The weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1878-1881, 1880-02-17
THE UTAH Il

In commenting on a letter received a few
days ago from Sidney Dillon, of the U. P.
railroad, relative to the construction of the
Utah & Northern, the Helena Herald states
that the latter, rightly estimated to be the
most important feeder to the Union Pacific,
will with the least possible delay be pushed
forward to the centre of business and popula-
ton of lhe Territory, evidently meaning
Helena. The Herald then graciously con-
cedes that a branch road will probably by
that time be in course of construction towards
Glendale and Butte. This is too good. 1t is
really surprising that the Union Pacific road
itself was not built to Helena in the first
place and a branch line constructed to San
Francisco and other Insignificant villages on
the Pacific coast, instead of being pushed
through direct to California regardless of the
interests of the company and it would be a
burning shame if the Utah 4 Northern Rail-
road Company, disregarding the wishes of
our influential contemporary, were to con-
struct the road 20 Glendale and Butte and af-
terward conclude to build a branch to Helena
and run an occasional freight car and a
cabooSe for passengers to our agricultural
sister city. The trouble is that Helena thinks
she is New York or Boston, whereas she is all
unimportant village separated from the
natural terminus of the road, which is Butte,
by "a distance of seventy miles and a range of
mountains. But the Herald claims that
Helena is the center of population and bust
ness. 1t is a very easy matter to show that
the claim has no foundation in fact. Let us
compare financial statistics. The Territorial
assessment of Lewis & Clarke county con-
tainlng the town of Helena for the year 1879,
amounts to .3,O4O,2 35, showing al increase
for the year of $685. 900. That OF Deer
Lodge county, OF which Butte is the prin-
cipal city, reached 1851, 575, and shove
an increase of $l,0s2, 6l7; leaving a differ
ence in our favor of 5 5,915.75 in assessment
and a difference IN increase of $95S,657.
The territorial revenues of Lewis and
Clarke county for last year were $17,23O.12-
an increase over those of 1878 of $1,1S7.75.
The revenues received from Deer Lodge
county for the same year aggregated $780,
67S.1S, an increase of 5 5,33S.0S. 1t thus
appears that not only are the assessments and
territorial revenues of this county vastly in
excess of the assessments and territorial rev.
enues of Lewis and Clark, but that our ratio
Of increase altogether surpasses that of the
northern county. So much for property val
uation and business importance. In regard
to population the Herald plumbers again, and
does so knowingly. The question Of popula-
ton can be determined with sufficient accu-
racy by reference to the vote cast in 1875 for
Delegate to Congress.
In Lewis and Clarke county the total vote
polled for both candidates amounted to 1850,
while the vote of Deer Lodge county reached
24ZS, giving Il balance in our favor of 57S
votes. Figures do not lie, and we would sug-
eest to our esteemed contemporary the 6X-
ceeding improperly of making statements and
setting up claims relative to the Utah 4
Northern calculated to mislead the owners of
that road with reference to the advantages of
the several counties of the Territory. North
of Ogden Butte is the most important city on
the line of the narrow euage road, and its OWL
ers will be disregarding their most vital inter
ests if they refuse to extend their line to this
city at the earliest practicable moment.
The freight and passenger traffic to Butte
from the south will be undeniably larger than
that of Helena, for in view of the eNtraordi-
nary results of our recent mining development
there is no room for doubt that within five
years Butte will boast a population Of 10000
people. We have no desire to disparage the
Importance of Helena, but no sensible man
can deny that this city is destined to leave
the Territorial capital far iii the rear
and We much question whether the editor
of the Herald could make such denial.
But "a railroad that has freight only in one
direction, for we will concede that Helena
yearly receives thousands of tons of mercllan-
die, can not ordinarily be made to pay, and
we would inquire what promise Helena can
consistently make of return freight. None at
all, except in the matter OF farm products,
and the farm products of this county
far exceed those Of Lewis and Clarke.
But for every ton of agricultural products
which would be shipped through a line from
Helena to the South, Butte would shipten tons
of ore and bullion. 1t is however unnecessary
TO argue the matter. Sidney Dillon will build
the road to make money for the company.
He is a man of common sense, and it takes no
phenomenal amount of intelligence to ascer-
tain the numerous and superior advantages of
Butte over those to which the Herald lays
claim on behalf of Helena.
A new enemy for enthusiasts in the cause
of temperance has sprung up in the discovery