The river press. [volume], June 22, 1881, Image 1

About The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current

Image provided by: Montana Historical Society; Helena, MT

                
T E 1IV R ]?ESS.
Vol, I, Fort Benton, Montana, Wednesday, June 2~, 1881. No. 35,
_- _ - _ _ _. _. _ . - - . _* -- * m . m n m, m -m lmnum, ism a ,,, ,m,,,m . .. ... .. . .. . .. ..
Benton Lodge, No. 25, A. F. & A. M.
Regular Communications of the above named Lodge
are held at 7 p. m. on the first and third Saturday of
each month. Members of sister lodges and sojourn
rig brethren are cordially in ed to attend.
RUFUS PAYNE, W. M.
IT. P. ROLFE, Secretary.
Choteau Lodge, No. 11, I. 0. 0. F.
A regular meeting of the above Lodge will be held
on Wedniesday evening of each week, at their lodge
oon in this city. Sojourning brothers are cordially
invited to attend. JNO. F. MURPHY, N. G.
J. P. McCABE, Secret3ry.
OF
NORTHERN MONTANA
Transact a General Banking
Business.
Keep current accounts with merchants, stock men
and others, subject to be drawn against by
checks without notnce.
PAY iNTEREST on TIME DEPO(SITS
We by and sell Exchange on the commercial center
of the United States.
WE WILL GIVE SPECIAL ATTENTION TO TIlE
IW1SiXESS OF 1OiRTHIERAN AND CENTRAL
And will make such loans to stock men and farmers
as are suited to their requirements.
Lccal Securities a Specialty,
Collections and all other business entrusted to us wil
receive prompt and careful attention.
COLLINS, DUER & CO.
RECORD BUILDING. FORT BENTON, M. T.
W\V. B13. SETTLE. W. 'TVENSON.
SETTLE & STEVENSON,
Attorneys and Counselors at Law,
BENTON, MONTANA.
Will practice in all courts of the Territcry. Collec
tions promptly attended to; also the securing of pat
cuts and pensions, in connection with a general
p ract ice.
O-."Office in brick building opposite Court House.
JNO. W. TATTAN,
ATORN EY and COUNSELOR AT LAW
Ollie of the County Clerk,
FORT BENTON, - - MONTANA.
J. A. KANOUSE,
Attorney and Counselor at Law,
L FORT BENTON, MONTANA.
NOTARY PUBLIC AND JUSTICE of the PEACE,
Main St., bet. Baker and St John,
MAX. WATERMAN,
ATTORNEY AT LAW,
FT. BENTON, ITIONTANA.
Will practice in all the courts of the Territory. Spe
cial attention given to criminal practice.
H. P. ROLFE,
ATTORNEY AT LAW.
(Associated with Sanders & Cullen.)
U,. S. Deputy MDineral Surveyer.
Ten year's experience in government surveying. The
best instruments used. Collections, insurance,
mining,, homestead and all land claims
attended to
OFFICE, NEAR WETZEL'S,
FRONT ST., FORT BENTON.
JOHN W. DEWEY,
Civil Engineer,
ARCHITECT
-AND
United States Dep. lineral Surveyor
BENTON, BIONTANA.
FIRE AND LIFE INSURANCE
-AND
REAL ESTATE AGENOY.
First-Class Companies possessing assets of FOUR
TEEN MILLION DOLLARS.
Represented by H. P.ROLFE.
M. E. MAYER,
Assayer,
BUTTE, - - - MONTANA.
Office, West Park Street.
Spocial attention paid to "sealed samples" and all
kinds of gold, and silver bullion.
Samples sent from a distance promptly attended to
and returns made the following day,
Charges reasonable.
NOTICE.
I hereby Warn all persons against trusting any one,
no matter whom, on my account, without an order
signed by myself. NAROIUS3 VAUIX.
PYL, ,,. Itd.=. mmC: - I-^I E i.Iii l [a -I_ ~Ii
THE RIVER PRESS.
WILLIAM S, WRIGHT & STEVENS,
PUBLISHERS AND PROPRIETORS.
H. C. WILLIAMS, .- - - - - - - EDITOR
WoRK on the Canadian Pacific is being
rapidly pushed on its Pacific terminus, and
Chinese labor is being actively employed,
which is producing the same state of ill-feel
ing among the Canadian and British laborers
their presence has inspired among our own
people.
THE FIGHT for the succession at Albany
gives but a feeble showing for Conkling, as
heretofore, a showing which is now grow
ing feebler. Jacobs leads the van at 49, and
Wheeler is showing a steady gain. Cornell
has fallen to 10. For the long term Depew
leads, and has gained a little notwithstanding
the damaging assaults made upon his charac
ter by the bribery charges. His latest figure
was 54; Kernan, 50; Platt, 27.
THE Star route business drags its length
along, although, aside from the development
of the case from Rock Creek to Custer,
where the rewards were raised from $11,000
to $100,000 per year, there is nothing new
that affects Montana. Maginnis' work is not
perceptible in this business, in any way, and
if he had any he managed so cleverly that
his presence cannot be detected. Thus far
efforts to incriminate him have failed, al
though in the matter detailed last week he
had too much to say for good appearances.
But he may not have known the import of
his words ncr the use which they would be
put in the unscrupulous hands of the ring, of
whose existence it is not to be expected he
was aware. Time will disclose a few of the
ringleaders.
LATE dispatches indicate that English for
eign policy will assume a purely defensive
attitude, and that scientific frontiers and
chromo islands-like Cyprus- be abandoned*
This li~iic and malarial-island will be
given to the:Greeks, and British oversight of
Armni,.ie.given to whosoever may want it.
English Tories sarcastically recommend that
PiMalta be given to Italy for the repeal of the
iiaty on calico, and that Gibraltar be traded
to Spain for a favoring commercial treaty.
Conocrent wits this gentiment, o-r goesip, is
the attitude of indignant speculation over the
I-- -r------ -
Tunisian matter, which has for a week or
two been gathering into a perfect storm over
what its press is pleased to call French du
plicity, until the expression has become al
most warlike. They berate their Gallic
neighbors for becoming the tool of Bismarck
and working into German hands by antagon
izing England and Italy. They have almost
forgotten the treaty which Disraeli and Lord
Salisbury made with' both Russia and
Turkey, in which the programme that was
to be carried out at the Berlin Congress was
definitely settled before the Congress had
met, and which made of the Congress a per
fect farce. It was engaged that Russia
should have what she specially wanted, and
that England should take Cyprus and the
guarantee of Armenia. M. Waddington, the
French minister of Foreign affairs, was also
admitted to a slice, and that slice was Tunis
-which Beaconsfield afterwards withdrew,
leaving France to get it outside of the treaty
if she could. France has taken it upon her
self to take Tunis by force of arms, and now
England raises the hue and cry of "duplicity."
The real fact is, France is getting into dan
gerous proximity to Egypt and the Suez
canal, and English fears are getting aroused
for the "key to India," and not, as is claimed
by the English press, through humanity for
the poor Tunisian people, who are brought
thus ruthlessly into servitude by savage
Frenchmen.
There is no doubt of the French tendency
in the direction of Egypt, nor that the fear
of England for its safety from such "rapaci
ty" has good foundation, for French influ
ence in Egypt has been steadily pushing the'
British out of the channels of trade and profit
and it is very likely that this influence is
fostered by Bismarck,for it is in the direction
of his policy,- and cannot be opposed
to the future policy of France. France is
neither ready nor anxious for war with Ger
many, and Germany is conscious that she
cannot repeat the military operations of '71.
The power that Germany most fea rs, and
has reason to fear, is Russia. The French
movement in Tunis, and her preponderance
in Egypt means a jealous oversight from -her
of Russia pretensions in the Levant-
pretensions which, if carried to a successful
issue, would be the destruction of German
predominence. England, as a military ftc
tor in any possible complication on the con
tinent, is practically out of the field, and
could render but little assistance to an allied
war upon Russia, while France with her vast
military establishment, if she had no inter
est ini common to protest fromi Russian ag
gression, would prove a dangerous, if not
paralyzing element, and it is obvioubly to the
interest of Germany to see France situated
where her interests will be involved by Rus
I sian pretensions, and France has apparent
ly taken the step with open eyes. There
have been vague whisperings of a Franco
German allliance on the Baltic question
which time may develop into -a startling re
R ality. Germany has long cast a covetous
eye on Denmark and Holland, and felt the
inadequacy of her coast line and harbor fa
cilities, and Bismarck has more than once in
timated that the end of these little kingdoms
must be in the German empire. France has
likewise had an eye on Belgium. Neither
power can gain their coveted territory with
out the consent of both, and it is by no means
an impossibility that both may decide that
to be the best thing to do-and do it. Na
s tions do not go to war theire days for re
- venge, simply, but for more tangible gain,
I and there is nothing to be gained by a war
1 between Germany and France, unless it be
I Alsace and Lorra ine, which would cost more
than it was worth to retake, and which Bis
- marck has several times said was his mistake
to ever take away from France.
CONKLING AS THE LEADER of the anti-mo
nopoly league, and of the democratic ele
ment in American society, appears in a new
light. It is difficult to guess whether he will
attempt the role of a GraCchus or a Catiline.
It is not difficult to see, however, that he is
neither a Marius nor a Julius Caesar. Conk
ling with his buncomb and cant and perfect
insincerity of political and social morality is
not in the true sense a popular man, and will
not prove a successful nor a popular leader.
But it is certain that the time is ripe for a
popular movement--a movement of the sort
that when once begun will be difficult of con
trol-and of which the full scope and final
tendency will be impossible to present per
ception. While we do not believe that Mr.
Conkling will be the successful leader of the
popular party in the United States, because
in his fight with the administration he has
represented the very principle which under
lies and has underlayed the utter perversion
of popular power in the government, he is
one of those men whose destructive influence
on existing parties and political forces will
give opportunity for the amplification and
settlement of new ideas, in a new form
of political expres sion, and with new men.
If he will prove unable-to build up this new
party he will effectually prepare the way by
thydestruCtio a of the .. ; befATore new
party can form from the 'wreck of the two
old parties, the two old parties must be
wrecked. It is almost too much to hope for
that the Republican party is wrecked by this
move of Mr. Corikling's, but it is impossible
to draw any other conclusion from the way
events are shaping themselves. The position
of the administration has called forth a spon
taneous burst of popular applause, which at
first sight would appear to be a sure guaran
tee of its perpetuity and success. But the "ef
forts of the administration have been so
warmly seconded by the railroad interests,
the National Banking interests and other
monopoly interests that popular enthusiasm
in this administration will gradually cool
into indifference or positive reaction, as the
animus of those interests becomes apparent.
Once the lines of monopoly and anti-mo
nopolybecome so sharply defined that the
side issues which have retarded the develop
ment of a popular party will not cover up
the true issue before the American people,
and we will see the anti-monopoly party as
sume a growth and strength that will be
phenomenal. But until the cardinal princi
ple is reached, it will amount to inefficient
struggle and inevitable defeat.
But how isthe power of monopoly to be
checked or destroyed? That is a question
which the anti-monopolists have not solved
nor even answered. How are the people to
assert that supremacy in the government
which must be asserted before the monopoly
power can be even reached. And assuming
that they have reached that supremacy, in
what manner are they going to assert it ?
Will they subordinate the oligarchic Senate
to the democratic house? If they do they
must destroy the Constitution and reorganize
the government. Having destroyed an oli
garchic Senate, and given supreme power to
the House and the Executive, will they go
still further, and destroy the feudal system
of State government which underlies the
oligarchic Senate? Having gone thus far,
will they go still further and either buy or
confiscate the railroads, the telegraph and
the banking systems, and operate them for
the benefit of the people, as the postal ser
vice is now operated, and as the railroad,
telegraph, and other services are operated
in Germany ? These are the great problems
implied in the anti-monopoly movement, and
until these conditions are fulfilled, the anti
monopoly mnvement will be a failure, more
or less partial according to the degree of
their fulfillment. By no less a revolution
can the people of America control or even
affect their government. As:the government
is at' present organized, with its powers
so excessively divided, its machinery is the
mere tool of capitalized interests. Legisla
tures are packed and bought until their crea
tur es in the senate are and can be only the
servants of the capital that has bought and
paid for their positions. Courts are packed
and bought until they are the mere creatures
of the monopoly interests-the hired servants
of the corporations that have placed them in
position. The Electoral college presents an
effectual barrier to popular influence on the
Presidential office, and allows a minority of
the Senate, and the monopoly interest, to
manipulate and select the Presidential in
cumbent.
Before the Government can buy or con
fiscate railroad lines, or assert even a re
strictive influence over them and other
monopoly interests, it must become the
master of the corporations, not. its servant.
Before the people can even meet the first
condition of the problem they must become
the masters of its government, not its t ool,
and before the government can become the
master of corporations, and before the peo
ple can become the master of its govern
ment, a revolution in our system that is terri
bly radical must ensue-a revolution that
would be impossible, if it were not that the
sentiment of individual self preservation did
not render it imperative-a sentiment that
will certainly in time bring it about. Such a
revolution may be effected suddenly, but it
is more likely to come by degrees, as neces
sity will dictate. The English and American
mind has not that synthetic perception of
cause and effect which has enabled the
French to throw off by a single terrible
effort the garb of maedieval feudalism, and
assume a pure democracy in almost a single
generation, and events are unripe for the
radical change in our government that must
ensue before the necessary reforms can be
accomplished.
Is the effort of Conkling to strengthen the
senatorial cabal, and the senatorial preten
sions, and the senatorial prerogative a step in
the direction of a popular government? Is
is not rather a step towards strengthening
the oligarchy that stands between the people
and the great corporations-an oligarchy
that is the tool of the monopolists, and is
making a tool of the people. It does not re
quire a high degree of perception to see the
hollowness of his pretensions; and the
divine and prescient instinct of the popular
mind has already perceived its hollowness,
and will not follow a leadership even which
is armed with the popular bait of anti
mopoly. Whatever may be the aim of the
President, adL ._however.---he..may he -under
the influence of monopoly and capital, he
has struck a blow at the oligarchy which it
will not survive, and has ,made the first
effort toward popular emancipation and
popular influence on the government, that
will survive both himself and his party, and
which is one of those peculiar events by
which the schemes' of designing men are
made to subserve the ends of justice.
The Star Route Prosecutions.
NEW YQRK, June 16.--The Times' Wash
ington special says: The officers charged
with the prosecution of the Star route frauds
expect to be prepared to begin operations
when the grand jury meets, which will be
the latler part of the present month. The
selection of Hubert Schutter and Andrew
Langdon as members of the grand jury has
given rise to considerable comment in con
sequence of the former connection of these
two gentlemen with the Postoffice Depart
ment. Schutter is a fresco painter and per
formed work for the department. His work,
it appears was not satisfactory, and an inves
tigation was ordered by the Postmaster-Gen
eral, the result of which has not yet been
fully made public. Langdon is President of
the Cooperative Mail and Transportation
Company, of which Albert E. Boone is gen
eral manager, and. whose peculiar methods
in manipulating postal contracts have been
fully exposed in the Times. The grand jury
consists of twenty-four members, and the
vote of a majority of that number is required
to make presentments.
The Times' editorial hints at efforts of
Brady and his associates in the star route
rascalities to induce the administration to let
up on them. They will use their influence
to the utmost. There is not the slightest
reason for fearing that anything these rascals
can do will deter either James or McVeagh
from the course upon which they have en
tered. It is to be hoped there is no ground
for fearing that they may be able to allure
or drive any of the official associates or offi.
cial superiors of these men from giving them
all the support they need, but there are
threats and murmurs that are disquieting.
Public sentiment ought to be more aroused
on this subject and demand with unmistaka
ble voice the strengthening of the hands of
those engaged in this prosecution and the
baffling of the devices of the desperate con
spirators who are at bay.
Grant as a Talker.
NEW YORK, June 14.--The Tribune says :
When General Grant was known as the Si
lent, men thought him wise. He talks this
year, and his talk is not creditable to him nor
those who have honored him. It is very dif
ficult to conceive of a lower or more degrad
ing conception of public affairs than that
which Grant seems to have from his talk ap
parently. He conceives that the sole object
of a political party is to put some individuals
into the enjoyment of fat offices, and that
the- Republican ,,party ought to have no
higher aim in life:than to bow at the feet of
U. S. Grant and. Roscoe Conkling. Never
before have personal politics been pushed to
such disgusting lengths as in the conversa
tions of the ex-President. There are thou
sands of sensible people in the country who
voted for Grant and favored his nomination
last year, but who confess the fact with
shame to-day. The number of people who
think him fit for a civil office is not in
creasing since he began to talk.
The Postmaster General's Work.
NEW YoRK, June 14.-The Times' Wash
ington special says of Postmaster Genera.l
James' work : Although Brady has been out
of office only three months, the annual ex
penses of the deparment have been reduced
$1,500,000, whilst the interests of the people
have been carefully considered and have not
been injured. This reduction in the annual
cost of Star routes is up to this date $935,000
of which $190,000 were saved in the last ten
days. There has been additional saving in
the contracts for supplies to raise the total
to more than $1,000,000. Large additional
reductions in the cost of the Star route ser
vice have been determined upon and are not
included in the total given above. Reductions
not included will be made at the beginning
of next month, when contracts for some ex
isting service will expire, and not be re
newed, and yet the great "expedited" routes
have hardly been touched. The reduction
thus far made in the Star service are only
the beginning of a work that will be based
on official reports. The estimated receipts
of the Departments for the next fiscal year
are $39,578,789, and it is believed they will
exceed this sum. 'Lae estimated expenses
aoe $40,995,432, so that the expenses will
have to be reduced only $1,376,943 to es
tablish the Department on a paying basis.
This can be easily done. There can be no
doubt that a judicious, fair and honest reor
ganizition of Brady's fraudulent Star route
service will bring into reality the dream of
the postal expert-a postal department not
only self-sustaining, but affording a profit to
the Government.
Bach Talk.
ALBANY, June 14.-Bradley testified that
there wis no discord or factional fight be
tween him and Sessions, although all of the
party did not endorse Sessions' action at Chi
cago. He thought that he did not tell C. P.
Ingersoll that he had voted for Conkling and
Platt for the last time, and would not make
a direct answer as to whether he told Dunnell
of the New York Times that he would vote
for Depew hereafter. He did not think he
told him or Lymean B. Smith of the Buffalo
Courier that outside money was given wit
ness by a lobbyist, and was positive that he
-d-i ---nottellJF. M. Miller, of Chatsuqua, o-.
He did not remember saying in Kelly's ciar
store in Olean, on Sunday, that there was
consternation in store for the people at Al
bany. He thought he did say that he could
get $500 for voting for Depew, and at the
same time please his constituency, but said
he would not do it. He did not tell the post
master that he could get $7,500 to vote for
Depew. He thought from street and news
paper talk that some members of the Legis
lature could be bought. His was the only
case in which he knew of an offer being
made, except, perhaps, Mr. Young's.
Coinage of Silver Dollars.
The orders for coinage of silver dollars at
the various mints for the current month foot
up 2,300,000 pieces, which is 300,000 more
than the minimum required by law. The
excess is perhaps in part accounted for by
the department's understanding that the
statute requires the coinage of $2,000,000
worth of silver bullion monthly. It is not
a highly important matter, inasmuch as the
entire coinage for months has been stored in
the treasury, there being no demand for it,
and the addition of a small fraction to the
useless total cannot make much difference.
Probably Congress will see the necessity for
some action on the subject at the next see
sion, and the conclusions of the monetary
congress in Paris may by that time afford a
basis for more intelligent legislation than
that under which the manufacture of cheap
dollars is. now proceeding. Anything worse
than the present arrangement, considering
the state of the bullion market, could hardly
be contemplated by any nation not prepared
for positive and undisguised repudiation.
C7hicago Times.
NWIVS NOTES.
A prominent miller at Minneapolis states
that the mills of that city will grind 16,000,
000 to 18,000,000 bushels of wheat during
the fiscal year, and the Minnesota mills out
side of that city will grind as much more.
On the 14th inst, at Albany Conkling said
to a friend that the question of his re-elec
tion will soon be decided, because devel
opments which are to come in the bribery
case will either cause the half-breeds to
vote for the Stalwarts or seek an adjourn
ment.
Press dispatches say that the stories of
Blaine's are untrue. He was never more ro
bust in his life. He has had nothing to do
with the New York fight, and means to
have nothing to do with it. He keeps up his
communication with the Department by tele
phone, and goes there only when he abso
lutely is obliged to do so.
The geographical position of New Or
leans is beginning to assert itself. It is now
the second port of export in the country,and
greater than the next two. For April the
exports of New Orleans exceeded $11,000,
000, the exports of Boston for that month
was $6,000,000. An occasional gleam of
exultation is visible in the New Orleans pa
pers ; but,: as a rule, they accept prosperity
:with:a moderation equal to the fortitude,
with whch they endured stagnation in the
sad days of political agitation. .
I_ .i - - ,·, ,_ ··wnfm l l ol l m lilnl mni i . _