The semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1882-1886, 1883-09-12

J the affairs of this Company -ha
formed the controlling, the unfailing
the indispensable element in tina
faith among men which has supplied
the means for this completed struc
ture. To you, Mr.. Willard, and t,
j you, Governor Smith, to you, Mr.
Billings, and all the other presidents
present or absent; to you, and al
others who have felt your arms lear
! on them for support, this day crown:
) your labors, and We, your fellow citi
zens, and these foreign guests, ap
plaud your triumph.
[ cannot stay your train to unfold
the manifold qualities in the man
agement Of this enterprise, which
deserve Illustration, but [ may insist
| for a moment upon a few principal
traits. cannot discover that there
has ever been engrafted upon this en-.
terprise any construction company
4 to suck the prosperity that belongs tC
the original growth. [ do not per.
ceive that excessive rates, either OF
interest for money or Of payment fo1
labor or mat rials for want of money
have imposed upon the enterprise
burdens disproportionate to the
values which its debentures or its
stock fairly represent. do not find
any just grou.ld for complaint in
political or popular estimate that the
United States has burdened its rev.
enues with subsidies which, for the
| public Interest, were unnecessary or
excessive, for from the beginning to
| the end of the enterprise has not re-
ceived dollar from the public fun ds.
l find no fair ground for cavil at the
land gratis Of the Government along
the route, ;as improyide5,to or showi z
40 adequate return Of value either to
the Treasury or to expectart settlers
o. the public domain. Even if we
look ut the Cover ment in the mere
| light Of a private proprietor, who
| will OF himself incur the eXpe use
| and the risks of ope',i'g commu i
cation between his uHpeopled wilder
ness AID the land-secki''g population,
| we find the Government, without a
dollar of outlay, made more than
! whole for the lands it has parted
with by the erha ced selling value
of its wide domain. But, when we
| consider that the future settlers Oh
the Company's lands, as we'll as j.,
the reserved public lands, forever
| Contribute to the taX-payiig wealth
| of the people, and the sire 9Th a q
power of the t!atio.i, we see that there
is no sensible analogy between the
Interest of a private person in the
ownership of la ID and that of the
Government as an administrator, for
the general welfare of the public do
main. Aud, finally, the settlers who
will follow your track, aud at of'ce
find their frugal means and their
farm products at 10 disadvantage
from distance or isolation from mar
ket, but on a level with all the world,
will easily understand that, but for
the wise Jiberaity of the Govern
meit in this matter OF railroad COM
municatio.,, either the ias,ds would
have renal ed inaccessible to agri-
cultural settlers. Or would not have
been worth their acceptance, as a
gift, with a bounty besides.
The Northern Pacific Railroad thus
completed has, Mr. President,
through your seasonable a'ld success
til co erection Of its system with The
well deve oped and fully operating
scheme Of the Oregon Railway and
Navigation system, by the tir.n ties
Ofjustice and Interest, been secured
agai st vicissitudcs d disasters to
which, with less prudence and less
good fortune, it might have been eX-
posed. 1t is not, then, merely, upon
the continuous track that you have
Just estub ished, but, also, upon the
united and impreg able chaii Of
travel aud traffic bctween the Pacific
y Il Atlantic coasts, that your Conn
p."y to-day looks with satisfaction
and your guests offer their conyratu |
latiOns.
Mr.. President and gentlemen, the
magnitude and rapidity o. the recent |
strides OF our country's progress in
material development, dwarf and be- |
lit e the steps III our advancement |
which we used to consider with COM
placency AID admiration. Less than
torty years ago, as lately rs the year
1917, in the lite State OF New
Hampshire, the e crGy Of It's people, !
allied with the wealth OF Boston, had !
pushed their Northern RAILROAD over
he ridge of highlands whici, divide |
the narrow bottom la d., Of the Mcr
rimac from the wider valley of the
Connecticut, The opening Of this
section OF the road, from Fra XII .
to Grafton, was an occasion OF great !
eXuitatior, al d a distinguished COM
pay of the so id mel OF Bostoi had |
come up from that city,in a forenoon,
to meet the gathered citizens Of New !
Hampshire in q grand celebration.
The road traversed the farm of Mr..
Webster, and be took part in the
pride and pomD OF the occasion.
'ying, as an orator should, the
greatness o.; this triumph over the
obstacles which nature had inter-
posed, and over time and space, and
portraying the advanlageswhich were
To flow from it, without the least sense
of hynerbole, he eXcia ms, ''telloW
citizens, can we without wonder con-
slider where ve are a"d what has
brought us heren' How vast all lhe
dimensions and proportions Of the
enterprise We now APP
plaud, seen by the side o. the achieve
,nent which the great orator a"d
stateSnla o. Our country thu+ pTOui-
" conlmemorateI, to these sober
New EnY'a ders, as Il Won
der. This last achievement Of the
AID energy OF our peop
climbs over the lofty range of noun
tai which divides he waters OF !,
contine between the two great
oceans of the world. It bind, to-
yether by one more indis,o!ubie bond
the destinies o. q great people who
look from the windows o. their hab-
.tation upon the horses OF the sun as
they rise from the stormy waves
Of the Atlantic, and again
when they quench their fire
in the smooth waters Of the Pa
:ific. 1t forns one more portage tor
the water-borne commerce which
plies between Europe and Asia. It
brings new fields to tillage adequate
to feed tens OF millions, under whose
healthfu and happy toll their seed
time and harvest shall never fail and
tens OF millions more. less fortunate,
who crowd the workshops and the
factories, the cities and the mines 0
Europe and America in this age Of
industry. 1t will help to assauge in
anuaIitieS o. nature and GiSDnritinS ,