SPECIAL LAWS. AN ACT for the relief of Seth Bullock. Be it Enacted by the Legislative Assembly of the Territory of Mon tana: Section 1. That there shall be and is hereby appropriated out of any money not otherwise appropriated the sum of three hundred dollars ($300) to Seth Bullock, for services rendered while sheriff of Lewis and Clark county, in the case of The Territory versus George Paul Green, of Dawson county, charged with an assault with intent to commit murder, and for boarding said Green in the county jail of Lewis and Clarke county; and the territorial auditor is hereby authorized to draw his warrant on the territorial treasurer therefor. Sec. 2. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after its passage. Approved February 11, 1876. SPECIAL LAWS. AN ACT for the relief of John Quirk. Be it Enacted by the Legislative Assembly of the territory of Mon tana: Section 1. That the sum of one hundred and fifty dollars is hereby appropriated to pay John Quirk for services rendered, and expenses incurred in attempting to capture and bring to justice the murderers of Francis Warl. And the auditor of the territory is hereby required to draw his warrant on the territorial treasurer for said amount in favor of John Quirk. Sec. 2. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after its passage. Approved February 11, 1876. SPECIAL LAWS. AN ACT to provide for the compensation of Dr. A. H. Mitchell for medical and surgical services rendered the territory of Montana at the penitentiary of said territory during the months of March and April, A. D. 1874, at the request of F. H. English, warden of the said penitentiary. Be it Enacted by the Legislative Assembly of the Territory of Mon tana: Section 1. There shall be, and is hereby, appropriated out of the territorial treasury the sum of one hundred and fifty dollars, to be paid to Dr. A. H. Mitchell, for medical and surgical services rendered at the penitentiary of Montana at the request of F. H. English, warden of the penitentiary, for medical and surgical treatment of prisoners during the month of March, A. D. 1874. Sec. 2. The territorial auditor is hereby authorized and instructed to draw his warrant on the territorial treasurer for the sum of one hundred and fifty dollars in favor of Dr. A. H. Mitchell, to be paid out of any money in the treasury not otherwise appropriated. Sec. 3. This act to take effect and be in force from and after its passage. Approved February 9, 1876. RESOLUTIONS. Resolution for the relief of Isaac R. Alden. Resolved by the Council, the House concurring: That the sum of one hundred and twenty-seven dollars be, and the same is hereby, appropriated out of any moneys in the treasury not otherwise appropriated, in favor of Isaac R. Alden, for expenses incurred as recorder of marks and brands. The territorial auditor is hereby authorized to draw his warrant upon the territorial treasurer for said amount in favor of the said I. R. Alden. Approved February 11, 1876. JOINT MEMORIALS. To the Honorable, the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States: Your memorialists, the Council and House of Representatives of the territory of Montana, respectfully represent that by an act of congress approved May 30, 1872, the delegate in congress from this territory is required to be elected on the Tuesday succeeding the first Monday in November, 1876, and biennially thereafter; that heretofore such election in this territory has occurred on the first Monday of August, which has been the time fixed by law for our general annual election. That with the view to comply with the foregoing enactment of your honorable bodies, and to save the expense of more than one election, your memorialists have at their present session enacted that such election of delegate, and also the election of all other officers required by our laws to be elected, including the members of the two houses of the legislative assembly, shall transpire on the Tuesday succeeding the first Monday in November, A. D. 1876, and biennially thereafter. That in thus providing for biennial elections, instead of annual elections, as has heretofore been provided for under the laws of this territory, your memorialists have been actuated by a desire to save one-half the expense consequent on the holding of annual elections, to the people of the territory. Under the enactment of your honorable bodies providing for biennial sessions, the legislative assembly of this territory has heretofore convened on the first Monday of January of each even numbered year in biennial period; but at the present session your memorialists have enacted a law by which it is provided that hereafter the legislative assembly shall convene at the seat of government of the territory on the second Monday of January, A. D. 1877, and biennially thereafter, thus choosing the other year of the biennial period for the meeting of the legislative assembly. This legislation results in a session of the legislative assembly in 1876 and in 1877. Your memorialists were ordered to pass this enactment from considerations of public duty. As the members of the legislative assembly are elected near the close of 1876, and biennially thereafter, it seemed to your memorialists that the people of this territory should be permitted to have the benefit and advantage of the expressions of their opinion, at elections, in public matters, by the assembling of their legislature within a reasonable time after the election at which the members of the legislative assembly were elected. The members elected in November, 1876, under our law, will convene in the January succeeding, being an interval of about sixty days; whereas, if the law were not so changed it would compel an interval of one year and two months before the convening of the legislative assembly, or it would compel another election in 1877, or, in other words, annual elections. The conditions of our settlements are such as to necessarily make our elections expensive events to our people. It is therefore of great importance to this territory that annual elections be avoided. Your memorialists are of the opinion that the act providing for biennial elections sought only to fix biennial periods within each of which one session of our legislative assembly might lawfully convene, and that it was, and is, a matter of indifference to your honorable bodies at what time in each of such biennial periods such legislative assembly should convene. Your memorialists are of the further opinion that the action taken by us, providing for a regular session in 1877, is in accordance with the provisions of your legislation providing for biennial sessions, but owing to the phraseology thereof some have entertained doubts whether our action accords with the act of congress; that a matter of such grave moment to this territory should not remain in doubt, and that we might not |