Bozeman avant courier. [volume] (Bozeman, Mont.) 1872-1882, 1873-05-16
SHALL WE SUBSCRIBE FOR j
RAILROAD?

!, ture has been productive OF one result,
least, namely: the putting in proper slIal
: Tor agitation aud discussion, the policy
building railroad into tie settlements
9 Montana by means II the resources OF thos
settlements, young as they are, and jn.
emerging from The hardshlps, cxciteallelll
anu ovcr-cstinNes incident to all irolllis
!, life, into ilic sfaid and sober blsincss-Iik
!, modes and habits pcrvauiug older comMull
Z ties.
q While lam firmly OF opinion that the PR
jcct entertained, anu alsv the plan devised, b
our Legislative Assembly are inpraclicabl.
must say that admire the boldncss OF Ill
scheme and, also. The Quxiotic pluck
! with which their paper railroad is conceived
surveyed. lescllcd, graded, built, and PAL
for - 49,
1 But these questions are propounded by TIL
BllIto every voter andstax- payer OF Gallati
county: Slall your County Commissioner
subscribe fifteen per cent. OF your propert,
for tile builtil Of narrow-gaage raiIrea.
flom the Central Pacific. the Union Pacific
! or the Utal, Northern Railroad into the Ter
ritury Of Montana.
| Shall these Commissioners thus. BY sub
scribing your private property, becomestoel
holders in some such road TO tile extent of tile
sum total OF fifteen per cent. Of every citi
zen's IN ncy and estate? ysa .s+ sa'
| Will you tax yourselves to the amount Of
fifteen per cent of J our property. and pay fol
n, ia
route it shall traverse. or the difficulties oi
its construction, or its cost: reaching, ex-
tending. OF ,oiading, from either, or any, OF
the railroads above named to the town OF
IIelera? ts
Will you become stock holders In some
ness or It's management, to the extent OF
about one-sixth of what you are now worth,
or may be north
These questions call for candid considers
lion, and. on account Of their Importance,
propose to discuss the Railroad project. thro'
the columns OF your paper-ii it shall ii, en-
croach too much upon your spacc--in series
of articles.
A feature of the railroad scheme put fort
by the Legislature which will strike the care
less reader, is, that the burden is to be borne
by only a part Of the counties of the Terri
tory. Our ntighbors Of Deer Lod :, Mis-
souia and Clo,eau counties are no. to be per-
mtfed to subscribe to the grand scheme,
BY an examination OF the report of the
Territorial Auditor, for December, 1872, we
find that the total assessable property OF the
Territory is a little over $4,000 900. and that
Of this the counties OF Deer Lodge, Missoula
and Choteau contain almost So DOC, 900.
Why is it that those counties are to be cX-
empt from the proposed railroad tax, con-
aiming oae third of the property of the Ter
,itory? We in Gallatin county are told. by
Inc few, very few, advocates among lis of the
scheme, that railroad from some point on
he Union Il Central Pacific to Helena. will |
,enciitsus, however remote its actual line
principle and reasoning apply 10 tile abaye
famed three counties exempt by the bill from I
he tax or subseription2 Why, then. should
We assist in building railroad which is to BE-
f equal advantage to our West-side neigli- |
ors rs to ourselves, AMI they be exempt and
oniribute not penny to the scheme !? What
eason, mutuality. or equality is there in this
eature OF the bill?
Again-There is no definite route over
'lIch the pr. posed road is to What,
yer the topography of the country may be,
ne road is to be subscribed for, by the coul,-
y, according to the scheme of some compa-
Y, or any company, to whom the Board OF
oi tile six counties who ore
D build The roadway submit propositions
he law says '.anv company now authorized.
r that may hereafter be organ zed, 4 without
nv regard TO the responsibility. business ca
ability, financial stability or outside Interest
Any such company aud the question OF
subscription or,no subscription is 10 be sub
litted TO the people when' Yer ''any such
ompany shall accept the prop. sitionn of the
without regard to the length
the work or the difficulties of obstruction,
. that the town OF Helena is connected BY
ailway with any point Of the proposed
DAD. s qss ~ lfgG
The real point of the ease is, that we are
sked to entrust the whole thing to the dis
retion and Judgment of the three individuals
Tho may happen to be the Commissioners OF
lis county; not whether we sahaIl have a
abroad North and South, but whether our
commissioners shall entail upon MS. and
lose who may come after us, a mortgage OF
iirty years standing, upon onc-sixth OF our
roperty. to cay company. or any body, who
lay see tit to entertain the three individuals
ho may happen to be Commissioners, and
no may have an ambition to be stock hold
rs IN some scheme OF '.any company"
1t bccomes-us, too, to consider ia this con-
pction, that under the management of the
lree w:,o have heretofore been our Commits
oners, that we have not a building, a
ridge, a square foot of ground, or an inch
structure OF any Kind whatever, nor amy
lplic pr perry whatever: that we areaa0w
ayIng rent Tor the offices Of our public OIL
.ials, in miserable quarters. too. OF eight
andred dollars a year; ard that we now
i've upon Us II county debt If thirty thous-
I'd dollars. or tliercubouts, and all this alter
X years OF management by County Conlnis-
0nerS ! Thousands and thousands OF lines !
ave the taxpayers Of this county made the i
quiry .'Wlmt becomes OF the taxes we
~ 3" and, as yet, no official has deigned to
rnsh any answer.
' j. j. DAVIS.
The best flour in Montana IT, selling at oRel
Illar per Sack OF one uidred pounds, wheat
ty cents busiicI. and prime hams and ba- {
~ ten cen pound iii trade. So says the I