Omaha daily bee., 1885-08-11
THE MONTANA Trade.

territory OF hlOnNanbs Dub uhioes 'h0J
wake up they sre liable to lose a consid-
cradle portion of it. The en%terprislng
iobbezs of st. Paul, who H~emi-anuually
make business trips In q body over their
territory TO visit their customers and to
build up their trade, have laidtheir plans
to capture nearly the entire patronage OF
Montana. These st. Paul dealers have
Just Visited the principal towns OF Mon
tana, and have satisfied themselves OF the
richness of that field. They were
particularly impressed with the
thriving city of Butte, where
wages amounting to over S6OO,OOO are
paid to the miners every month, and
where, In the language of the st. Paul
| Pioneer Press, the leading business es-
Establishments are metropolitan In their
character and proportions and In the ex-
tent of their sales. No batter measure,
says this paper, can be iven OF the rela-
tive Importance of Butte as a business
center than the simple fact that Its
freight business furnishes nearly Q
eighth Of the aggregate gross earnings of
the en'ire Union Pacific system. The
Pioneer Press in urging the Northern
Pacific to build a broad guage line to
Butte says:
1t is n most unfortunate and extraordinary
- - Il z-A.na ,,anaaa nf this
the richest mining district in the world, lying
right in the path of the Northern Pacific
railroad and belonging legitimately to It's
territory, Is now ~monopolized by the Union
Pacific railway, which reaches it by the mar
row gauge branch, called the Utah Il North
ern, This narrow gauge line, extended to
Garrison, o distance of ffty-five miles, under
the control of the jealous and hostile corpora
ton, Whole main line runs four or five hun
dred miles south, forms the only means of
access from the Northern Pacific to Butte.
We do not know what compromises or con-
cessions were extorted from the Northern
Pacific management, during the struggling
infancy of that enterprise, by which it was
compelled to surrender by far the most i'm
portant and valuable business on its route to
the greed of a rival which has to reach over
four hundred miles out of It's way to get 1t.
1t is said that the Union Pacific pays the
Northern Pacific o large sum yearly to keep
out the Butte. But no bride, however large,
can justify the neglect of the Northern Pa
ciic to provide the business communities
along its line with adequate facilities of COM
munication with the markets of the world.
sgS* " 1t is o public wrong to permit the
Union Pacific to extort eXtravsgant prices for
this Inadequate service. " y = And the
jobbers of st. Paul came away from there im-
pressed with the conviction that that extern
sion would be worth millions of dollars yearly
to their own trade interests. In
spite of a natural desire on the part of the
carriers to secure the long haul, and in spite
of pooling arrangements which great systems
find necessary to keep the peace, traffic, when
it assumes proportions 80 considerable as that
of Butte has already reached, will choose and
profit by the shortest route from point to
point. 1t is inevitable that the through bust
ness of Butte will be carried over the North
ern Pacific line.
Rere, then, is certainly a matter when
deserves the attention Of the Union Pa
cific as well as of our wholesale dealers.
If, as is charged, the Union Pacific has
bribed the Northern Pacific to keep out
of Butte, thus securing a monopoly and
maintaining outrageous high rates, it
strikes us that 1t Is high time for the
Union Pacific to change its methods of
dealing with Montana. Now is the time
to reduce the rates In order to regain the
good will of the people of that territory,
and If possible prevent the Northern Pa
oi6c from building into Butte. The
moment that the Northern Pacific runs In
to Butte the UnionP scifc will lose alarge
share of Its Montana traffic, and at the
game time the Omaha merchants Will re
ceive a heavy blow. Our Wholesale trade,
although in prosperous condition, is in no
shape to experience any such q loss of
business as would very likely result
from q Northern Pacific line to
Butte. 1t behooves u jobbers to
Impress upon the Union Pacific the
immediate necessity of a material reduc-
ton of Montsna rates and the adoption
of q very liberal policy in the future
towards the business men of that terri
tory.
The members of the ST. Paul jobbers'
union, among whom are some very rich
and influential men, are bringing every
pressure to bear on the Northern Pacific
to build a branch to Butte. They realize
the Importance of capturing the trade
that Is tributary to that point. Now let
the Union Pacific do its duty, and not
wait fer suggestions and petitions from
the Omaha iobberr. Let 1t at once put
down Its rates. 1t has been enjoying a
monopoly long enough, In fact, too long,
and the people Of Montana, grooming I'M
der excessive transportation tariff, will
hail with delight the advent of a new
outlet which will give them competition
In rates.
REWARDING FAITHFUL WORK
MEN.
Thn Co..,Aon Ckoo Ill