The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1881-11-11

taxa, November 5th, 1881.
Editors Herald:
The Butte Inter Mountain OF the
| 1st inst. is credited with saying
speaking of the Utah and Northern
Railway-"the construction Of the
road to Butte is vigorously progress
ing with a full force Of men and
teams and if the promises OF
the railroad company ere worth
anything, the road ought TO be
graded to Butte within the next ten
days. But what an unfortunate
thing it would be if after the COM
pletion Of the road to this city it
should be impossible to secure
grounds for depot purposes"
l think the ordinary reader would
infer from the foregoing remarks
that the writer entertained doubts
as to the value of the promises made
by the railroad company. Why, L
beg to inquire, should the editor
doubt the good faith of the company
| in the premises, while admitting
that the work of construction is
vigorously progressing with a full
force of menland teams? 1t full
wherein would the company fail In
its promises even should the road
fail to be built by the time specified !?
What more satisfactory evidence
does the Inter Mountain require OF
the good faith of the u. anu Il. r.
w. company and Of the value of its |
promises, than is found in it's own |
admissions That paper may reason
ably doubt whether the road bed I
will be graded within the time it
specifies, judging from the extent
of the work to be done, and indeed
that it cannot be done is now fully
demonstrated, but such failure does
not imply bad faith on the part Of
the railroad company, for, as l un-
derStand the situation, the company
did not promise to grade or to COM
plete the road into Butte, in ten
or in any other number of days.
Does the Inter Mountain mani
feStI good taste in thus attempting
to cast Olium upon the railroad COM
pany in advance of a failure to do
a thing which it has not promised?
1t Will be noticed that the closing
sentence in the brief article which l
have quoted, implies a doubt as to
whether the railroad company will !
be able to secure ground for depot
purposes in the city OF Butte. j
When some weeks ago in one of nay
letters, I suggested that a portion Of
the press of Butte was opposed t.
The construction of the road to that :
place, the Inter Mountain assuming
that | alluded to it-uttered de-
nal of the charge, and claimed to
De an advocate Or the scheme. Of
course | am bound to give credit to
is claim, and yet with due defe-
renee must soy that, in this Case,
as in many other, actions speak
louder than words"
But whatever may be said to the
l think the fact cannot be
lenied that, if not a portion Of the
press at least portion Of the people
If Butte are or have been opposed |
20 the construction Of the road into u
Butte, or that they are in antagOn- :.
SIN with the railroad company to =
such an extent as might defeat the =
object Of constructing and operating
/ load advantageously to itself or to
5he citizens of that city.
There is, however, one thing
which may comfort the railroad
should Butte fail to fur
1ish depot grounds, and that is
jhe fact that it posses at Silver Bow
Junction grounds amply sufficient
for depot and other purposes re-
Iuired in operating its road and
and think failure to OBJ
-ain grounds at Butte would be
more severely felt by that burgh
than by the company. Since my
asst letter our town has been rapidly
many houses, shops and
buildings having been erected and
Jhe streets present quite business 1
ike appearance. Transient persons l
can now procure meals at restaur- l.
ants and beds at a well furnished L
lodging house. The weather is still l
fine Though there are indications of
q coming storm and graders are
busy on the line between this place
and Butte, and it is believed that in {
Jhe absence of cold weather the
grade will be completed by the goth r
INST. and in that case the track may E
be laid during the present month, y
out as this is rather an uncertain .
it is not at all unlikely that Z
winter may close down on the ~
graders before the completion of D
heir work, and in that case the q
rack will go down until next
spring.
Much freight is daily arriving by
all and departing by wagons and q
consequently business is brisk.
YoWs II, D. j.