The weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1878-1881, 1881-08-23
SHALLw q LOSE THE ROAD ?
We regret to stat e hat no arrangement be

claiming the ground on the line ot,the survey
below Butte oward the town Of Silver Bow,
has vet been effected. Whether an amicabie
agreement among all the parties concerned
will be arrived at is a Question the solution of
which rests in the hands of the claimants ofthe
ground themselves. The situation is too grave
to be trlfied with. 1t demands earnest, de
cisiee and speedy action on the part of our
people if they desire the building of the road
to Butte. The assertion that many OF our
merchants say that the town would lioS lie
benefited by the extension of the
line to Butte, We do not believe. We
are not prepared to accept as a
fact that we lave in our midst
a single intelligent business man who serious
ly enteltains such an opinion. 1t is prepcs
ferrous to assert that men whose interests ale
here whose morey is Invested here; whose
prosperity is bouHd up in that
of the city whose families are
here whose homes are here and who
desire the onward, upward march Of orr
thriving young city, the peerless queen Of
Montana and the envy of the Northwest, can
wish that the road for which they have hoped
and prayed shall stop just beyond their grasp.
Ii is a slanderous, libeIous charge against a
portion Of Our people that should be, as il
will be, Indignantly resented. Fools and
idiots there are in every community but
they are not tuund among the business
men of Butte. Accepting then as a
building of the road to this city, the
question presents itself: how shall it be cT.
ftcted? Must Their closest interests be sac
ritired to appease the selfish desires of a syn-
dictate of sordid men, who, by demanding eX-
orhitant prices for small strips Of unproduct-
i've lands over which the road must pass to
reach this city, would obstrnct the compile
ton Of the line to our midst These are
questions which must be solved and upon
their present solution hangs the future well
fare of Butte. This is no time for soft, hon
led words, nor childish coaxing pleadings.
But the obstructionists should be made TO
feel the full weight of all outraged pub
lie opinion. We are using strong
language and we mean it. for we are speak
ing for the interests Of Butte, not for the i'll
terests of the railroad, nor the interests of
a few men who are jeopardizing the welfare
Of our city by an attempt to squeeze IA few
dollars out of the railroad company.
1t is true these men have a right to the en-
JOY nent of their property, but it is equally
true that the few have no right to prevent the
many from ENJOYING the full benefit of theirs.
There have been fair propositions made to
them by which a just valuation Of thcir little
strips Of land may be reached. They have,
with a single honorable exception, refused TO
submit the matter to arbitrament. This
refusal lett the company but one alternative
and that was to withdraw their grading force
and stop work. This has been done. In
bright contrast with the action of this syndi-
cate of squeezers stands the action of the peo-
pie of Helena. Not a man i'll that city or
vicinity has intcrposed a single obstacle to
the building of the Northern Pacific or
the Utah X Northern to that enter
prising town. Not a board Of arbiters or
a commission has been appointed 20 assess
damages caused by The building Of those
roads for no damages were asked. Every
man was more than willing to give the light
Of way, and. as a prominent citizen of that
town informed us yesterday, they were will
ing to tear down their houses if it were found
necessary for the road iopass over the ground.
They welcome the roads with open arms, and
they are gong to get them. Syndicatps OF
suuetztis would receive 10 Encouragement
from the press or the people of that city.
They would not be recognized among honor
able men and their games for 0DstruCting the
building of either Rad would come to an IN
glorious end.
We have been told that the COMPANY is
.'playing Il game of bluff" upon the l'"opie
here in Withdrawing its graders. This IS the
sheerest nonsense. Don't the L. 4 y. COM
pany SNOW as we'll as sc do that it will Sc
cure the carrying trade of the city if it shall
never come nearer Butte than Silver Bow
ANY man with half all idea knows this
proposition to be true. Then why shuuld
they wish to "play a game Of bluff" The
) company is willing to come to Butte and Is
DESTROYS to come here, If for 10 other rca-
son than to ~cconmodite the heaviest ship
pers in the city, but it is not willing to give
as much for the right Of way from Silver
5 Bow to THIS place as Tie Iodu "oulu oe "oTt'
/, after It is buiA. If It is permitted to come
: here upon reasonable terms it proposes to e%
3 pend at least 500 600 and probably more it
r tie erection If depot buildings; machinery
| &c which will not only build up a large
5 suburb on the outskirts of our city
/ but add 4 large amount ct taxable
= property to our county. But if thu
7 1 1901. .o-,, l,rp Jlan, ada, mi
receive what we shall have lost. How dc