The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1883-11-28
AN INTERESTING INTERVIEW.
What IT. G. Power Has to Say OF
the Present and Future Of
Fort Benton.
He Considers ii q Little Too Early IN tn
Campaign to Talk Politics.

Odllpd1Sh 10 LUX IOliG1cs.
While 7. c.. Powers largest interests
are at Fort Benton, where he made the
"start' in the successful business he has
had in Montana, yet he does not visit
our town more than once or twice a
year, and ever then his stays are not
very protracted. From the first, away
back in the buffalo period" Mr.. Power
has had unlimited confidence in Fort
Benton, and to-day he is as positive as
ever that there is a great future before
this city and northern Montana in gen
eraI. Mr.. Powers opinions are always
interesting, and for that reason our re-
porter waited upon him yesterday and
put him through the usual course, with
the following result:
Chow do you find Fort Benton this
visit ?n was the first dash made by the
scribe.
"WelI, the town seems to be a little
dull, but [ didn't expect anything else.
Under existing circumstances it couldn't
UC OlLltl w lSC. ICuUI dilI w ctty w y w
that this is the turning point. This will
be the dullest season that Benton will
experience, and if you get off with n
i season of comparatively dull trade, |
should think you ought to be satisfied.
There are few Of the present prosperous
cities of the country that have not had
much worse experience. But when L
look at the business our house has done
here this season, l cannot see much
ground for complaints
"What is to bring about the revival
Of business next year"'
"Immigration, for n thing. There
is going to be a host of people settle IN
the country tributary to this town next
wear and right along. The opening of
the reservation will be q great benefit to
Fort Benton, in fact OF itself Will give
it a big boom, and [ regard it as a fore
gone conclusion that the reservation
will be opened to settlement by the con
gress that V next
= "What are our railroad prospects"
"Your railroad prospects are good.
7 look for two connections from the
Northern Pacific - from Helena
and the other probably from Billings
to be commenced next season. L
have no doubt at all but that they
will be speedily built if the railroad
secures relief from their pres
ent financial embarrassments II the
stocks Of the company go up. There is al
ready some improvement in the affairs or
the company and I expect it to be vastly
greater before spring. Watch the stock
quotations and you can come pretty near
telling when the Fort Benton branch
of the Northern Pacific will be started.
Then, besides, jim Hills road up the
north side of the Missouri river will get
here before a good many OF us think,
and that is going to be Fort Benton's
greatest railroad"
"But the present outlook for the farm
ers, with a big surplus grain crop, is not
very encouraging. Can't you say some-
thing to brace them up a little?'
~ regard this the hardest year the
farmers will have. This matter of supply
and demand of grain as well as other
articles must regulate itself, and it is 10
ing it nicely. The experience OF this
wear has effectually shown that north
ern Montana can produce all the grain
needed in her borders, and shipments
from the states will now be a thing OF
the past. This year the government
paid over 500, 900 for grain at Forts AS
sinaboine and Maginnis, every pound
of which was shipped from the states,
because the contractors bad no assurance
that thew could secure it here. Next
season, however, this grain will be
bought of our farmers, and it will re-
quire all oftheir surplus and some of the
new crop to supply the demand. Then
i'm q wear or two we will have q railroad
and what grain is not needed at home
can be shipped to other markets with a
profit to the producer. A Touring mill,
too, will help out materially, SO that al
together I do not regard the outlook for
the farmers of this section as anything
like discouraging. 1t is probable that
they will never again have bursting
granaries' with no market for the grain.
Prices may be lower but they will be in
accord with the general change in val
ues that is bound to come about with
the advent Of the railroad"
IT see, Mr.. Power mildly suggested
the reporter, that the newspapers are
again talking of you as a candidate for
congress, have you anything TO say on