Rocky Mountain husbandman. [volume] (Diamond City, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1877-03-15
.vr1-RA1LRoAD LETTER FROM HELENA

+ion If Oliver Ames and others modified by
the tenth Legislative Assembly OF Mon1a'''
: 1;kelv 70 he submitted to the voters OF tlle
Territory for approval or rejection Oh '''e
10Th day of April next, permit me 10 say"
few words to your readers,
The question for Is to echs1aer 40 y
whether certain individuals have'ior some
time been under contract WIN lle o"io
pacisc Railroad Co. to PREVENT this Ier11to-
nv from granting aid to any road but theirs,
and 10 procure an act to grant alo 70 s"'u
nor whether certain members y
the late Legislature were induced TO 'loia'e
the Instructions. or interest of their constlt"-
ents py the use of railroad money, ~but the
bill as passed with its provisions as ta1ey eX-
ist. should we say by our votes that we de
sire TO have bonds on the Territory lssued
to the, amount Of 100000, bearing seven
and three-tenths per cent. interest, payable
to said company or any five OF them, ana
escrow in New York to be paid to said com
a as the conditions of the act are COM
piled with. or reject said propositions
If any five of said company accept the
terms of the act, then what do they propose
70 do for this enormous subsidy? They
agree to construct a narrow gauge ROAD
from Franklin to Helena in three years
from July next, to pass within five miles OF
the mouth of Pipestone creek, in Jefferson
county, and on the most direct and practlca-
bic route, provided $50 miles reach Helena;
but, section 81 of said act so modities" section
9, as to only require the said parties to'con-
struct said road $50 miles, and lin case 1T
does not reach Helena, then the company is
requested to build in the most direct and
practicable route from Franklin towards
Helena without regard to Pipestone. 1t is
v 400 miles from Helena to Franklin by
the. stage route, and no person in the Ter
ritory believes that390 miles will4reach Hell
ena. Then if the company thinkit will pay
them better to connect with the National
Park than with Pipestone, they can do so
without violating the terms Of said act.
| What penalty is annexed to compel the COM
pany to complete said road? Simply % per
cent. on the first 80 miles, and 10 per cent.
on each other mile. built is required tore
main on deposit Anew York, to be forfeit
ed if they fail to complete the $50 miles as
required by said act. They can, if they
choose, complete said road to the National
Park and stop, forfeit to us $4,000 or
$lS0,000 OF our own money, and receive
about ST. 600, 900, and violate no provision of
said act. They will never build a mile of
said road for the benefit of the people of this
Territory. but for their w interest. They
cannot build it for $1,000 a mile, and Will
only come far enough toward Helena to Ser
cure the carrying trade of the Territory,
which they may think secured by the time
it reaches the southern boundary of Mon
tana Territory, Or a short distance into said
Territory. Thus leaving the road but a
short distance inside, of Montana, after re-
ceiving $1,000 900 in our bonds.
Mr.. Mills, of thesNew North Vest, says of
the contemplated road: "From the time
it leaves Franklin until it reaches $50 miles
terminus we do not know of a developed
or promising quartz camp it penetrates. or
the Jefferson and Helena mines, it comes in
direct competition with SIS per ton transport
tation from Helena to Bismarck, over the
Coulson route, while it will cost SIG per
ton from Ogden to Omaha, after being car
ried over $50 miles of narrow gauge" That
leaves out of the account the distance from
Franklin to Ogden. and the distance from
the terminus of the $50 miles to Helena,
which mast be notices. than 40 miles at each
end, as | believe tits called 420 miles from