Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1875-04-15
Shall San Francisco Secure the Trade Oi
Montana.

We have heard but little recently of the
great Northern Railroad enterprise projected
hy the banking house of Jay Cooke d Co.
This road created quite a sensation IN Europe
some years since as a grand financial scheme:
and whether the house Of Jay Cooke, Nc
Culloch s. Go. collapsed the railroad, or the
railroad collapsed the bank. is not yet quite
certain This road was to have been built
from duluth, at the western end OF Lake
Superior, across the continent of about latl-
tudc 4. degrees north, passing through the
State of Minnesota and the Territories OF
Dakota, Montana and Idaho, and along the
boundary line between Oregon and Washing
ton Territory, one Of its western branches
terminating ut Puget Sound and one at the
mouth of the Columbia river. 1t was claimed,
and the claim is doubtless well founded, that
this road would have passed through coun-
try rich in mineral wealth and Of vast agricul-
tural capacity. The scheme failed, as the
schemes of great spectators are apt to fail,
for want of money. The house OF Jay Cooke
t. Co. had not the money with which to build
the road, and from all we can understand OF
their extravagant and loose management they
had no right to expect credit in Europe upon
the work they had projected. 1t IS SAID that,
although some hundreds of miles were partly
constructed and some road actually built, no
through survey was ever made. The govern
ment has given q land grant, which we un-
derstand has now lapsed, and as no recent
application has been made to Congress for
subsidy, we may reasonably presume that the
whole scheme has been abandoned, or at
least left for some more favorable future and
some more prudent association to exploit.
That such road will in time become nc
cessity there is no doubt, but in the meantime
the people of Lewis and Clarke county, in the
Territory of Montana, have met at Helena
and resolved that they cannot wait: ANY
BODY. good Lord" is now the pathetic ap-
peal of this maiden land, rich in minerals and
herds, anxious to throw herself and her rich
trade into the arms of the first who will come
wooing her upon the iron horse. We OF Cali
fornia are just dying to embrace the fair
Montana and her sister Idaho. We are polyg-
amists in trade matters, and are inclined to
matrmOny with all the nice young Territories
east of u.s. Having captured Nevada, we are
Just now wooing Arizona, and are fairly
painting to grasp her rich mines and broad
acres. This, however, we regard so nearly
an accomplished fact that we can begin to
cast our glances northward. The thing to be
done is for the Central Pacific Railroad Com
pany to push their rails northward just as the
Southern Pacific is now building southwark.
We understand that survey has already been
made starting from some point upon the Cen
trail Pacific Road within the Territory of Ne
vada, passing northward through Idaho and
into Montana Territory, and to the vicinity
of Helena With this Southern road COM
pleted to Arizona, and a northern branch built
to the rich mineral country of Western Mon
tana, we should be most exceedingly we'll
wlved. Less than five hundred miles of rail,
over a moderate grade, would bring to the
port and city of San Francisco the splendid
trade of two great Territories, great even now
in their infancy, but absolutely immeasureable
when in the future they become peoplcd and
developed. Occupying, as we do, the single
port available for commerce upon the western
coast, it is of the highest importance that we
should make our city the receiving and dis
tributing point of all the interior trade west
of the Rocky Mountains. BY an accident,
the Union Pacific Railroad has stolen away
portion of the Utah trade, which belonged to
us by right of geographical location. And it
is taken from US to the East because an East
ern railroad company had the forethought,
prudence and enterprise to reach for 1t. One
such accident as this should serve for the ex-
perience of years. If the Union Pacific Com
pany shall reach up through Wyoming for
this Montana trade, they will get it; the first
railroad constructed to the Territory will Sc
cure the business. There is no estimating
the advantage this trade would be to us in the
future. 1t is exceedingly important to the
State of Nevada that it should be put in COM
munication with its northern neighbors.
There is no real estate in California that
would not be advanced in value; and there is
no business in the States of California or
Nevada that would not be rendered more
profitable if this connection could be made.
1t seems to US that San Francisco lacks pub
lie enterprise in this direction. We hear of
the wealthy men of Boston projecting, and
after long years completing the Hossac Tun-
mel, 50 that Massachusetts may get her share
of the Western trade. We hear of the enter
prise of New York men and merchants in
promoting railroads, securing trade, building