The semi-weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1890-1891, 1890-07-16
Malicious Prosecution of Grant and
Ross. the Railroad
Builders.
M0ULT0N NINE TO CHANGE HANDS
Details of the New Tribune Building
Now Under COnstruc-
ton.
General Local News-Recent Town
site Sales-The New Frisco
Hotel at Neihart.

The arrests made here recently b,
Marshal Furay for alleged timber dep
rotations are among the greatest out
RACES ever perpetrated in Montana. ane
these are but a few of many indictments
we understand, that have been found b,
the U. s. grand jury .or somewhat SINH.
lar alleged violations of the timber laws
The arrest of Messrs. Donald Grant
and I. NJ. Ross. in the opinion of tina
tribune, is more a piece of petty malice,
which has Its fountain head in the TEN
porary capital, than Il desire to see the
laws enforced or justice done. Ii is per-
fectly well known by the district attorney.
the members of the grand jury and all
others who had Il hand in the business
hat every railroad in Montana has been
tied with timber from our mountains,
and this is the first official interference
on the part of the federal authorities.
The Northern Pacific, Union Pacific and
Manitoba have cut millions of ties in
Montana for their main lines and
branches, but no attempt was ever made
to modest them and thus interfere with
the development of the state. If Messrs.
Grant and Ross are guilty, as charged,
scores OF others are ten times more guilty
and should be called to account for their
"depredations" in this direction in the
past.
Why is It a greater offense for the
Great Falls q Canada railway, organized
under the laws of the state, and composed
Of American citizens, to cut from the
mountain sides timber sufficient to tie
their road from this city to the boundary
line b 1t is for the other great railroads
OF b state to cut each ten times the
number? Perhaps the Helena Journal,
which seems to be in a particularly hap
py frame of mind over the present perst-
%cutlons, can give an intelligent answer to
this question.
The arrest of Messrs. Goodrich and
Hawk for cutting timber on the public
lands is a piece of petty persecution un-
worthy of a great government like the
United States, The facts in the case are
these: Directly after the completion of
the Manitoba railroad to Benton, Messrs.
Goodrich u Hawk cut a few carloads of
cordwood In the Milk river valley, the
timber for the most part being dead and
otherwise worthless. This wood was
used for domestic purposes at Benton and
1t was the nearest and cheapest timber
supply for that town. All the timber cut,ev-
en- in the form Of cordwcod was worth but
a few hundred dollars at most Now
was not this a grievous crime against the
government = the cutting of a small
quantity Of timber to supply fuel for the
people of Benton, a town in which the
writer, n memorable winter, paid at
the rate of $50 a cord for green cotton
wood polesl
When Land Commissioner Sparks un-
dertook to check the gigantic timber
spoliation of the Montana Improvement
company, (Which was practically the
Northern Pacific company the republi
can press and orators never ceased to
howl and W. F. Sanders wept many a
crocodile tear on the stump over the
petty prosecutions to which the dear
people were subjected. 1t will be inter
esting to note now if the fraudulent sena-
tor and other clap-trap orators of that
time will take the same stand in regard
the several unwarranted and malicious
prosecutions now inaugurated.