Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1885-1890, 1885-07-16
SUBSCRIPTION RATES.
HIS IDEA OF MONTANA.
An Engiishman Expresses His Views
on the Society, Resources, Indus
tries and Climate of Montana.


May 23d, contains a long letter from
the pen of an Englshman, now set
tied in Dakota, on life in, climate, in
dustries and society of, Montana. A.
perusal will demonstrate, it is pun
gent, with many facts; yet its rehec
tions on the cattlemen and cowboys
and the statement that the better
classes are banded together for self
protection is bosh of the ''tenderfoot'
stripe. He finds many of the COW
boys ''gentlemen by birth and educa-
tion," which with Englishmen means
''blue blood"-a passport to the best
society, etc, you know-yet unless
boosters Of English lineage can catch
on to our western style and prove
themselves rustlers this country and
its people have no time nor use for
them. The writer shows limited
knowledge of cattlemen and their
methods, in fact he does them an in
justice, The letter says:
The state of society in Montana
has not improved in the last two years,
but the reverse. Outrages by Indians
have increased, and also quarrels
among themselves; but the worst fea-
ture has been the spread of horse
thieving and the perpetration Of hor-
rible murders by white rutfians Some
Of the cowboys also have used their
weapons for purposes for which they
are not intended, and not for protec-
ton and lf-defence. They are a
very mixed lot, these cowboys, many
Of thom gentlemen by birth and edu-
cation, but all bold and reckless to
large extent. The state of things is
so bad that the respectable inhabit-
ants are banding themselves together
and will soon find remedy. The cow
boys lead a very solitary, and, for
young men, very unnatural life.
Cattle ranges are generally Of large
extent, and the ranches are situated
at considerable distance from each
other, SO there is absolutely no society.
ITlI.c-c, - - I1r,.1 title- e1-~Sz, zes-os
ranges, but the COW kings respect
each others territory and combine to
keep in-traders out. No public land
in Montana has yet been offered for
sale by the United States government,
and it can only be acquired to Inn
tied extent either by purchase from
the Northern Pacific railway, whose
grant includes each alternate square
mile of width Of SO miles on both
sides of their line, or under the home
stead or pre- emption acts. What the
cattlemen do, therefore, when they
have found water and suitable loca-
ton, is to get what land they can as
above mentioned, and to take it in
such a way as to keep other people
away from the water, for the posses
sion of water virtually gives the con-
troll Of the surrounding country SO
far as cattle raising is concerned
Should the cattle grower wish to bor-
row money or to get up company,
he engraves a nice map, colors upon
it blue or pink, a patch as big as York
shire. and calls it his ranger but as [
have explained he has no legal title
to the land. There would be some
thing patriarchial about this life of a
cattle king in Montana, reminding one
of Abraham and Lot and their herds.
but that there are two great points OF
difference; one is that there is nc
family life at the ranches, nothing but
a lot of cowboys living in a half-sav-
age style. and the other that Abra-
ham had no Chicago market to send
his stock to.
s'In summer the climate of Montana
must be charming, though no doubt
it may be pretty hot in some of the
valleys. There is one drawback, how
ever, in the fact that rattlesnakes, es
pecially in certain districts, are very
numerous. A gentleman whom I me-
told me that though there were none
where he lived, the boys at his ranch
few miles off, killed some nearly ey
cry day, aud that one Of them ane
also one of his horses had been bitter
by the snakes. I asked if the bite
had been fatal and he replied no, ane
that the remedy they used was pune
turing around the wound and rubbing
in ammonia. The popular cure, o
course, is drinking whisky; but wheth
er this arises from faith in the remed
or love Of the whisky I cannot say.
Montana is fine place for thos
who have money to lend. The cul
rent rate of interest is Il per cen
per month or Is per cent. per annun
and I was told that 33 per cent. wa
sometimes charged. Money seems t
get dearer the further west you go.
''T have been struck by the numbe
of people in the west who carry \
watches; it is quite common thin
for man to ask you the time, and, Q