The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1888-01-04

A Boom Built on Sentiment.
Editor Of the River Press:

feel truly sorry for the more respecta
bic element at Great Falls that it must be
mortified by such defence as that of De-
cember Goth. which fell from the pen of
that hireling of the Townsite Company,
which the merchants and business men of
Fort Benton were only too glad to see
leave their city. He thinks that have
rendered myself ''criminally and civilly
liable" in the statements I have made.
When he brings on his suit / will show
not only that what have said in regard
to the meeting at Harris store and the
Edgerton desert claim are true, but that
there is much in regard to those sweet
scented transactions that I have not vet
told. My sources of information are the
land office and Choteau county records,
and are official" in regard to both mat
ters [ should have taken no notice of
the vulgar rawlings of this gentlemen Of
sterling business integrity" if the Tribune
had not given them editorial sanction. It
is to be inferred therefore that the attack
came from the ToWnsite mismanagers.
This very able, hightoned and abstruse
'argument' Of this legal adviser to the
Townsite Company calls upon me to say
few words upon the subject of sentiment
in it's relation to James J. Hill in his ca
pacity as a railroad president. II the
managers of the ToWnsite affairs at the
Falls had displayed as much business
sense in ten years as President Hill would
in ten minutes they never would have had
their land business in the everlasting
tangle which is now bringing forth such
an abundant crop Of litigation II they
possessed in their whole collection of car
casses as much ability to conduct affairs
as Mr.. Hill carries around in the end of
his little finger, they never would have
allowed such letters to 60 into print as
those that have lately appeared in the
Tribune.
Just consider for single moment this
brilliant spectacle. The management of
great corporation, stocked for millions,
and supposed to have backing of other
millions in solid wealth is fighting desper-
ately a single individual in a newspaper
war. Of all the foolish acts committed by
the able management of the ToWnsite
fabric, none shows more strongly the
weakness and frailty of the whole affair.
But let us look at their sentimental
racket. They have tried to make this
community believe that by going and
chewing caramels, and sucking ju-jube
paste with President Hill, and then drool-
ing sweet and sticky saliver all over him
from head to foot, that they are going to
persuade him to build them city, even if
he abandons for that purpose his great
ambition Of shining as the brightest star
among those brilliant minds that govern
the ans-continental railroads Of Ameri-
ca. They would have us believe that he
must be fattered and cajoled, and that
such things count more than freight re-
ceipts. This Townsite attorney Of theirs
reads Fort Benton lesson on gratitude
to the Manitoba railroad. Sentiment be
hanged! It is stated that since the road
reached Fort Benton the city has paid it
more cash than any other station west of
Minneapolis. Fort Benton owes the Man
itoba much, but the Manitoba owes Fort
Benton just as much if not more This
stuff about the "cur that will bite the
master who keeps it from starvation" is
nothing but the whimpering rot of men
who would "stand off their just OBJ
legations with ''promises," sweet senti-
mental vagaries or fail to pay them alto
gether. Whatever former resident of
Fort Benton might do, Mr.. Hill is no "cur
to bite the hand that feeds him" He was
never known to slight or slander his gro
Ger or butcher whose just bills he had re-
fused to pay.
Mr. Hill has in every instance treated
Fort Benton justly and honorably,
shown no partialitY anywhere, in short
has shown himself to be the level headed,
thorough business president Of great
railroad and not toWnsite boomer. He |
asks no sentiment from us, we ask none
from him. We want him to take our
traffic which is steadily increasing, and he
wants to take it. We do not ask to hug
and kiss him, and sincerely hope he has
no such designs upon US. We want to
make money out of him, and he wants to
make money for his road out Of us, and
that is all he wants of Great Falls,
The president of the Manitoba road as
the servant of it's directors is looking to
the welfare of that road and will never
PROSTATE its interests to benefit any little
town scheme in which he may be slightly
interested. I say slightly interested, be
cause the impression has been industri-
ouslY circulated that untold wealth has