The Dillon tribune., 1884-03-01
OH! SAMUEL! HELP Us!"

Our esteemed cotemporary, the Madi-
sonian, having printed short article favor
ing an extension of the Utah and Northern
from the snow drifts sof China Point through
the barren waste to Henry's Fork, and
thence over lofty peaks round by the way
of Virginia City, now craw-fishes and says
it never "hinted that it wanted to do any
such thing" The limber:jim manner IN
which the Madisonian has Topped rouno
on railroad questions is amusing. Its course
on railway matters, for years, would seem
to indicate that the feebleness and timidity
of old age had fallen upon it. Let Us re.
fresh our memory. When the otan ano
Northern was being built into Montana a
prominent and influential citizen OF Mao''
son County wanted the road to enter SCUM
ern Montana near the head Of the STINK
ingwater, (since changed to Rnbv) ana
pass down the Stinkingwater Valley, up
the Big Hole and on to Butte. 1t was
pet policy scheme, requiring, perhaps, a
little subsidy, but the protector knew tnat
if the road passed through on that line II
would, eventually, be worth millions OF
money to the people of Old Madison Coun-
ty. The scheme was killed. How? Let
lis refresh our memory once more. Our
esteemed cotemporary, the Mad'so"'0"'
began a crusade against railway enterprl'
ses. Tottering on the verge OF lmPecun'-
osity. it intlamed and Influenced the people
of Madison, from the sluggish sloughs OF
the Jefferson to the laughing, ripping riv'
ulets of Belmont Park. Blind to the in
.erests of the community that had fostered
and nourished it, the Madi<oniam aroused a
hostility to railways, the like of which will
never again be witnessed in Montana.
.Sicd" on by the Ma1isomian the people as
sembled in mass convention and passed an
tiralwav resolutions, the reading of which
would be enough to make the blood stand
still in the veins of Sidney Dillon. Yea,
they even went further. The fanatical fe"
burned men in effigy for no other offense
than advocating the building of railways
into an isolated country. History records
the result of that opposition. The Utah
and Northern was built over the Pleasant
Valley Divide, down the Eeaverhead VAL
ley, and on to Butte-leaving Madison out
in the cold Atterward our esteemed CO.
temporary, the lNadiso~ia", kept up feeble
fusilade against the Utah and Northern,
and then suddenly ceased its pureile TRADE.
Somewhere, in some pious volume, it is
written" While the lamp holds out to
burn, the vi|est sinner may return.' This
means the Madisonian. 1t is returning to
the interests of the people, but the dish of
"ralroad crow" it had to eat before it took
the progressive track must have been sick
ening. The IMGdis0niau is sort Of a rail
road newspaper now, and its private shout
"Sa:nuel, oh! Samuel! help us"'
We have a charity for the old sheet,
and hope its conversion is genuine and
that it will be lasting Shake! Madison
ties, in general, have repented, and we are
creoibly informed that the bosses on Wal
lace street, Virginia City, do unite in sing
ng-"Sam,,el, oh! Samuel! help u.s." 1t
is we'll. When a people want to sin no
more they should be forgiven. Our neigh
bors want railway now. They should
have one. Their resources will justify the
building of road through their county.
Dillon is tine proper point 10 start the road
from and we would like to see the work
commenced.