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I'HE LIBBY HERALD VOL. 2, NO. 26 LIBBY, LINCOLN COUNTY, MONTANA, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 7, 1911 $2.00 PER YEAR -~........................... m~ _ • im,, LAND CONTEST CASE HEARD Government Seeks to Upset Two Claims Near Troy, but Case Seems Weak. A land contest case was heard in U. S. Commissioner Posten's court yesterday, involving a tract of land on Star creek, below Troy. This land was proved up on by Jeremiah and John D. Downey under the homestead commutation law, and was later purchased by the Bonners Ferry Lumber company. The gov ernment sought to cancel rights of claimants to land and introduced four witnesses, two of whom were from the forest service. The for estry witnesses testified that they had recommended that the govern ment suit be dismissed and the two others gave testimony rather favor ing the defense. So weak was the case considered by the defense that they decided not to put on any wit nesses, although they had a num ber present. This case seems like if the land had been sold to an individual in stead of to a lumber company, it would have scarcely received pass ing notice. Some sleuths of the government probably feel they have' io make a showing with the de dartment and the results of their activity in many cases seem more' like persecution than a desire to prevent land frauds, Soon Start on 2-Story Brick The news given in this paper last week that J. M. Blackford would erect a new brick business block on the corner of Mineral aveuue and Fourth street, was con firmed on Monday last when the transfer of the property, owned by the Presbyterian church, was made. The two lots and small frame house, used for church purposes, brought $2,800. Mr. Blackford is already having plans drawn for the new building, which will be a two story brick 25xtoo, and work will start on it as soon as weather con= ditions will permit. The church people, 'who this fall built a manse on their property on the boulevard, will build a handsome church building next spring. SCHOOL STATISTICS AND FINANCES. The county superintendent of schools has prepared the following statistical and financial report of Lincoln county schools for the year ending August 31, 1911, com pared with 19ro : Number of census schollars in county in 1910, 823; in 1911, 867. Number of schools in the county, 1910, 19; in 1911, 24. Number of teachers employed, rgro, 32; in 1911, 34. Number of children enrolled, 19Io, 646; in 1911, 735. Per cent of attendance, 19Io, 89 per cent; in 1911, 88 per cent. Amount paid teachers, IgIo, $18,353; in 1911, $24,413. Average monthly salary paid, 19to, $70; 1911, $78. Value of libraries, 190o, $1,4oo; 1911, $2,ooo. Money remaining to credit of all districts, August 31st, 1910o, $18,473; in 1911, $25,327. Raised by special tax, r1910, $18,580; in 19II, $14,544" Apportioned during 1910, $21, 453; in 1911, $30,o019. Value of school houses, 1910, $5r,72o; it Ig91, $60,15o , NEW PUBLICITY AGENT FOR KALISPELL C. C. Bernard of Eureka Elected and Returns to First Love to As sume New Duties. P. N. Bernard, late editor of the Eureka Journal, has been selected as secretary of the Kalispel cham ber of commerce, and will at once remove to that city and commence his new duties. Perley is energetic and enthusiastic, and we may ex pect to see some clever publicity stunts pulled off by him in promot ing the advantages of Kalispell and the Flathead, with which sections he has grown up. His removal from the local field of politics will make it seem like something is missing from the next county cam paign. 'BOES TAKE BUILDING AND WON'T VACATE W. W. Wilder came to Libbv yesterday to invoke the assistance of the sheriff's office to dislodge about 5o hoboes from one of the buildings owned by the lumber company, they having taken pos session and refusing to vacate. The sheriff will visit the scene with the idea of having the men move on, as the city policeman would say, The Early Closing Movement The merchants of Libby on Mon day night inaugurated the early closing movement. Hereafter all the stores will be closed at 6 p. m. on every day except Saturday, We congratulate the business men on assuming mletropolitan manners, It will not injure any and be of great benefit to the employes of the busi ness houses. This movement is but another evidence of the growth and public spirit of Libby's mer cantile institutions, WILL BRING ALL-STAR AGGREGATION. Kalispell Journal: The Libby Athletic association has written to Capt. Perry of the Hay's Cafe team in regard to arranging games between the Libby and Kalispell basket ball teams. It is expected a team will be picked from the six teams of the league to represent Kalispell in such a contest and an all-star aggregation can in that way be gotten together. The dates which Libby has open are the first and second weeks of January and February. The match will no doubt be cinched in a few days. It is reported that Libby will have a fast team this year. NO MORE "PICKETING" BY UNIONS. On Monday last the supreme court of Montana handed down a decision affecting labor unions, which is the most important yet' given in regard to such organiza tions in this state. The decision declares unlawtul the stationing of men before a place and interfering in any way with its patrons, a sys tem commonly known as "picket ing." The case was taken up from Great Falls, and was based on what is known in union circles as "the Billings case." Sheriff Baney went to Deer Lodge Saturday with 'Toni Cqppers, the holdup man, MANY ACRES OF UNSURVEYED LAND Lincoln County Has Over 1,000,000, of Which 300,000 Belong to Northern Pacific, All Untaxed. There are in Lincoln county ap proximately i,ooo,ooo aores of un surveyed land. Of this amount about 400,000 acres are in the forty mile limit of the Northern Pacific land grants-in the proximity of the same amount in the io-mile in demnity strip. In round numbers there are 300,000 acres of unsur-, veyed land which is railroad land. This land is not taxed until after it is surveyed. It would seem that the people of Lincoln county should awake to the situation and endeavor to have these lands surveyed. It would work a two-fold benefit. First and foremost, it would add $1,ooo,ooo to our taxable wealth and compel the railroad company to bear its proportionate burden of taxation; second, it would enable bona fide settlers to secure title to their lands. There is no reason that can be urged which will justify the large amount of land being untaxed. The railroad company claims the land and it should be surveyed and placed on the roll. The Northern Pacific has by evasion and under valuation of lands defeated the purpose of the land grant as long as it should be permitted to do so. The state of Washington is now SIXTEEN YEARS AGO THIS WEEK. (Items Culled from Old Troy Times.) Of the $86,ooo upon the tax books, $78,000 had been paid. This was in what is now Flathead and I,incolu counties. They were chuckling over the fact that so close a collection had been made. H. J. Jory, located a water right for the Keystone people in the Yahk. Preston and Moore were building an 8,ooo foot ditch to the Pine Tree and Blackbird placer mines at Troy. T. B. Bickers, one of the rioting men at Kalispell during the A. R. U. strike, was found guilty of des troying railroad property and sen tenced to six months in jail. Roy Goodwin's trial was in progress. The eastbound G. N. passengtr train had a bad wreck on its Idaho line. The engine and baggage car fell down a 30-foot embankment and Engineer Jock Smith and Fire man Geo. McDonald were fright SUGGESTIONS FOR COUNTRY LIFE At the National Congress held in Spokane to consider the problems of country life, suggestions were received from the many visitors. The most important 4suggestions received, which are well worth con sideration, were : "Tax unused land heavily so that it must be sold to the man who wants to cultivate it and make a home." "Cut up the big farms into smaller ones with families on every 8o acres." "Make the farms smaller." "The farmer will have to prac tice diversified farming and culti vate all the necessities for his home and table.' moving actively to secure the sur vey of all its public domain, so that the taxdodging of the land grant strip shall be put an end to. Is it not about time that Mon tana and especially Lincoln and Flathead counties join in the move ment that will result in justice to the settlers? We recognize the right of the Northern Pacific to the lands included in the grant, but we deny the right of the Northern Pa cific to either dodge taxes or to withhold the lands from bona fide settlers. The Heraid opposes useless agi tation of the business interests of the country, but favors the discus sion of every question that will bring practical rhcef to the people, Granting every concession to the railroad's land holdings that is fair, the people are entitled to demand of the Northern Pacific equal and just dealings. The land grant is increasing in value every year at the public ex pense and to the ever increasing burdens of the actual settlers. Shail we continue to remain silent and see injustice prevail? or shall the people demand that to which they are entitled ? The Herald proposes to do its part. Will the people and the press aid in the work ? fully scalded. Both were sent to the hospital at Spokans. A sensation was on at Kalispell because of the arrest of Rupert Jordan, under instructions from Kentucky authorities for a murder cominnitted ten years ago. He was charged with kiliing Morgan in cold blood over a trivial matter. After Jordan fled and settled near Kalispell he called himself Rupert Jordan, instead of Faulkner Jor dan. Jordan's brother-in-law be trayed him to the officers. There is much speculation as to the prospective presidential candi dates. Among republicans, Mc Kinley, Harrison and Reed are the most prominent. As for the dem ocrats, aside from Cleveland, who was considered as dead as Taft is today, the editor expressed his opinion in the old plantation pro verb: "Blessed is de man wot spects nuthin', for he ain't aguin' ter be disapp'inted." "Have model farms in every township, close to the social center." "Put the producer into one great corporation society, eliminating the nii,:dleman and his profits." "Give the boys and girls a finan cial interest in the farm." "Secure better schools and more social life in the community." "Have hot and cold water in the barn. Make chums of your child ren; Improve the farm library and subscribe for farm papers. Let us use the brains as well as muscles." These suggestions may not all be possible at once, but are worthy of serious thought in the develop ment of country life. GETS 60 DAYS FOR VIOLATING THE GAME LAW Ralston Brings Rock Down from Jennings. Pleadt~Guilty to No License Charge. Ieputy Game Warden Ralston brought Frank Rock down from Jennings Tuesday charged with violating the state game laws. The warden had gathered evidence cov ering three separate offenses--ex ceeding the limit allowed by law, bringing deer meat to Libby for sale and hunting without a license. Only the last named was pressed at this time, it coming within the jur isdiction of the local court. Rock plead guilty and Justice Hoffman imposed a fine of $125 or the alter native of 60 days in jail. He went to jail. NOT AN EARTHQUAKE BUT A LANDSLIDE Alexander, good government and citizens candidate, defeated Harri man, socialist nominee and former counsel for McNamara brothers, for mayor of Los Angeles Tuesday by about 50,000 majority. Four weeks ago Harriman led in the primaries, Alexander with 3,000 votes less. Tuesday's landslide is attributed by all pIarties to the McNamara pleas of guilty made but four days before. Is Movig to New Location W. J. Wells, manager of the Libby Commercial compainy, will ,remove the Bergdahl stock of goods he recently purchased to the Black ford building, corner of Mineral and 4th, and has a large variety of new goods for gents on the way. A new front will be put in the building and other improvements made. This building will be used until the new brick can be built, when Libby will have the largest and handsomest store of its kind in Lincoln county. Mr. Wells has had many years experience in the business in Fergus county, and later in Flathead, and ample capi tal is behind hiim. 'DUFFY' WAS THERE WITH THE GOODS. Whitefish Pilot: When Burling ton train No. 44 left Spokane one day last week without a diner, Conductor B. S. Robertson wired to "Duffy" Doonan, proprietor of the Windsor at Troy, asking if he could serve meals to the crews and passengers of that train during a 20 miinute stop-over, and Duffy re plied that he could serve them with all they could eat in 20 minutes very easily, and he did as he claimed, according to the state ments of the passengers as well as the crew, who were all loud in their praises. SUDDEN DEATH OF YAHK MILLMAN. 0. T. Walker, the sawmill pro prietor at Sylvanite, dropped dead of heart failure in the mess hou:se Tuesday noon. He was about 65 years old and two grown sonis were with him at the mill, which is saw ing lumber for the power plant at Yahk falls. The body is being brought out to Troy for shipment to eastern Washington, his former home. Mrs. Geo. Rich, one of the old est settlers of the Tobacco Plains, visited in Libby Monday. MONTANA S. T. ASSOCIATION To Be Held During Holiday Week at Great Falls. Re duced Railroad Rates. The next meeting of the Mon tana State Teachers' association will be held in Great Falls, Decem ber 27, 28 and 29, 1911. A nutl ber of the leading' educators of Montana will be on the program, and in addition to these the execu tive committee has been very for tunate in securing the services of I)r. O. W. Thompson, president of State University of Ohio, Dr. D. Starr Jordan, president of Leland Stanford Jr. University, Miss Jes sie Field, superintendent of Page county, Iowa, and Miss Clara S. Baldwiu, of the Minnesota Library conutnission. The members of the committee are assured that all of these speakers will he present, and some of them will address the ssociation. several times during the meeting. All the railroads of the state have promised a rate of a fare and a third on the certificate plan. A successful association means not only money, but a large attend ance. The teachers of Montana owe to themselves, to the schools they represent, and to the cause of education, to make the Montana State Teachers' association one of the best in the United States. Advertising Montana in N. Y. Of the recent land show held in New York City, a western repre ýentative writes: 'Special attention was called to our exhibits owing to the remarka ble fact that, in competion with all otheilr states of the Union, together with the various provinces of Can ada, we succeeded in capituring four of the ten big prizes for the best products of the soil-those for oats, barley, winter wheat and alfalfa. "It is needless to say that the east marveled at the productiveness of our soil and the quality of our grains. The tremendous yields as tonished the credulous. But we were there with the goods, and I am satisfied more attention was given to Montana by prospective settlers than to any other section of the country exhibiting there. "The big crowds started in Tuesday - election day in New York-and, contiuously until Sat urday night, the big hall was jam med. Thirty-eight thousand peo ple passed through the gates on Thursday. Friday and Saturday the crowds were so great the doors were closed by the police several times. By Friday all literature pertaining to Montana, given away by the Northern Pacific and Great Northern and Milwaukee, was completely exhausted, so much In terest was shown in the state. We who were demonstrating were all day besieged by crowds eagerly seeking information of the wonder tul resources of the Treasure state.'' PREPARING FOR EXTENSIVE LOGGING. Jas. Stonethest returned Monday from a trip to the Yahk river, where with Frank Bening he has taken a logging contract. A camp site was selected and is being pre pared for active work in the imme diate future. About ten million feet will be logged off for the Bon ners Ferry Lumber company. Mr. Stonechest went to Spokane yes terday to buy horses for the win ter's operations.