Butte semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1886-1890, 1886-10-23
4 SCRAP OF HISTORY.

Tn his speech at the Race Track barbecue
uan ". A. Clark referred to Col. Sanders
CT railroad subsidy scheme for the Terri.
.,,rv One of the interesting incidents OF
.hst precious enterprise, however. was not
.an+;oned by Mr.. Clark. As it forms the
frst chapter in the series OF subsidy
aohomes conceived by the prolific brain OF
CaI Sanders we will give it, to be followed
- the near future by another scrap OF his
.orv showing the inside OF the exemption
fasco in 1879.
T. was in 1873 when the Colonel, it seems,
e.,t became impressed with the import
arce Of saddng the Territory with a tre-
,,,endous debt in order to give the people
something to work for during the remainder
Of their lives. Inspired with this laudable
cndeavor the Colonel went to California
and held repeated consultations with Gov.
ernor Stanford, the Crockers, Huntington
and other Central Pacific magnates. After
discussing great deal of wine and some
little business with these railroad kings,
the latter opened their hearts and gener-
ously proposed to extend their road from
ogden up to Helena if the people OF Mon
tana would give them a bonus OF 81, ,OOO.-
900. OF course as this business ofprocuring
railroad for Montana was a labor OF love
and on the part OF Col. Sanders no one will
be so uncharitahle as to suppose that the
matter Of percentage or compensation of
any kind entered into the discussion OF this
tempting proposition.
Armed with all the necessary letters, pa
pers, etc filled with the Importance OF his
mission and Mumm's extra dry, and in
spired and strengthened by the substantial
blessings OF that huge and wealthy corpo-
ration Col. Sanders returned to Montana
to Law the beautiful scheme before the tax
nayers of the country. 1t was a stalwart
Mil for them to swallow, but the Colonel
thought he could cover it with such
tempting coat Of sugar that the hard
working miners and ranchers would jump
lit with their mouths wide open. Know
ipg that the strongest opposition to the
scheme would be found on the West Side,
as the people there would be less benefited
by the road than those in other portions
of the Territory, the Colonel, braced by a
little home encouragement from around
Helena, went over to Deer Lodge to lay the
cided bauble before the people OF that
place.
He took Judge Symes with him. Symes
is Colorado's Congressman, and is now on
the Republican ticket OF that State for re-
election. .Symes was lightweight, but as
he had been an Associate Justice of the
Territory it was supposed he would add
considerable strength to the proposition
among the unthinking. Besides, ne was
good-looking and wore corsets and Travelled
on his shape, and took with the ladies,
which last fact Sanders duly appreciated,
for the Colonel is q shrewd politician and
knows the power OF woman in a campaign,
AMI when he has a favorite point to press
he employs all the known artitires-from
kissing their babies to exhibiting corset |
wearing dude-to capture their good will.
But to the history. The announcement
had been made that Col. Sanders and
Judge Symes would present to the people |
OF Deer Lodge and vicinity the benefits
they would receive by giving subsidy OF
$4,OOOOOO to the Central Pacific Railroad
Company % aid that corporation to build
its road from Ogden to Helena. The
people came from every quarter and the
Court House was jammed. Sanders pre-
sented the scheme in glowing language and
dilated upon the brilliant future OF Deer
Lodge-the town he had often before re-
ierred to as "the little place on the trail
from Helena to Beartown"-if this great
thoroughfare were built to Helena. Symes
played second fiddle to Sanders high notes.
but the good people Of that then bustling
little town couldn't see it in that light and
turned cold shoulder to the glittering
proposition. All that Sanders got out OF
Deer Lodge on that scheme was Sam
Scott's denijohn OF whisky. The $4,000
900 su bsidy scheme failed to materialize
Had it found favor, Col. Sanders would, in
all probability, now be the Montana Attor-
ney for the Central Pacific and it's candl-
date for Congress against the Hon. J. K.