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Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, October 04, 1883, Image 4

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FISK BROS., - - PubUshers.
R. E. FISK,
Editor.
THURSDAY. OCTOBER 4, 1883.
THE CONVENTION.
We are glad to see that the Democrat
have called county and district conven
tions to propose candidates for the Con
stitutional Convention, whose members
are to be elected in November, to meet in
January next. While the idea of holding
people's meetings without distinction of
party has been feebly suggested by one or
two, the project never seemed to command
any respect or confidence and is really im
practicable. Both political parties have ma
chinery to set in motion,with whose working
the greater part of the voting population
is familiar. To have tried to organize a
non-political move would have required
as much effort as it would to carry through
the whole election after the old style, and
it is uncertain, if the attempt had been I
made, whether it would have succeeded.
To have commanded any respect at all
there would have had to be a studied effort
to divide the thing equally between the
parties, and that would have been hard to
do. Some would [have k been seeking to
overreach others, and the probability is
that with all the efforts that could have
been made, it would have ended at last by
sliding back into the old political ruts.
Because we think it the best way to get
this matter before the people, to call out
the parties under their accustomed leaders
and banners, we know very well that this
is not and cannot in any sense be called
or made a political movement in any party
sense, and when each party has presented
its best men for candidates, we expect to
see the utmost freedom among the voters
in making their selection. The advantage
of having each party present a full list of
candidates, will be to give the voters a
wider range of choice. And if either or
both parties fail to put forward the best
men, there will still be a chance to pro
pose independent candidates. We do not,
however, apprehend that there will be any
motive to seek the nomination or to con
trol the convention in the interest of either
party. It would be a misfortune if any
thing of this kind should be attempted;
we know it could not succeed. The
constitution that is to be framed
is to be our fundamental law, and it ought
not to contain a single provision that, when
thoroughly understood, could not com
mand the approval of three-fourths of the
people who are to live under it. Every
Republican and every Democrat and eveiy
voter, whether he may rank or train under
no party, is equally interested in the pro
duction of a good constitution for the
future State of Montana. We do not
recognize the force of the objection that
this movement is premature because it
does not originate in Congress. Who
ever knew or heard of anything originat
ing in Congress ? It is considered rare
good fortune to bring Congress to give its
attention and approval to the good and
important things that are suggested from
without.
Our American Congress is so over
crowded and loaded with work that it is
folly to expect it to act on anything till
forced to it in a measure. Montana might
wait till the end of the century before any
movement would begin in Congress to or
ganize us into a State or call us together
even to frame a constitution. It is the
proper place for a movement of this kind
to frame a constitution and organize a
State government to begin with the peo
ple. It is the only way in which Congress
will ever be convinced that we are in
earnest, and will determine its own course
accordingly.
We do not need any suggestion from
Congress to know' that Montana is in con
dition to be entitled very soon to become
a sovereign State. Certainly two years
more cannot pass before we shall have the
quota of population, and all else we have
now. We undertake to say that if Mon
tana were admitted to be a State next
month she could sustain as creditable a
government from the outset as three
fourths of the present States in the Union.
For another reason we prefer that both
parties should present candidates for this
convention. It will call out a fuller vote.
We wish every voter in the Territory
would come out to the election to show
that it was a matter of universal in
terest. Such an exhibition of interest
would inspire the delegates to greater
zeal to do good work and it would com
mand the attention of Congress. Rela
tively we do not care how the convention
shall stand politically; but first and fore
most we desire a full popular vote, so that
the delegates may feel that the people of
Montana are back of them and shall feel
brave and earnest in the pro]>ortion. Be
ware of those who whisper around that
this convention business, without ihe
authorization of Congress, is all boys play.
More than one State in this Union has
proceeded to this business of forming a
State constitution, and even to the extent
of organizing a State government, without
authorization of Congress.
This movement has begun in the proper
place and in
fully believe. The constitution that shall
be framed next January or February will
be published and fully discussed till the
following November, when there will be
a full general election that we are sure
will show us possessed of a voting popula
tion sufficient to entitle us to immediate
the right time also, as we !
I
admission. Then, at the same time, we
can present a constitution fresh from the
endorsement of the popular vote, and one
that can command respect in any com
parison that might be instituted, and we
believe our chances of admission would
be better than in any other way or time
the matter could be presented.
And this we should always remember,
the work done by us in the coming con
stitutional convention cannot by any possi
bility be lost. The product will remain
and the most of it will surely be adopted
before long. Even if a future convention
shall be needed, its labors will be ma
terially decreased by what it shall find
done in advance. It will be a course of
political education, such as we all shall
need, and that will more than pay all cost
and trouble. Even if it should result in
producing only a constitution that the
people and Congress would both reject, it
would prepare the way for sure success
and a greater success next time, and there
fore aid the grand result.
AREA OF THE INDIAN REUSEVA
TIONS IN MONTANA.
By the kindnessj)f General Harris, we
have been furnished with a very careful
estimate of the several Indian reserva
tions in Montana, as follows :
Square miles.
Crow resevation
Blackfeet, etc.....
Flathead............
9.128.2
34,450.7
2.607.3
Acres.
5,842,048
22,045.448
1,668,608
46,186.1 29,559, LOI
This is somewhat less than we esti
mated in a recent article on this subject.
It is still as large an area in the aggregate
almost as the State of New York, with its
five million of inhabitants, or about 100
to the square mile. Switzeland, with a
mountainous and much broken surface,
has 177 to the square mile. Great Britain
and Ireland, which still include much
waste land, have a population of 200 to
the square mile, and Belgium, which a
thousand years ago was as utterly waste
and worthless as any part of our sea coast,
a forbidding aggregate of swamps and
sand hills, has now a population of 482
to the square mile.
Even if 40,000 square miles were with
drawn from the Indian reservations of
Montana, it would still leave something
over 6,000, an area as iarge as Connecticut
and Rhode Island together, which main
tain a population of one million, not very
badly crowded, to support an Indian pop
ulation of 18,705, only about three to the
square mile. This would still give 160
acres to every Indian, old and young, male
and female, and leave a million acres to
spare.
Inndians never can be civilized while
so much land is possessed by them. It is
a hindrance rather than a help to them.
Nearly everybody tries to cultivate too
much land, and good cultivation will
never be known the United States till we
generally have smaller farms.
it
fer
in
an
of
or
for
in
THE CONSTITUTIONAL
TION.
CONVEN
There is a ssibility that the people of
this Territor> may be trifling away an op
portunity that will not present itself again
for ten years or more. This will be true
if they do not move forward with more
animation to the end of securing the best
men attainable in the several counties and
districts as delegates to the Constitutional
Convention that is to meet in January
next.
The Republican Territorial Central
Committee has issued an advisory call,
which has been published in these columns
for the past week. It should be acted on
promptly by each of the chairmen of the
county committees, who should issue calls
for county conventions in their respective
counties, apport! ning representation to
the different products and designating the
times and places of holding primaries.
This should be done at once.
It is proposed in some counties to select
candidates without reference to partisan
ship and avoid a contest. Without offer
ing any views on this question, we men
tion the fact as possessing some signifi
cance that we have not heard this propo
sition coming from leading Democrats of
any county where that party has an as
sured majority.
THE MUNGOOSE.
The rats make such trouble in destroy
ing the sugar cane in the Sandwich Islands
that the planters clubbed together and sent
an agent to Jamaica to import an animal
called the Mungoose, a creature that is
not much larger than a rat, but much
fiercer and able to get away with his an
tagonist every time in a single handed en
counter. The Mungoose has exterminated
the rats, snakes and other vile vermin in
Jamaica and at last accounts were going
for the chickens. The Sandwich Islands'
agent had thirty-six pair of this new rat
exterminator when he took the steamer tt
San Francisco and they had cost him
$1,300. It is said of these animals that j
when they can find no other animal to ex
terminate thev devour one another.
Klein, lately on the staff of the Chi
cago Herald , and recently on the St. Louis
G lobe-Democrat, distinguished himself by
capturing Mahoney, a murderer and horse
thief. The man had just served a term
for manslaughter and was again ivanted
for horse stealing. Klein saw' him, and
pointed him out to a detective, who im
mediately attempted to secure his arrest,
but the man eluded him and ran up a by
street, the detective and Klein in hot pur
suit. The officer soon gave up the chase,
but Klein continued it, and arrested his
man at the point of a revolver.
Some
RAILROAD LANDS.
Observations by a Settled-An
swer to Inquiries, Etc.
To the Editor of the Herald.
The Herald editorial in the issue of Sep
temlter 20th relating to land grants, raises
the question of what has made these lands
more valuable than when the grants were
made. Let the editor start out, and with the
labor of his own hands locate and fence a
ranch, build house, barn and corrals, with
his own ax cutting timber on some mountain
three, ten miles, perhaps more, from his ranch
and hauling it with his own team. Then dig
miles of irrigating ditches, in fact devoting
all his time or energies for a period of three
or five years to making a piece of this wild
land into a home. He would answ'er most
emphatically that ihe settler, not the rail
road, had raised its value (of his own ranch,
at least). Then would he be satisfied to have
this railroad corporation or its agents come
and, fixing a value on his improvements, add
it to the Government price ($2.50 per acre)
and force him to pay it, or give up to them
these fruits of years of toil. Then if he ac
cedes to this unjust demand, he is given a
bond for a deed (so-called) that is only an in
sult to the intelligence of the American
people.
Then he asks, what does anyone think the
railroads are going to do with these lands ?
Now, Mr. Editor, just please publish the
blank form of this bond of the Northern Pa
cific road, and you will give a fair answer to
your own question and at the same time con
fer a great favor and also a benefit on the
hundreds of your readers.
The people feel that this great corporation
in its attitude toward and dealings with set
tlers on its lands has introduced a system of
serfdom or landlord and tenantry that is only
an insult and an outrage. They do not sell
their lands. They only allow us to stay on
them until they bid us leave or crowd us oft'
with a branch road or in some other way,
provided we pay them the full value of the
improvements we have made, as well as the
Government price of the land. Now if the
terms of the bond can be explained in any other
way we will be glad to be so enlightened.
The people feel that they have been pur
posely cheated into locating land when there
was no intention of giving them a title to it.
What we want is a deed or patent on the
same terms as Government patents are made
out to settlers, a just return for our money
paid. W. T. D. C.
RESERVATIONS IX N. I*. CERTIFICATES OF
SALE
government price of
"Reserving and excepting therefrom, how
ever, a strip of land extending through the
same (or so much of such strip of land as
may be within said described premises) of
the width of four hundred feet, that is, two
hundred feet on each side of the centre line
of the Northern Pacific Railroad, or of any
branch or other railroad operated, in whole
or in part by the said Company, to be used
for right of way or other railroad purposes,
in case the line of the said Northern Pacific
Railroad, or of such branch or other railroad,
has been, or shall lie, located on or over, or
within two hundred feet of said described
premises; and also reserving and excepting
from said described premises so much and
such parts thereof as are, or may be, mineral
lands, or contain coal or iron, and also the
use, and the right and title to the use, of
such surface ground as may be necessary for
mining operations, and the right of access to
such reserved and excepted mineral lands,
including lands containing coal or iron, for
the purpose of exploring, developing, and
working the same, and also reserving the
right to take water from, over, or through
the said described premises for the use of
the said Company, its successors and assigns.
It is hereby agreed that the said purchaser
shall, on receiving notice so to do from the
said Company, erect a good and substantial
fence, sufficient to turn stock, and to comply
with the requirements of law, on the line
or lines between any part of said described
premises and the lands reserved to the said
Company for right of way or other railroad
purposes, as hereinbefore expressed, and
thereafter, forever, the said purchaser
heirs or assigns shall maintain such fence or
fences in a good, substantial, and sufficient
manner, as above provided, and this agree
ment shall be expressed in the deed as a
condition and a covenant to run with the
land."
We have given above the communica
tion of one of our readers, setting forth
from another point of view and in differ
ent light the treatment that some of the
settlers on Northern Pacific lands receive
at the hands of the company's agents, and
we have also given the "reservations" con
tained in the certificates of sale given to
those who pay in full for their lands, as
our correspondent requests. We suppose
all the deeds given will contain similar
reservations. They are printed and pub
lished forms about which, of course, there
is no concealment. Every one who buys
any land of the company receives the
same kind of a bond, certificate or deed.
There is one class of persons who seem
to be badly treated, if the statement of
our correspondent is true, that the com
pany claims the value of all improve
ments made upon their lands, and extorts
payment for the same from the one who
has made them. We think there must be
some mistake or misunderstanding about
this. We are led to think this the more
from the fact that our correspondent
speaks in this connection of the value of
the improvements being added to the
the land. If the
land is granted to the company and the
latter stands as one who has received a
patent from the government, the govern
ment price has no longer anything to do
with the case. The government sells all
its lands at a uniform price, the good and
the bad alike. No private person would
think of doing so, nor can it any more be
reasonably expected of a railroad com
pany. The company has a grert deal of
land that it might hold a thousand years
and then could not sell for a cent an
acre, unless lumped in with something
that had some value. That which has
more value must be made to offset that
which has no value. But we have no
doubt that there are cases of real hard
ship and of injustice. It would be strange
if there were not.
And still it is true as a general fact that
the railroad has given a fixed value to the
lands of Montana. In this no reference
could possibly be understood ils covering
the value of any improvements on the
land. We suppose many have made the
mistake of settling on railroad lands be
fore they were surveyed, just as many have
been deceived about newly discovered
gulches proving rich and making expen
sive improvements that turned out to be
worthless. Our Territory is covered all
over with abandoned camps and cabins
that cost hard labor and much money to
somebody. Both labor and money are
oftentimes poorly invested not only in this
but in all parts of all countries.
The hardship of the reservation about
right of way we think our correspondent
overestimates. The liability of any piece
of ground bought of the company being
cut up and into unexpectedly by a railroad
branch is very distant, and to most pur
chasers would prove an inducement rather
than a detriment.
We are well aware that there are two
sides to every question, even the sun's face
has spots on it, but we think none will re
fuse to acknowledge that when the balance
is struck, the credit side is all that we
have or could claim for it.
ASSAILING
NORTHERN
STOCK.
PACIFIC
It seems a rough deal for the Northern
Pacific to be so fiercely and generally as
sailed upon its first opening. Indirectly,
it is a tribute to its power and strength.
It is a recognized giant which its competi
tors have vainly striven to strangle in its
cradle. The result will be that this giant
w ill only the sooner come of age and be
come the master of its own strength and
of the situation. A great many think
Mr. Villard should have been at home
attending to business w'hile he was aw'ay
entertaining his large array of invited
guests, and that the quarter of a million
spent on this junketing excursion should
have been saved, lightening the floating
debt this much. Some of the best business
men thought this expenditure unwarranted,
and this opinion is quoted on 'Change as
a means of weakening the stock and bonds
of the company. Before the year has
closed we believe these same men who are
decrying Villard's extravagance will be
ready to concede that he made a good in
vestment and took the most effective
method of advertising his road. The
little flurry in the stock market is but a
passing breeze. The absence of officers
and lavish entertainment of foreign guests
wrere seized upon to create the impression
that the floating debt was larger than
represented. Those who were so indus
triously engaged in decrying Northern Pa
cific stocks were even more industrious in
trying to get hold of them.
We, who know the relative cost of this
compared with other Pacific roads, its
smaller bonded debt, its superior tributary
country and larger landed resources, can
well laugh at this puerile attack, flanked
by the fears of the ignorant. The Northern
Pacific can do business with profit at rates
that will not pay expenses on other roads.
If w ithin a single year Northern Pacific
stock is not as high and strong as Union
Pacific, we shall be much surprised. There
is absolutely no comparison between the
margins for improvement between the two
roads. What it can do when well stocked
and running regular will be known before
a year ends, and we believe the perform
ance will exceed the promise.
The National Park Hotel will close
with this month, and the season, a very
short one, of only about sixty days. It
has been long enough, however, in the
condition of things. There will be plenty
of time now to finish up and get in good
condition for another year, which may be
extended from the first of July to the last
of October with good preparation and ac
commodations, for the autumn weather in
this country, w r ith only an occasional ex
ception, is the most delightful in the year.
What has been seen and learned this year
will produce some good fruits on all con
cerned. There has been among the
throng of visitors a good many Senators,
members of Congress, and both the
President and Vice President. It will
result, no doubt, in some additional and
more intelligent legislation, and we hope
in authorizing the construction of a rail
road through the Park.
Mr. Cable, the author of "Old Creole
Days," whose stories of Louisiana life
have charmed so many readers, is said to
have been ostracised by the aristocratic
population of New Orleans because of his
descriptions of the manners and habits of
their ancestry. He was recently black
balled at one of the leading clubs on this
account, and the snobs are making it very
uncomfortable for him there. Mr. Cable
should emigrate.
Montana Improvement Company.
We call the attention of our readers to the
advertisement of this Company, which ap
pears in to-day's Herald. The company is
composed of some of the wealthiest men in
our Territory. They have established large
saw mills in Missoula county, on the line of
the Northern Pacific, and are now shipping
to Helena, in large quantities, seasoned lum
ber of all kinds, and shingles. Hartwell &
Edgar are their Helena agents.
Some Potatoes.
J. M. Smith, from the valley, brought into
the Herald office to-day some very fine
specimens of potatoes, as a part of the crop
raised on one acre and a half of ground. The
specimen potatoes are of the Early Goodrich
and Early Rose varieties, and three of them
weighed one pound and twelve ounces, or
twenty ounces each. Mr. Smith has just
plowed eight rows of his crop, on a space of
ground 20 by 135 feet, or about one sixteenth
of an acre, which yielded forty bushels, equal
to 640 bushels to the acre. Probably no
better potatoes or larger crop has been raised
this season.
of
as
to
in
by
the
THE JOI RNAISTS.
Their Reception and Entertainment
Helena.
in
Drives About the City—Inspection of the Assay
Oice ana Mining Operations—Visit to
the Governor—Banunet ana Farewell.
A portion of the journalists and artists of
the Villard excursion arrived Sept. 27th at
about teu o'clock and were met at the depot
by Mayor Kleinschmidt, R. E. Fisk and
others, who informed the gentlemen of the
programme adopted by the Board of Trade
for their reception and entertainment to-day.
Accordingly, at 10 o'clock this morning the
committee appointed yesterday by the Board
of Trade, in carriages and omnibusses, met
the distinguished party and brought them to
the city, and first to the United States Assay
Office, where they spent a half hour in ex
amining the gold bars, precious deposits and
the general work of refining gold and silver
under the management of Assayer Harrison
Then the party, in carriages, were driven
about the city, to the placer diggings of
Chessman & Davis, and afterwards in a body
repaired to the Executive Mansion, where all
were royally received by Gov. Crosby and a
half hour spent in the enjoyment of good
things and the magnificent works of art
adorniDg the walls of every apartment. The
guests regretfully withdrew, cordially thank
ing the Governor for the delight and pleasure
the entertainment had afforded them.
The following persons constitute the
guests of the city for this day, who are
here according to the programme of E. V.
Smalley, who says in his railroad schedule
that "Thursday, September 27th, the party
will leave Helena at 10:40 p. m. for the east,"
viz.:
Col. Charles. B. Lamborn, General Land
Agent of the Northern Pacific railroad ; E.
V. Smalley, of New York ; H. L. Nelson, of
the Boston Herald ; T. B. Lindsay, of the
Boston Adrertiser ; Wilmot L. Warren, of
the Springfield Republican ; Henry T. Sperry,
of the Hartford Post; E. Mitchell, of the
New York Sun ; Richard Bartholdt, of the
New York Staats Zeituny ; Frederick Robin
son, of the London Pall 3Iall Gazette ; H.
Farny, artist of the Century (formerly
Scribner's Monthly) ; Charles Graham, artist
of Harpers Weekly ; Dr. Von Mohr, of the
Cologne Gazette , Germany ; John L. Thomas,
of the Baltimore American ; Frank Richard
son. of the Baltimore Sun; R. M. Merrill, of
the Philadelphia Press; Mr. Brigham, of
the Milwaukee Sentinel ; H. V. Boynton, of
the Cincinnati Commercial-Gazette ; Mr. Deus
ter, of the Milwaukee Seebote ; Mr. Coleman,
of Milwaukee : Mr. Hansen, of the St. Louis
Westliche Post.
After viewing the different objects of in
test about the city, the party were escorted
to the dining room of the Cosmopolitan
Hotel, where a hastily improvised banquet
was spread under the direction of the pro
prietor, Mr. Robert Chew. Assembling at
the banquet table, the Hon. Martin Maginnis
was chosen to preside and welcome the repre
sentatives of the press, which he did in a
handsome address. At the close of his re
marks and a toast to the press, Mr. Smalley
fellowed in a complimentary speech. Col.
Boynton, of the Cincinnati Commercial
Ga zelte, was then toasted as the veteran edi
tor present, who responded in a few compli
mentary and well timed remarks, in which he
spoke in glowing terms of the grandeur and
riehuess of Montana and the hospitality of
Helena. Mr. Magiunis then called upon Rich
ard Bartholdt, of the New York Staats Zeitung,
a representative of the German press, who
also made a speech and dwelt in a sin
gularly eloquent manner upon the
beauties and richness of the empire
of Montana, the greatness of her resour
ces and the majesty of her scenery, and
promised his vote in Congress lor her ad
mission as a State, and that at the nextjses
sion.
Mr. Frederick Robinson, of the London
Pall 3Iall Gazette, responded to the toast of
the Chairman, which was given to England,
as the business center of the civilized world,
in a very neat 'and complimentary speech.
Mr. Lindsay, of the Boston Adrertiser, re
sponded to a toast to the Republic of France,
because, as he said, he was born there. He
said that as a husband loved his wife he also
loved his mother, and while he loved France
still he loved America more. An admo
nition from Mr. Smalley that time flies,
prompted the last speech, which the Chair
man called upon Col. Sanders to make as an
adieu or benediction to the departing guests.
The speech was in the happiest style
of the Colonel's off-hand efforts and brought
forth frequent applause. And concluding
his remarks with a cordial invitation to the
guests to return again to Montana, he said
as they were limited in their time at this
social boaid, and as the engineer of the train
that was to carry them away was impatient
to be on time, and had his hand on the bell
rope, he would close his speech with a wish
for their safe return to their homes and a
happy reunion with their families.
The guests were then driven to the train,
in charge of the committee of reception, and
are now retracing their journey far awav to
the East. The banquet was one of
the happiest occasions that has ever
transpired in Helena. Improvised as it was
by the proprietor of the Cosmopolitan on
very short notice, the spread sparkled with
champagne and wines, and the fresh oysters
and good things were discussed with good
appetites until it was time to call all aboard.
There was recently a novel wager in
England between a Wiltshire and an Ox
fordshire farmer as to which could do the
most work in the harvest field, the one
using water and the other beer. The beer
mau came out considerably ahead and the
teetotalers were greatly disgusted. Really
v C i° n i est *L prove littIe or nothing,
rropably the beer man could have beaten
the cold water man on water. The true
comparison should be made between gen
er^ results, and nothing else can give re
liable data for reasoning or moralizing
OUR GUESTS.
The representatives of the press who have
this day honored our city with a short vl-p
are among the most welcome of all that wi i
come throng that has followed the advent of
the railroad. Montaua appreciates the ser
vices of the press, as witness the number 0 f
newspapers sustained at home as well as
the subscription to those published abroad
iu both of which respects no Territory and
few States surpass us. We believe not only
in the press, but the free press and the pro
gressive press, the intelligent, the unlotmlit
and unpurchasable press, the moulder ot
public opinion, the puncturer of all shams
the apostle of truth, the evangelist of the
new dispensation of enlightenment, peace
and universal enfranchisement of mind and
conscience as well as of body and property
We welcome the members of the press for
another reason. We have of necessity been
compelled to blow our own trumpet hereto
fore and we want somebody else to speak for
us. We do not insist or expect or wish that
they shall all speak iu praise, but tell the
story as it is, and if it should hurt our
vanity it will improve our chances of ulti
mate success. It is prudent, if not always
flattering to ourselves to see ourselves as
others see us.
We prize this visit of these gentlemen be
cause they are in position and are now iu
possession of information that will enable
them to correct the many false statements
and impressions concerning us and our coun
try which fill the East. In matters concern
ing Indian affairs and especially the admis
sion of new States, which will soon he pres
sing for action, it is of the first importance
that the leaders of the press should have
some correct information. We have no am
bition or desire to be rated higher than our
deserving. We want those who have seen us
and our country to tell the story as they
find it from observation.
Explanatory.
It was a matter of sincere regret to Mr.
Villard that his firm purpose to visit Butte
was miscarried, especially after the polite
attentions shown him by its citizens and the
managers of the Utah & Northern Railway
Company. He himself was somewhat indis
posed, but did not propose therefore to forego
his visit to the Northern Mining Metropolis.
Many of his guests had become J inpatient to
get to the seaboard, and they themselves
suggested to Mr. Winser that they did not
care to deflect from the line of the road eveu
to visit so thrifty and interesting a place as
Butte. Mr. Villard was not informed of this
desire, but a subordinate on board the train
having heard this desire of many of the
guests to proceed directly east, and not de
siring to disturb Mr. Villard, who was ill,
took it upon himself to decide to forego the
visit over the Utah & Northern to Butte.
We have reason to know that Mr. Villard
did not know of this purpose until he was
this side of the range, and that if he had been
consulted at Garrison he would have insisted
on going to Butte after the hospitable invita
tion and attentions extended to him and his
party, even if some of his guests otherwise
desired.
It is not therefore true that the dispatches
of Mr. Buckley and Mr. Villard, apologizing
for the seeming neglect, are either false or
insincere. Mr. Villard wished to visit Butte,
and those who heard him express his sense
ot the seeming slight which had been put
upon that busy town, and his regret at its
occurrence, doubt in the least {degree that if
the subordinate who modified the pro
gramme had first consulted Mr. Villard the
party would have visited that place at all
hazards and sacrifices.
A little fire kindles a great matter, but in
this affair, which so greatly annoyed Mr.
Villard, there is no occasion for unkind re
marks.
The citizens of Butte would have been
gratified and flattered if they could have
heard, as we did, Mr. Villard express his re
grets that an opportunity had been denied
his guests to see one of the most interesting
sights he had designed for them on their
very remarkable journey, by an invasion of
the programme he had marked out for them
in this instance.
In Doubt.
We see it stated in the New Northwest
that work is in progress on the Utah &
Northern preparing the roadbed for a third
rail to admit the Northern Pacific from Gar
rison to Butte. This is construed as the
carrying out by the Union Pacific of its part
ol the agreement or compact understood to
have been entered into by that company and
the Northern Pacific a year ago. Iu the
face ot this fact it would seem that the
Northern Pacific was expected soon to com
mence the third rail movement from Garri
son to Helena. There is no indication or
inlormation of any such movement here. It
is as much doubted to-day as it was
yesterday or last week that du*
Narrow Gauge will be admitted
to Helena over the Northern Pacific roadbed.
From present appearances the impression is
that the Utah & Northern must come to the
Capital by an independent line, if it comes
at all. As at this time advised, we look with
niore confidence to other consummations
than the third rail interchange so much
and so long talked of. Say that the U. & N.
will become a standard gauge from Pocatello
to Garrison ; say that the U. & N. will ex
tend its line from the south or from Garrison
to Helena; or say most anything else except
that the Narrow Gauge is coming by the
third rail through the Mullan tunnel and
over the Northern Pacific road lied to thi>
city—and you will say a more probable
thing.
Military Change.
Washington, September 27.— The an
nouncement is made that General Pope will
probably be assigned the command ot the
military division of the Missouri.

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