The Bozeman weekly chronicle. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1883-1889, 1884-01-16

WASHINGTON, Jan. 12.-Little less than
national scandal promises to grow out
of the affairs at the National Park. The
developments show how little is really
to be learned by an executive depart
ment through the ordinary methods Of
hunting with brass band at the head d
the procession. Government officials
sent to the park came and went, and
everything was lovely, until it occurred
to the secretary to instruct one of the
newspaper men who was going to the
park last summer to make an investiga-
ton incog and report. The commission
was verbal one, SO that the approach
of the agent was not heralded through
the press. He found, it appears, that no
more attention was paid to the laws OF
congress or the regulations of the secre-
tary Of the interior than to the pope's
bulls. So far from preserving the game,
it was Systematically slaughtered, until
not trace of a four-footed beast was to
be found wild i'll the park. Parties OF
hunters were regularly employed to pro-
vide game for the hotel and other tables.
The assistant superintendent themselves
were the chief Vandals at the geysers
and springs, and openly supplied tourists
| with specimens at an exorbitant price.
| Even the DOS master had an immense
display of these natural curiosities on
sale, and wholesale system of depreda-
tons by hunting parties and tourists was
in uninterrupted progress. 1t seems that
the hotel company and the superinten-
dent are at swords points, and each is
now holly accusing the other of all sorts
of irregularities. The hotel company is
charged by the superintendent with
being bankrupt and having assigned its
property to a Mrs. MCGOWAN, of WASH
ington. Altogether it is pretty badly
mixed-up affair, and no doubt congress
will be called upon to enact stringent
legislation.
SUPERINTENDENT CONGER's COMPLAINT.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 12-In the Yellow
stone park correspondence transmitted
to the senate to-day, there appears let
ter from Superintendent CONCERTO Secre-
tary Teller which he asks the latter to
consider private. In it he says the com-
pany's people help themselves to what
ever they want inside or outside the
government enclosure, cut timber, allow
their herds to overrun government
grounds, and wilfully break down and
destroy fencing erected by Superinten-
dent Hobart, of the hotel. A firm there
attempted to tear down fences. In con-
sequence of the destruction of fences pas
lures are overrun by the company's
herds and are so bare of grass that he
will be compelled to take government
stock out of the park to winter it, also
purchase food for it at heavy cost. He
closes with this statement:
Hobart has boosted in nv hearing of
his influence with you, and that he had
frequent letters from you, and told one Of
my assistants you had promisee him l
should not visit Washington this winter,
and he also said the reason you would
not write me was you we're not going to
have my letters paraded before congress.
Secretary Teller replies to Conger,
blaming him for not conveying the in
formation sooner. He refuses to receive
private communications on public bust
ness, and says he must comply strictly
with the conditions of the lease. Lieut..
Kingman, in report to the secretary of
war concerning the improvement of the
park, estimates that $210, 900 can be spent
proftably next season in Improvements
upon old roads, laying out new ones and
building bridges. He does not favorably
regard the proposition to build railroad
through the park and considers that the
apparent necessity of a railroad will dis
appear upon the completion of system
of good wagon roads.
WASHINGTON, Jan. ia meeting of
the House committee of agriculture and
the committee of cattle men pointed
recently in Chicago was held to-day at
the Capitol. A general discussion of con-
tagious diseases among cattle was indulg-
ed in. In answer to an enquiry, the
committee of cattle men stated pleuro
pneumonia existed in all the seaboard
states and possibly elsewhere The gen.
eral i'm preston prevailed in both COM
mitties that if the importation of diseas-
ed cattle could be stopped, and money
either by national or state
to fight the disease now exist
ent that it could be fatally eradicated in
six months. Judge Carey of Wyoming,
gave history of the disease, comparing
its ravages to Asiatic cholera, that it
came from the east to the west, and that
the only thing that had saved the plains
thus far was the lack of transportation
from the east. He said that if the plains
were once affected, nothing could save
the cattle interest of the country in which |
there was hundreds of millions of dollars |
invested. Representative Hatch stated
that Suylton ofIllinois had offered 81 900
reward for an animal inflicted with
pleuro pneumonia, but none had claimed
it and doubted its existence. Several
of the cattle committee at once
offered to show cases of the disease to
anyone doubling its existence. Repre-
sentative Weller gave notice that he
would offer bill appropriating ten mill
ion dollars by the government for the
of contagious diseases in cat
lie to be distributed among the different
states and territories provided each state
would appropriate sum equal to the
mount given by the government.
Wonderful.
Tbaro SO ,pou, 1;x;no i, po1L oo,,nfx, |