

 but differences of opinion arose on the method 

 of organization. It was finally decided to pro- 

 pose that the Democrats should have the officers 

 of the House and a majority of the committees, 

 provided they would open a new journal and hold 

 a new election of officers. These propositions 

 were embodied in a resolution, which also sub- 

 mitted the matter for final settlement to the 

 Senate committee, Messrs. Goddard and Thorn- 

 ton. On Jan. 27 the Democratic House held a 

 caucus to consider the compromise, and ad- 

 journed, leaving everything in the hands of the 

 Senate committee. They, however, expressed a 

 willingness either to give the Republicans the 

 majority of one and take for themselves the en- 

 tire organization, or to take the majority and 

 give the organization to the other party ; and 

 also to open a new journal in case such proceed- 

 ing should be deemed legal by the committee. 

 This committee met and arranged details, and 

 submitted copies of the proposed agreement to 

 the caucuses of the two assemblages, dated Jan. 

 28, 1891. After setting forth the facts in the 

 case the agreement goes on to provide that the 

 two bodies shall meet at Helena at noon of Thurs- 

 day, Jan. 29, and proceed to the organization of 

 the House on a plan of which the following are 

 the main features : 



1. The House to consist of 25 members of each party 

 about whose election there was no dispute, together 

 with 3 of the 5 Republican contestants, to be chosen 

 by ballot by the 25 undisputed Kenublican members, 

 and 2 of the Democratic contestants similarly chosen. 



2. The House to be called to order at the hour 

 named by the oldest member, and a temporary clerk 

 elected from among the Democratic members. The 

 temporary Speaker to appoint a committee on creden- 

 tials, consisting of two from each party. 



3. After the'adoption of their report, the House to 

 adopt a preamble and resolutions, of which the most 

 important provided for depositing the journals of the 

 two assemblages with the Secretary of State, and the 

 opening of a new journal ; the payment of mileage 

 and per diem for the full period of each session to all 

 members of the first and second Legislatures, including 

 the contestants on both sides, the officers and attaches 

 also, if not already paid, to receive pay for the entire 

 period of each session ; the Democrats to have a ma- 

 jority, if they so desired, of all the standing commit- 

 tees and the chairmanships of the same ; the rules 

 adopted by the Democratic assemblage to be the rules 

 of tne House, and in the event of the sickness or death 

 of any_ member, the relative numbers of the parties to 

 be maintained ; and in case of the inability to act of 

 any otficers or attaches, or of any more being re- 

 quired, the Democrats to elect the new officers or at- 

 taches . 



The resolutions further prescribed the names of 

 officers and attaches to be elected by one ballot, 

 leaving a blank only for the name of the Speaker 

 pro tern. They were signed by ;iil members of 

 "both parties, one only, a Silver" Bow Republican, 

 signing under protest. The House accordingly 

 met and organized on Jan. 29, the Committee 

 on Credentials reporting the names of Messrs. 



