The Montana State Legislature is made up of two chambers, the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Constitution of Montana limits the size of the Senate to no fewer than 40 and no more than 50 members and the size of the House of Representatives to no fewer than 80 and no more than 100 members. Each house is responsible for choosing its officers, creating committees and establishing its own rules. The Montana Legislature meets for 90 days every odd numbered year, beginning the first Monday in January, or the following Wednesday if the first Monday is New Years Day. The first State Legislature convened on November 23, 1889, fifteen days after Montana became a state. Each following Legislature has been numbered sequentially.
The 5th Montana Legislature met from January 4th to March 4th, 1897. The President of the Senate was Archibald Spriggs (Populist). The Speaker of the House was Jacob Kennedy (D).
Sources:
Records (1897) of the Montana 5th Legislative Assembly consist of minutes to the Joint Committee to Investigate Charges of Corruption Made against Members of the House of Representatives and the Joint Committee to Investigate the Reform School at Miles City; minutes of Senate standing committees; and miscellany, including incoming correspondence and petitions (re Sunday closures of saloons; prohibition of licensed gambling; opposing reduction of salaries of court stenographers; advocating right to vote for women eligible to hold office; supporting free textbooks in the public schools; emendation of delinquent tax laws; advocating laws requiring banks to insure deposited funds; advocating law to allow co-owners of mining claims to work and develop the claim if the co-owners wish otherwise; advocating increase in predator animal bounty; and advocating two-year suspension of hunting of prairie chickens, deer, and antelope).
The collection is organized into four series, House and Senate Special Joint Committee Minutes (arranged alphabetically), Senate Standing Committee Minutes (arranged alphabetically), Incoming Correspondence (arranged by legislative chamber), and Miscellany (arranged chronologically).
Collection is open for research.
The Montana Historical Society is the owner of the materials in the Research Library and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. Written permission must be obtained from the Research Library before any reproduction use. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all of the materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from the copyright owners.
[item description and date].Montana Legislative Assembly (5th: 1897) records, 1897. Legislative Records 5. [box and folder numbers]. Montana Historical Society Research Center. Archives. Helena, Montana.
Acquisition information available upon request
Bill Summers processed the collection in 1988
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the Montana Historical Society Archives catalog. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or places should search under these terms.