Rocky Mountain husbandman. [volume] (Diamond City, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1877-03-29
LETTER FROM SUN RIVER.

PDITOR HUSBASDMAN
Your favor was duly received ana con-
tents noted. | notice by the Helena papers
that J. Gould. Dillon q Co. will not accept
the pr offered subsidy. | suppose 1t IS no"
in order for any other corporation or com
! panv to accept the propositions, but leaf
| there is little prospect in that dlrectloh'
knowing that the Northern Pacliic's char
ter expires in July next, and that the Deli
ton proposition would prove inadequate 10
our wants. | felt inclined to support tins
| North and South railroad proposition, be-
]ievine it to be the very best rainboW OF
hone on the dark and thickening cloud OF
adversely now gathering before us. we
need railroad communication with the M
side world, $50 to speak) for we are on the
outside-not so much for cheaper transport
tation, but to give egress and lngress the
wear round; to bring immigration, capital
and labor. If we were altogether, there are
hardly enough of us to make Il respectable
sized town. We are trying to spread over
too much country, our farms are entirely
too large, we need more people to help us
cultivate our broad acres of mineral, agrl-
| cultural and pastoral wealth, and the best
way to get this, in fact, it does seem that
the only way open for us, is to subsidize.
This word substitute, / don't like; it con-
veys to the average mind a something
wrong in principle; but it does seem, that
if there ever was a time for a people to de-
viate somewhat from principle, that time
has arrived in the history OF our Territory.
| for one am willing to deyiate from what |
conceive to be a principle, when | feel and
know we will all be benefited thereby, and
will commit no wrong aginst God or mar
by so doing.
Give us railroad connection with the East,
then if the reputed wealth of our mines
be a fable, we will the quicker know 1t.
We could all then pull up stakes and leave
the country in better shape than we cannow,
or we would have a railroad to leave on.
Many of us will not live over fifteen or
: hat wants to die in Montana without ever
caring the shrill whistle of the iron horse
within her borders, and | will show you a
Imam without energy, enterprise or grit
one that has lost confidence in human kind,
and faith in God.
1t is true, the tax will be onerous for three
or four years, and that some two hundred
miles of the road is in Idaho. The bill only
provides tor three hundred and eighty miles
of road, but it is the best bill we have got,
and our only chance for railroad connection
with the East, is through this bill. Who
ever heard of anything suiting everybody?
1t was not the intention of this William -
o be so popular.
] noticed in the Colorado Farmer that the
product of the mines of Colorado in 1876
vas seven million of dollars, and that of the
arm and pasture, eight millions of dollars,
Nth railroads. Might not OIL agricultural
nd pastoral wealth in time outstrip our
i hines? At any rate the farm and pasture
1 'ill be equally benefited with the mines.
The product of the farms of Illinois in one
par is worth more than the product of all
he mines in the United States and Terrific
les in the same period Of time. We can all
lie and get along without a railroad; but
to many of us have lost our nerve in the
Wy of developing or improving the coun-
y t. Railroad connection will brighten our
Iospects, and give us new life and energy.
l We will go to work with a renewed will, de-
tmined to turn up something, and not sit
y own "Micawberlike," waiting for some
ting to turn up. Better by far to support
ts subsidy and fly to ills we know not of,
r TIN bear those we have, which are becom-