Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1885-1890, 1885-11-07
IT LOOKS LIKE A STEAL.
Some Pointed Remarks About the
Cooke City Railroad Through the
National Park.

Intelligence from Montana, says
the Chicago Times, confirms the con
| yiction that the steal which was at
tempted last winter in congress OF
the Northern wedge of the Yellow
stone Park, which extends into Mon
tana, has not yet been abandoned, but
that it's advocates are marshaling their
forces for another and more formida-
bic assault during the coming session.
Ostensihly the movement has for its
purpose the extension Of railway to
Cooke City, and toreach this wedge
Oh point of the park must be crossed
There is no very material reason why
this right Of way should not be grant
ed under certain conditions; but the
mere right of way is not what is
wanted by the influences which are
manipulating the enterprise. The re-
gion through which the projected
railway would pass includes coal
area Of the greatest value both as to
the quantity and quality of the de-
posit, The real purpose Of the alleged
railway builders is to obtain posses
sion Of this land, and, to secure this,
congress is asked to separate it from
the park, and thus open it up to set
Element. The moment this should be
done, the entire area would be in
stantly pre- empted by the corpora
tons who are engineering the steal.
For more than a year they have had
their agents on the ground ready to
pounce on the land should it he open
ed up to settlement. All this has been
kept very quiet; the newspapers Of
the vicinity do not dare to expose this
project, and so far as the eastern pub
lie is concerned there is nothing on
the surface, OF in the appearance of
things, to indicate that the region re-
ferred to is the subject Of any scheme
involving theft Of colossal dinen-
sions Congressman O'Neil, of Mis-
souri,, who lately visited the park, was
asked if he had paid any attention to
the railway that the Montana people
wished to get through to Cooke City,
to which he said:
Yes, I should say [ had given it
attention. I have been talked to death
almost on the subject ever since [
have been in the country. Look at
me. I'm total wreck just from list
ening to this railway talk. And [ tell
you now that there never will be a
id inch cut off that park [ want
to see it enlarged instead of cut down.
Your bill came nearer passing last
winter than it ever will again. Just
on information and belief that it had
passed, half the population Of this
country got fresh and went out and
plastered the park with mineral-loca-
ton notices. That settled it. It look
ed a good deal as if the land was of
more Importance than the railway,
and you'll never get that suspicion
out of the minds Of lots of men in
Washington. Why, I met man up
around the park who impressed it on
my mind, or tried to, that all his past
life and future prospects were entohlb-
ed in that northern strip of the park
like a toad in the trunk of tree, and
the only home for him depended on
the government opening up that land;
in other words, all his hopes were cen
tered on something that never belong
ed to him. This nation has got only
one park, and I want to see it let
alone. There is little block Of land
fifty-tive or sixty miles in size. all that
Uncle Sam has retained for the en-
joyment Of the public, and you folks
can't keep your hands off thatr'