The weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1878-1881, 1881-10-25
OBJECTIONS TO THE VERDICT

OBJECTIONS TO TILE VERDICT.
Under the above caption the Helena
T~ndepsndent Of the l4th inst. says: ! Our Butte
contemporaries arc not satisfied with the final
decision Of the Northera Pacific officials to
run their road BY way Of Helena AMI the
Mullen psss. They demand > new trial.
They b. oadly insinuate foul play, the corrup-
ton Of railroad officials, and sssert q . legal
proposition hat the Northern Pacific eomPa-
ny has no right to divert ito road from the
line heretofore marked out by way Of Deer
Lodge pass" So far - the MINER is con-
cerned, we deny that . word has appeared in
this journal which can DO Construed into an
irsinuaGion that there has been foul play or
that railroad officials have been corrupted to
influence the diversion Of the road by way Of
Helena. 1t 10 true We have endeavored
to show, and We think successfully, that the
Interests Of the Northern Pacific Railroad
cumpany would be better subserved by the
construction Of ito line by the way of Butte.
We still hold 10 the same opinion. We hsvealso
raised the question that tue company cannot
legally build ito road upon n other line than
that which it adopted several years ago. In
the discussion which followed the enuncia-
ton Of this proposition We have not been met
with Any argument hat successfully attacked
ito ~sosndness. The company located ito line
by the way Of the Deer Lodge pass. Its
maps Of surveys we're fled In the proper de-
partmsnt. Every alternate seetion-which at
that time VA unclaimed BY settlers-upon
sacA side Of the located line wa withdrawn
from market and set apart for the sole uss Of
the company when they complied with the
provisions Of their charter. In view of these
facss il 10 extremely p~roblenatical whether
the courts will hold that the, company has
the RICH. 70 lay it, rosdbed upon the outer
limit OF its grant.
Cone.ding 10 right II We look at the matter
from . business point Of view it would appear
an oct Of folly upon the part of the company
to build il read upon the boundary line of q
belt of land eighty or one hundred miles in
width, every alternate section of which it
may own. AZ the road passes through the
country, land will appreciate In value in the
ratio TO its nearness to the track. Admitting
this to be true it would be seen the company
would derive . much greater revenue from
ito land II the road we're built upon the mid
die line Of ito grant than it would
II built upon its outer limit
Hence as . plain business proposition il
must ne conceded the company greatly errs in
net .dhe.ing II its formerly located line.
But this is a matter which it may be pre-
sumed the managers Of the road have careful
" studied, and IL they are willing to take
steps that will invite litigation and At the
same time decrease their revenues from sales
of lands and loss OF freights, it Is not within
the province OF the people Of this section to
utter complaints. Butte is SO happily situa-
ted that her carrying trade commands the
presence Of railroads. We have no fear the
Northern Pacific company viii! ignore i.s i'm
msnse freight and passenger traffic. The
road will find its way here. A city
that will have . population Of
twenty five thousand souls within
the next three years cannot be missed
by . great ~thoroughfare passing through the
continent. Blu should it turn from US in its
course toward the Pacific the people Of this
city and section are prepared to accept the SIT
uation. They are too great in their OWL
commanding resources to entertain and hal-
Dor . feeling Of envy Of their ~entsrprising
neiehbors across the range, but will bid them
God speed in all their enterprises. Neither
Helena mol any other town in the Territory
can be benefited without favorably affecting
the prosperity Of Butte.