The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1879-04-30
COLORADO LETTER.
The Rich Mines of Southern Colorado
Jealousy of Northern Colorado
The Capital City to be De-
cided Before Long--The
Railroad Situa-
ton, &c.
RosrrA, CUSTER COUNTY, COL, April %, 1879.


never so expert 10 this country. may have
ramped over any metallferous belt for
many years until thoroughly satisfied by
of the ground and tests of
various ores from the surface to many feet
below, yet if they have ever presumed rich
veins or deposits of silver and gold ores in
Southern Colorado. and omitted to laud
the narrow and uncertain veins of North
arn Colorado, he or they were denounced
as frauds" and swindlers by certain Den
yer papers, foremost among which is the
Tribune That paper even used the Gov
ernor's secretary last November to come
to Silver Cliff and denounce that new camp
and its mines. 1t soon, however. became
too warm place for him. He left. The
newspapers at the Cliff exposed the bare
faced slanderers. The intervening months
have shown so much richer ores in so much
larger bodies that the Tribune has dis
covered its error and is now as determined
IN sending out the truth as last fall it was
IN publishing ISLANDERS. The fact is that
Denver and Northern Colorado no longer
outnumbers Southern Colorado. They.
up North, made puerile attempt to check
mate the worthy work of the Atcbison. |
Topeka 4 Santa Fe r. r. to open up the |
San Juan country. They frustrated many
endeavors. They have been the means of
l-o 7
tried to make eastern capital sit down on
Northern Colorado mining ground. Lead
vile is getting to be bigger man than
Denver" consequently there is lull in
the attempt to stay the tide crowdlng into
that rich mining camp. Custer County
looms up now another region of precious
metal bearing ores and is growing in popu-
lation of a superior class at the rate of 200 to
800 daily. The Denver press is silenced ex-
cept as to occasional individual abuse
They silence themselves for policy. South.
ern Colorado has loudly threatened to Sc
cede and taking in few counties of New
Mexico and Arizona, leach larger than r.
l. J, form a new state. There is natural
division, as we'll as a division among all
pioneer-miners, stockgrowers and aRricul-
turalists. There is too, deep seated feel
ing among the capitalists OF Southern Col
orado that new state is greatly to our
advantage.
THE CAPITAL CITY
&c H.lo A. = IL
This many claim is the eau ie OF the efforts
of the North to cry down the industries
and metallic wealth OF Southern
Colorado. Puebloites caim that having
failed to prevent capital and labor
by the thousands aud tens of thousands
from coming south of the present divide,
that the present lull in misrepresentation
and abuse will soon awake with season
of Cancellation. and later into coaxing, fat
teriug and coaching. The horny handed
cattle men, sheep men, miners-yeomen
of Southern Colorado, cannot forget how
all their favorites have been pushed away
as SO many rusty cobwebs to give room for
wealthier northern pets, while the north
has held the balance of power.
| UE Capital city vi NOlUEdUu D6lOURS IL
the grand mountains, which are producing
, fully IS per cent Of state receipts, not tC
the cherries plains. But by another year
100000 voters in mining camps will decide
, this question which is now looming up al
a ghost in the Denver vision.
5 THE RAILROAD SITUATION.
bulling against Southern Colorado, ever
3 more than it does against the A, 7. Il S
F. r. r. Co., is another cause deepening
the mistrust and hatred of the south o
the state against the north. The mysteri
GUS. s.uuaccountable and suicidal programme
l of Governor Pitkin or his attorney genera
, in claspiug hands with the carcass of tn
= late Denver and Rio Graude monopo
= against the A., T. l. S. F. is a blow at ou
/ great and growing mining interests, not t
}. be taken in any less light than an insult t
all orr mining industries. From the open
ing of the D, & R. G. R. R., its onerou
and extortionate freight rates on ore
, mined south of the Divide. Their rate
! were almost prohibition upon miners
a shipping ores. These always had to b
y transported from mines by wagon at a CO!
. of $40 to $50 per ton. Add to this the
& r. g. tariff Of an even SIG per ton fC
: 100 miles by rail or $l60 per car, then q
additional $25 per ton for reduction, an
- all can readily understand why none but
Bassick bonanza could be developed. Eve
in the case of that mine, the highest graz
! only could be shipped. The dump of th
mine holds 5000 tons of ores which ouRI
to have left Custer county long ago. 4
soon as the A, T. & S. T. Co. came in
possession of the D. & Il. G. ore rat
were made SO. 45 from Canon City to P
eblo to Prot. Hills works in Denver, or
reduction of nearly 81 per hundred. Pa
senger traffic was lowered proportionatel
The d. 4 r. G. management demand
ten certs per mile, or $40 for l20 mil
Y ride, the distance from Pueblo to Denvt
Tue approval by the state governme
of Gen. Palmer's organized armed attem
to seize the D. & r. G. after it was leas
n to the A, 7. 4 S. Z. Co. is regarded al
blot on the state, for its influence is to
ter the immigration of tens of thousands
eastern capitalists TO Southern ColoraG
rs. 1t would have proven sharp. short d
and decisive" clash of arms, for we of the sou
are weary of the extortiou. wrong and p
hibitiou. or attempted prohibition, of pl
q. suing our industries.
- REDUCTION WORKS
as smelters, stamp mills, lixiaViation
a. leeching works are being erected throu
out Southern Colorado, so ghat 10
D. more months our mining population
be out from under all such Paine r M
agements. The 25 ton works at Can
the so ton works at the Cliff. The 20
. works at Pueblo now being substan,ii
'ER. fitted up through the backing of Geo