The semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1882-1886, 1884-02-23
HE ALICE COMPANY,

Upon another page will be foun
the reply of Mr.. W. E. Hall, Super
intendent cf the Alice Mining Com
pany, to certain undeRned charges G
the Inter Mountain concerning tn
management Of that property. MI
Halls explanation Of his wood con
tracts will doubtless be entirely sa,
lsfactOry to the stockholders in tn
Comp pany. and certainly should b
to those who can claim no interest il
it. In the absence of any diiec
charges by stockholders against the
management of the affairs of th,
company. there is really moth
ing to defend. Here, in thi
community, where Mr., Hall, the
superintendent of the property, and
Mr.. Walker. the President of tn,
Company, are we'll known, the u n
charitable insinuatiJns Of tn,
Inter Mountain are estimated
at their true value and
will fail to impair the confidence of
the public in the integrity of those
gentlemen. The reply of Mr.. Hall,
however, was not provoked by fear
of this. There are stockholders in
the Company living at distance,
who may by chance read the assaults
made upon the Compony by our CO.
temporary and for their information
alone, Mr.. Hall deigns to notice its
yaporings.
It is question which admits Of no
debate that 1t Is to the Alice
Company alone Butte owes its
present prosperous condition. But
for the energy, perseverance
and courage OF the Walker Brothers
Butte W ou'd probably be, to-day, an
almost deserted mining camp with q
few struggling log cabins where now
rests magnificent brick blocks.
When the Walker Brothers were
expendiug hundreds Of thou
sands of dollars in developing
the Rainbow lode, there was no talk
Of useless and wasteful expenditures
Of money. When the Company was
sinking to the ive-hu ndred foot
level. and the people Of Butte were
literally holding their breath to hear
what the prospects were at that
depth, there were no charges made
about extravaganza in the purchase
Of wood or anything else.
And when the news was spread
abroad that the 500 showed paying
ore, every countenance frightened
and well grounded hope supplanted
uncertainty and men began to lay
broad and deep the foundations of a
city and a prosperous business. No
complaints were made against the
of the Alice property:
no insinuations were uttered con-
corning its wood contracts; no ref1ec-
tions were cast upon the men who
controlled the company's affairs; no
were made about this or
that matter demanding investigation.
of the sort. 1t was known
that the Alice Company had proved,
beyond question the permanence Of
The mines here, and the people felt |
md acknowledged their obligations |
o it They would not, at that time,
nave brooked adverse criticism of the |
Alice mine or its management. They
would have looked upon such criti-
ism as calculated to create distrust !
n our mines abroad, and as direct
'low against the prosperity of the
'ity.
The MINER will not shield any
person or company from the effects
# adverse criticism where such crit
cism is deserved; nor will it defend
he corrupt administration of affairs
when the public suffers from such
administration. But it must
irst know there are just grounds OF
omplaint. When it is assured OF
his the MINER is outspoken and
earless in its condemnation of wrong
10 ling.
The MINER published the report Of
he Alice Company. For reasons
est known to itself our cotemporary
allied to publish it, but seems dis
osed to create a distrust in the
ainds Of its readers as to the ac-
uracy of the report, while it with
olds the information which would
nable them to JUDGE for themselves
3 to that matter. In conclusion we
ubmit this question to our cotem-
orary: If there are matters. in con.
ection with the management of the
Alice properties which concern the
ublic and which demand an inves- :
cation, would it not he more manly
4 our cotemporary and more in the
irect line Of the interest Of all parties
to make direct and une-
charges that may be as di-
actly met. than to indulge in innu-
ndoes or insinuations which leave
ne attacked party without we'll de-