, 1866-06-22
THE ROUTES no MONTANA.

Interested parties have for months been
eudeavoriug to manufacture public opinion
adverse to the Mullan Road, and in favor of
the Pen d'Oreile route to Montana. More
recently the logic of events has forced upon
the parties referred to the conviction that
possibly they have been mistaken as to the
question of routes, and accordingly the Port
land papers no longer come to us filed with
"puffs" of Pen d'Oreille and Moody's ferry
boat In the slang literature of the day, Pen
d. Oreille is 'played out" and the promising
town (on papeD of White Bluffs no longer
affords the Portland papers the usual stand
ing item. Indeed, we have it on good au
thority that the agent of the Montana Trans
portation Company has abandoned White
Bluffs, and left our young friend Booth "sole
monarch Of all he surveys" Sensible men
from the first we're convinced that trade
could never be made to follow the route in
question, and had it not been for the fact
that the movement was calculated TO ondans
5o- .Lo-Ioss of tho VI Lvlo trade with Months
ma, we, at least, would have been content to
let the originators of the humbug blow their
bubble until it burst from sheer expansion.
The evil effect of this persistent attempt to
divert trade and travel from tile legitimate
channel is now seen and felt in the "dull
times" of which the people of the "empori-
um" so bitterly complain, and in the general
depression in all branches of business. But
this is a matter upon which we are not dis
posed to dwell 1t is possible that by lib
eral expenditure of money and enterprise
the Pen d'Oreile route may yet be made
practicable, and that in the early spring it
will be preferred to the Ceur d AIene route.
This by no means affects our position, that
all our means and enterprise should primarily
have been applied to opening the Mullan
Road. On this point the opinion of the
people of Montana is clear and emphatic, as
evidenced by the action Of the Territoria
Legislature in adopting a memorial to Con-
gress asking an appropriation of money to
open the Mullan Road. The following is
the language Of the memorial
\ In 1853 Congress appropriated thirty thousand
dollars, which sum was placed in the hands of Lieu
tenant Mu.an for the purpOsc3ot opening a military
road from Walla Walla to Fort Benton, the greater
portion OF which expedited in preliminary sur
CONGRESS- tp1 bu drnd
thousand dollars for the purpose Said ruad
was commenced, and in 1860, further appropriation
of one hundred thousand dollars was made Said
road was lmpertctly opened to Fort Benton and now
remains mpassa5le. Therefore, in CONNECTION with
the road asked fCr from the Missouri river below the
aforementioned distractions, we earnestly entreat
you to make further appropriation for the opening
OF the said Mullan Road thereby establishing free
INSTRUMENTATION between the waters of the Mis-
souri, and Columba-the two great rivers of the east
and west-thus materially cheupening tho rates Of
transportation TO people, and adding largely 10
the veal OF the territory.
1t is TO be presumed that the authors of
this memorial understood the business in
hand, and in ignoring all other routes and
endorsing the Mullan Road, they doubtless
",spoke by the card" We trust that our
Portland cotemporaries will re.publish this
memorial. 1t will give their readers an ops
POrtunity of knowing how the people of
Montana regard this question of routes, aud
will serve to remove erroneous Impressions
This action of the Montana Legislature more
than vindicates the course we have pursued
throughout the whole of this controversy
about routes, and fully confirms what we
have uniformly elaimed-that the Mullan
Road furnishes the best means oil communi>
cation with the Backfoot country
An NPCsrOR.-We learn that a man named
J. E. Ninton, is travelling through the country
and representing himself Special Postal
Agent. In this way be has managed to get