The Montana post., 1869-04-16
Tho Busines. situation.

Montana has felt sensibly the deple>
ton of its population by the White Pine
stampede, ard the stagnation of busl-
ness consequent upon this with the
usual dulness of early spring. Fevered
by excitement, many hundreds of labor
ers. miners. prospectors, small mer-
chants and adventurous spirits have LETT
the various camps and are now either
fiocking along the roads with poor teams
and great expectations, or are bewailing
and Iamenting their folly in the over
crowded towns of White Pine. Already
the reactionary feeling has set in among
Moutanians, as evidenced by numerous
personal letters from disgusted STAINS
peders. We have never conceived it
possible that one in ten who left here
would better their condition, and be-
lieved the chances against them were
much greater than against the hundreds
who rushed to Salmon River in 81 and
TO Sweetwater in '6S. That there Is
wonderfully rich ore there is not denied,
but the district is not extensive so far as
discovered; there are no defined leads;
lawsuits are as plentiful as claims, and
eUerything IS oDer done. Heretofore the
tide has set in that direction with
strong flow: now the indications are it
is wisely turning back. We have no
more TO fear from the exodus to
White Pine, and many that have gone
will return here or drift into the rail~
road towns in Utah. The several huns
dred merchants, mill men, politicians
business men and visitors who have
been in the States during the winter,
are beginning to return The stages
now coming in are filed with them and
strangers accompanying, while many at
the railroad are waiting conveyance, and
others will tend this way from the rail-
road on striking the returning tide from
White Pine. The first steamer has left
Sioux City for Fort Benton, and a dozen
others will follow shortly, bringing
mills and merchandise in unusually
large quantity now on the way up from
st. Louis or awaiting shipment at these
two points. Freighters are putting their
trains in order for the road, ranchers are
seeding a larger quantity OF ground
than last year, and in this and nearly
every other camp in the Territory min~
ing has been. or will quickly be, actively
begun, with good ground for all the
miners in the Territory, and employ
ment for all laborers now here. From
the time placer mining has generally bes
gun, until the arrival of the spring
emigration, wages Will be hrm ana
probably higher than last year, while
after that, although they may be lower,
there will be a corresponding decrease
in staple commodities. The large quan>
tity of goods being brought in the pres
ent season does not give promise OF as
large profits to merchants as the preced>
ing one, unless the emigration Is very
much larger. That the influx of people,
both by river and rail will be larger this
year, all advices from the East indicate,
while the departures will nos be more
than one-half as large as last. But few
families will leave; many are coming.
and the floating element that rises an
nually and generally drifts of to the
States has gone TO White Pine.
In consideration of these facts it is
apparent we have reached the culmina>
ting point of business depression. and
within the month there will be a revived
Vitality, energy and thrift in the mines,
mills, shops, stores and banks. the con-
tinuanco and increase of which. with
miners, will depend greatly npcn the
amount of rains, as the qusntity of snow
il limited, and with merchants, upon the
amount of goods and people coming in.