Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1876-01-27
THE RAILROAD
Mass Meeting at the County
Court House.
Addresses by w. Minor Roberts
and Gen. Geo. Stark.

The HERAID's announcement for public
meeting to be addressed by Gen. George Stark,
Vice President, and w. Minor Roberts, Chief
Engineer, of the Northern Pacific Railroad
Company, drew to the Court House very
large and intelligent assemblage, anxious to
see and hear the distinguished visitors. The
bar of the Court room WAS principally occu-
pied by Legislators, most if not all the men,
bers of both houses being present. The seat
ing space of the body of thehouse, aisles, and
lobby were solidy packed with the leading
citizens of Helena, and many prominent WIS.,
itors from other parts of the Territory.
Hon. w. J. Mccormick, Of Missoula, call
CD tho meeting to order, and on motion; Asso-
ciate Justice Knowles of the Supreme Court,
was chosen to preside.
The Judge said that, in conscnting to take
the chair, he desired it to be understood that
his action was not to be construed as an in
dorsement on his part of any particular rail-
road scheme. He knew something OF the
temper of the people of Montana. They de-
sired o railroad The subject for some years
had largely engaged their attention, and every
day more and more showed their earnest
ness in the matter He would like to be con-
yinced that the present western terminus Of
the Northern Pacific was not too remote from
the settled portions of Montana to be soon
available to the already urgent wants of the
people The Northern Pacific had been our
first love, but hopes deferred had chilled the
hearts of the people, and more than prom
ises were now required to kin6le anew the
earlier affection and re-establish the con-
tidence of the past.
On motion, a committee of three, consist
ing of w. J. Mccormick, j. G. Spratt, and
Granville Stuart, was appointed to wait up
on and escort Gen. Stark and Mr.. Roberts to
the stand.
The gentlemen soon made their appearance
escorted by the committee, and were received
with applause.
W. MlLNOR ROBERTS SPEECH.
Slr. Roberts first addressed the meeting.
He prefaced his remarks with a reference TO
statements he had made to the people OF Mon
tana some years ago, respecting the feasibil-
ity Of the general route of the N. Z. Railroad
between the east and west along this latitude
and its capabilities of yielding profitable
business; adding, that the surveys afterward
made by the company had established its
feasibility, and that nothing had occurred to
lessen the intrinsic value of the Territories
through which it is to run. That although
the placer gold mining had decreased-mainly
for want of capital needed to construct more
extensive works for the conveyance of water
quartz mining was on the increase; and a
new and valuable clement, sheep-raising and
wool, had been added to the natural products
of the country and was rapidly becoming a
very important item of Montana commerce.
The claim made by many of your intelligent
citizens. who have resided in the different
Territories, that Montana is by far the best in
natural resources, as far as can judge, ap-
pears to be we'll founded The same, or SIM
liar enterprises, which have developed the
mining and other capacities of Utah, Color
ado and Nevada, will probably lead to even
greater results in Montana. In 1869, the year
of the opening of the only continental line
yet completed. and soon after it commenced
running, Travelled over it under favorable
auspices for observing its location, its then
proposed terminus on the Pacific at San
Francisco, and the incipient mining interests
along the route. The conclusion to which
then arrived was quite contrary to the gener-
al opinion freely expressed by travellers and
others, who were pretty unanimously of the
opinion that it would be a financial failure.
thought saw in it elements OF probable
success, and gave expression at the time to
this belief in articles which were published in
the newspapers of the East. had no inter
est in the road then, or at any time before OF
since, and my judgment was not formed
from anything which had occurred in its
financial management; but wholly upon the
fact of its trans-cOntinentAl character, and as
means of speedily developing the resources
Of the interior Territories through which il