Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1876-01-27

passes. l may say, here, parenthetically,
that afterward ventured a sort of prophecy
in Helena, which has not been fulfilled; to
the effect that we hoped and expected to take
the citizens of Montana. including the ladies,
to the Centennial in Philadelphia, in 1876, all
the way by rail. So far as the ladies are
concerned, can only say now, that am
here. ready to escort them to the nearest sta
ton. and thence by rail to Philadelphia.
The circumstances which stopped the on
ward movement of the Northern Pacific rail-
road, and which prostrated many other great
interests and individual fortunes, are well
known to all of you, and need not now be
discussed. Lamentations are useless. Our
duty as men is to endeayor 70 recover the lost
ground at the earliest practicable moment ;
and the present seems to be propitlous time
to resume active operations. Labor, cross
ties, iron, and all materials and supplies need
full are lower now than they have been for
wears. Contractors of undouMed experience
and ability are ready to take contracts at
moderate prices. and thus the cost Of the ex-
tension of the railroad west Of the Missouri
will be reduced to the lowest rate per mile.
The railroad company now owns on Its eastern
end sufficient number of locomotives and cars
to run the road four or five hundred miles be-
yond Bismarck; and ample for the convey
ance of the material, supplies and men lc-
uuired for the work. Fort Abraham Lincoln
stands on the west side Of tile Missouri, Cp-
posite Bismarck, ready to protect the advance
of the road across western Dakota into Mon
tana, and other forts arc promised on the
Yellowstone, as soon as 1t shall be apparent
that the railroad will be in the course OF con-
struction along that Valley.
The Sioux question, that is, the final set
tlement of the difficulties, dangers, and enoi-
nous annual expenses to the government,
connected with the attempted management OF
these warlike sayages, will, it is perfectly We'll
understood. be put at rest at once and forever,
bv the construction Of the Northern Paclhc
railroad through the Yellowstone Valley into
the heart of Montana. In the effort OF the
Northern Pacific Railroad Company to prose
cute their work westward from the Missouri,
the hearty cooperation of the Government IS
therefore assured. The officers OF the army
who are most familiar with this great Indian
question. see in the construction OF this rail-
road the final solution of the problem OF sub
stituting for the useless rowing Indian supre-
macy Throughout this region, the reign OF or
der and progress of white civilization. An
other year should not be lost in seeking this
vital cOnsummation-the final settlement of
the Indian question in connection with the
Territories of Dakota and Montana; and it
need not be, if all parties interested harmon
ize, and apply their united energies to the
task. No parties are more Interested in this
matter than the people of Montana.
The characteristics of the route of the
Northern Pacific Railroad, although they
have often been stated, are SO peculiarly
ho nf
animation and study. At the time the Gov
ernment made the surveys of the three Con-
tinental routes, in 1853 "a, the Northern,
surveyed by Governor Stevens, was generally
conceded to be, in its Typographical! features,
by far the most advantageous; but the cir-
cumstances Of succeeding years led to the
formation of the two companies, which, pa
tronized by the Government, constructed the
first Continental line between Omaha and
Sacramento, and to San Francisco. Chicago
is. however, the practical eastern terminus OF
one prong of that Continental line, because it
strikes the lake navigation; while st. Louis
is the terminus of the other prong, because it
there strikes that commanding position on
the Mississippi. Between Chicago, on Lake
Michigan, and San Francisco, the railroad
distance is twenty -four hundred miles. The
Northern Pacific Railroad has its eastern
terminus at the head Of Lake Superior, be-
cause it there meets the splendid navigation
of the Great Lakes; and this point is only
two thousand miles by the railroad route,
passing through Montana, to Puget Sound, on
the Pacific, where, owing to its position on
the coast, there is an advantage OF about seven
to eight hundred miles between the United
States and Japan, ETC., as compared with the
sailing lines from San Francisco. And the
western terminus on Puget Sound, in the
Territory of Washington, has climate where
severe winters are unknown, and is sur
rounded by primeyal forests of timber-the
grandest on the globe already yielding an
nually over two hundred millions of feet of
lumber for the supply of San Francisco,
China and Japan.
1t is substantially valley route, between
Lake Superior and the Pacific, the only ex-
ceptions being the Belt Range east of Boze-
man, and the Main Divide Of the Rocky
Mountains. These SUBMITS are only about
seventeen hundred feet above the valleys of
gradual approach, and about six thousand
feet above the sea being more than two
thousand feet lower than Sherman summit on
the Union Pacific, and more than one thou
sand feet lower than the SUBMITS on the Cen
trail Pacific. In fact, the entire range OF
country along the Union Pacific line for more
than four hundred miles, is higher than
the highest summit on the Northern Pacific.
1t is well known, also, that the Northern
route runs through regions not subject to
material obstruction from SHOWS.
Montana is the Central Territory, with an
area about three times as great as the State
of Pennsylvania. Its interior is five hundred
miles distant from any railroad facilities,
such as are enjoyed by the other Territories.
Helena, the principal commercial emporium. is
within about one hundred and forty miles of
stage and wagon road from Fort Benton, the
head of navigation on the Missouri-four
thousand miles from its mouth, and about
the same distance by the river from Pitts