Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1887-1890, 1888-03-31
eck|,y
ERRORS CORRECTED.

Railroad schemes and projects are s.
numerous that newspapers would hav
hard work to keep track of them. TIT
papers are themselves responsible TO-
much of the wild notions that are cur
rent. Spokane Falls recently sough
counsel Of Colonel E. V. Smalley on this
subject He predicted no new trunk
line for the ambitious city for that woulc
mean the overthrow Of the Northern Pa.
cific monopoly, which he regards with q
friendly eye. Colonel Smalley went
further and dashed the hopes of Spokane
Falls by making the Manitoba halt at its
present limits in this wise:
The Manitoba has shouldered all the
financial load it can carry at present in
building 500 miles Of road in northern
Montana, mainly through an Indian res
ervation, and in guaranteeing $10,0O0,000
of Montana Central bonds for the extern
sion from Great Falls to Helena and
Butte. Mr.. Hill has informed the stock
holders that after building about so miles
of road in Dakota this year, his system
will be completed and consolidated. |
think this line will rest two or three
years at Helena, Anaconda or Butte.
As regards the financial load which the
Manitoba has shouldered it consists in
building $50 miles of road over an easy
grade and through a fertile country.
There are 1855 miles of that extension in y
reservation but it will soon be thrown
open for settlement and the Manitoba
will then be the only route traversing
20,OO0,0OO acres of good, productive land,
which has not been exhausted by tillage.
Meanwhile the reservation does not pre-
vent large traffic from the Judith basin
and other places south Of it, nor does it
cut off the Manitoba from business at
Great Falls, which is the center of re-
gion that is rich in minerals, as we'll as in
farming and grazing lands. This road
which was built cheaply, over easy
grades, moreover, gives the Manitoba ac-
cess to Great Falls, Helena and Butte,
which had hitherto been source of
large profit to the Northern Pacific. Re
garded in the light Of the country it ira
verses and the places it connects, the
Montana extension is not a burden, but a
source of strength to the Manitoba.
As regards the guarantee of $4,000
0Otbonds, the facts are that only $5,OOO,-
900 have been issued under that guaran-
tee, the remaining $5,000,0OOO being
reserved exclusively for the purchase or
construction of additional lines--a pro-
vision which seems in conflict with the
thought that the cline will rest two or
three years at Helena, Anaconda or
Butte"
The said guarantee involves only the
annual payment Of 100000 which for a
railroad of the extent, location and pros
poets of the Montana Central is trivial.
At least the New York capitalists must
have thought so when their bids-all at
high premium-amounted to $4,000 900,
although only $2,5OO,OOO were required
As regards Mr.. Hills circular it should
be noted that it refers only to the Mani
toba railway system and not to the allied
lines like the Montana Central which will
this year be extended to Butte and Mel
hart. But railroads like armies must
adapt their movements to circumstances.
They must defend or attack, as the occas-
ion requires. If the Manitoba would
gain by speedy advance toward Spo-
kane Falls and the Pacific, the stock
holders would gladly see Mr.. Hill order
his railroad builders in that direction.