The semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1882-1886, 1883-12-08
Fromthe Daily of Friday.
MONTANA'S OPPORTUNITY.
Tho Tide of Immigration, tho
March Of Improvement, and
the Era of Development
Upon Us.
What We Need to Populate ou1
Towns, Open up our Farms
and Develop our Mines.

Az tnIS no OC1er section IS
attracting such widespread attention
as Montana. The eyes of the world
are upon her boundless expanse of
arabic land, her immense and mex
haus,ible stock ranges and her fabu-
lous mineral resources. Her vast
domain is now spanDed by lines Of
railroad extending from the eastern
to the western boundary and from the
southern line north ward to the ex-
IRENE limit OF population. These
lines are fed by several branches and
other feeders in contemplation or in
process of construction, will in an
other year give Us a hallway system
which will open up to settlement
every section of the Territory. We
are on the eve of the grandest era of
progress aud development which has
yet been see in the phenomenal
growth of western states and terri
tories. The tide of emigration has
already set in this direction and
next year the influx of people
may be expected to at least
double u population. Montana
should profit by the experience of
other western territories and so or
ganize her forces as to reap the full
benefit of the era of prosperity upon
which she is now entering. A terri
torial immigration society should be
be organized with subordinate organ
izatiuns in every county, the office of
which would be not only the dissem-
ination of reliable information
throughout the civilized world, re-
garding superb resources, but
their operations should be so systema-
tized that upon his arrival in the
territory the humblest immigrant
could be taken by the hand and
shown the best property for invest
ment, the vacant sections subject to
entry and supplied with all the in
formation necessary to give him q
fair and favorable start in his new
found home. The mineral interests
of the territory have already assumed
such proportions that their import
ance as a factor in the future great
ness of Montana almost overshadOws
the agricultural and stock growing in
ter SITS. But our immense deposits of
mineral wealth will be slow of de-
velOpment without an organized and
effective system by which their value
may be presented to the world and
capital induced to invest in their de-
veIopment. The feeble representa-
ton upon which we have hitherto
relied to bring our mines to the no.
tice of the world has failed to induce
the immigration of q single mining
operator or the investment of a sofia
tary dollar in our lodges. MI. Zee
handelaar with his exhibit at Am
ste1dam has undoubtedly paved the
way for good results, and what is
now needed, is efficient and direct
representation at the money centers
of Europe, by men of experience,
metallurgical knowledge and brains,
to present to those seeking invest
ment, the advantages and value of
our great mineral region. In his
letter to the Governor, Zeehande'aar
says: "What Montana wants is to
be properly represented in the Eu-
ropean money markets, especially in
England, where, with genuine
schemes, willing investors are al
WAYS to be found. At the present
moment there are over $l53. 000, 900
ItlDk lUlc Ill Cuc oduh vi AIhSA"uu
alone on the ordinary deposit rate of
interest, and in the banks of the
United Kingdom the fabulous sum
of $3.50, 900, 900 is waiting for some
more profitable investment"
That these money centers may be
reached and our mineral resources
properly presented, Montana should
have a Territorial Mining Bureau,
the representatives of which, sta
toned at the principal centers of
population and wealth in the United
States and Europe, should be men of
the very best calibre, fully informed
as to our mines and with a practical
and scientific knowledge of miner
aloyy. With such an organization
of Montana's forces for immigration,
progress and development, she can
step to the front rank of States of the
Federal Union. in point of popula-
ton, wealth and every element which
goes to make the greatness of a COM
monwealth, within the next five or
ten years.