Butte semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1886-1890, 1886-12-25
AN ARHY OF ERRORS.

An old saw says: Error will travel q
thousand miles while truth IL put
ting on its Shoes" That OF course has ref
erence to a single handed race. But that a
whole army Of errors OF the stalwart pro-
portions of the following which we find in
the Helena Herald of the goth inst. should
SO far distance truth is q matter of won
dcrment. Under the caption Of "Butte's
Mortality" the Herald says:
1.-THE mortality. at Butte. from all &C.
counts, instead OF receding, is on the in
crease. The doctors fail to agree as to the
cause. Disputes occur as to the number OF
fatalities. That the death rate is very
large seems not TO be denied. A Butte
resident states that deaths among the
little ones average more than two a day.
Physicians neglect to report the deaths.
The papers, il they hear of them, refuse to
print them. One says death turks in the
mineral laden water; another that it is
afloat in the poison polluted air. Then
denials follow as to both these alleged de-
stroyers. In the meantime the dying goes
on. Children are largely the victims:
Scarlet fever prevails. There is other and
undertakers are kept busy. Fogs. nor
darkness nor storms stop the running Of
the hearse line. Grave diggers work in re-
liefs. Such is the story. We tell it as it is
told to us. We hope soon to hear that
the worst is over"
This is all news to tho residents of this
city, but one must 60 away from home to
hear news concerning himself. We are
not surprised that e~nvious parties living
at q distance are anxious to give publicity
to such q string OF absurdities, but that a
resident OF Butte should utter such a series
OF outrageous f%alsehoods as are contained
in the above excerpt passes Jul compre-
hension. He must have struck some OF
HeIena's cheap whiskey or a very soft re-
whose willing ear tempted him to
unfold unto it the CHASTITY tale above re.
1t is hardly necessary to enter a denial
of the preposterous story to those who are
with the facts. They know
there is no increase in the mortality in this
,ity. They know hat deaths among the
little ones"do not average more than
a day." They know that the papers
10 not refuse to print them; they know
hat the water is not mineral laden nor
The air polluted with poison; they know
he undertakers are not kept busy;
Ind they know that the grave diggers do
work in relieis. In fact, they know
hat the city is in the enjoyment OF excel.
emit health, and that there is no other
east or west of the population OF
Butte which can show such a low death
ate. Yet these stories are doing the city
incalculable amount of mischief A
physician of the city remarked
4 our hearing the other day that be was
atisfed that over 200 families had been
reverted from making Butte their home
uring the coming winter on account of
hese false runners on the outside concern
lg the health of the city.
Our evening contemporary has added no
tile to this false impression by it's re-
Gated rerversion of facts in regard to this
latter, for, as we stated at the outset.
'ror can outrun truth in any country. We
ope the City Council will adopt The /
liners suggestions to take such steps as
i'll lead to a truthful record of all deaths
in the city with age, sex and
ause, under certificate of attending physi- 4
an. With this safeguard Butte may sue
defend herself against enemies
thin and enemies without her walls.