The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-05-25
HELENA'S ADVANTAGES.
How They Were Presented to the
Congregational College Com
mittee at Livingston.
The Capital City Built Livingston
Eight Times Over During
Last Year.
Building Improvements Of Helena In 1900
Amounted to More Than All Great
Falls Assessed Valuation.

Falls Assessed Valuation.
The interest in tho doings Of the college
committee which was deadlocked by the
vote of one persistent man makes the fol-
lowing recital of their doinRs rather inter-
esting reading: Livingston's offer was one
track of fifty acres on which the college was
to be placed. and another supplementary
fifty acres; also a cash donation Of 100000.
Helena offered the same land bid rs before,
supplemented by nm increase of 100 acres,
and a donation OF $25, SOD. An alternative
offer of fifteen acres inside land WAS made.
Great Falls offered forty acres of inside
property, 200 acres of outside lands and
$22,OO0 in cash. Helena was asked to pre-
sent her claims, and Mr.. G. 8. Appleton. as
a business man, was called for, and for an
hour no pressed the claims of Helena most
skillfully and earnestly urged the commit
tee to give the college to Helena for the
following reasons:
First. 1t is better to go to the oldest, best
civilization of the state as the largest, richest
city will offer most advantages to students.
1t ia not true of Helena, as SO often charged,
''Helena is dead,'' Helena has passed it's
height" He also regretted the necessity of
making comparisons of Helena with any
other CITY, but the necessity of the case ls
such that, in presenting Helena's case, we
are compelled to do so; not that we are
against any other town, but merely to exa
hibit Helena's claims and merits, do we
thus speak.
Second. Helena's industries disprove all
charges against Helena. 1t is here a COM
mon occurrence to launch out into large
enterprises that pass on unnoticed and I'M
reported. As, for instance, the laying of II
water main last summer nineteen miles
long, costing $225, 600, and using 1876 car
loads Of pipe. Probably not twenty-five
persons all told, outside the workmen and
the company, knew anything about all this
as it was going on. n many to-day do not
know of it. Also great improvements are
now being made in our smelter, requiring
200 car loads of rock, and this great matter,
great for any other place than Helena, has
not even yet been noticed by the eagle eye
of the newspaper reporters.
Third. The assessed valuation of town
lots and improvements on the same in 1880
are us follows: Park county 81, 26O, 600;
Cascade county + 1861, 600; Lewis and
SlaTk0 county Tlf,oUA,OOU, WHICH is nearly
i've times Cascade county and fourteen
timer Park county. Increase of assessed
valuation of 1899 over 1889. Park county
$1.429.0 600: Cascade county S4.334, O0O;
Lewis and Clarke $11, 271 900, nine
millions of which was in the
this was in buildings and improvements in
the same city; in other words Helena built
Livingston eight times over last year. The
building improvements of Helena last year
amounted to more than all the assessed
valuation of Great Falls, including town
lots and improvements thereon. These
things show Helena is not a fossil or a dead
town.
Fourth. Helena is a great railroad CEN
ter, as is proved by the fact that this COM
mlttee has had to pass through the city
several times in order to get to its destined
place of meeting.
Fifth. Great Falls has magnificent water
power, but it is good only SO far as it can be
used. Helena also has a water power only
twelve miles off which can furnish by cleo
trio connection all the power needed by q
city of 1000 0 people.
Sixth. As to smelters, Helena has a smelter
which will compare favorably with any in
our state. But its building in Helena
proved not to affect the city much, except
in the near vicinity. Our city is too vast to
be affected much by any one enterprise.
Seventh. We are about to establish a
oAS hoii Nbop eAop 80 " ySoAp WA
employ 500 men; but nobody makes any
talk about it in Helena.
Eighth. We have over twenty-eight or
thirty miles of street railway, all but four
or five miles now in operation.
Ninth. 1t has been urged that Great Falls
is a working mans town, that the two new
smelters will bring 5000 men into the city.
This is doubtless true. We cannot claim to
be distinctly Il working man. town, and yet
there are more working men he, e than the
entire population of Great Falls. We do
claim to have a thinking mans town,
state to educate their children. 1t is n res
idence town. This city is the center Of
the densest population of Montana.
Tenth. In the matter of public schools,
Helena has eleven buildings for this purpose,
completed and i'll course of construction.
and forty-four teachers: each year the
schools are graduating many who are look
ing for a higher education. These schools
also draw many scholars from outside the
city. The amount of money expended in
1890 by the three com letting cities, as shown
by authentic statistics. is as follows: Liv-
%ingston, SO, 343; Great Falls, S3,927; Helena,
S156, 416. AS to children of school age
Lewis and Clarke county has three times
us many as either of the other counties,
and nearly as many as the entire popula-
ton of Great Falls.
Eleventh. 1T must not be forgotten that
the college should be placed in that city
which is best able to give it financial aid.
Helena is the richest city of the country.
Twelfth. Most of the ground around the
protfered location ID owned by men of
wealth or powerful syndicates. who are able
and determined to push improvements of
great value: such men will not be slow to
improve the opportunities involved in the
location of a college in their region. All
this insures the increased valuation of the
college lands.
Thirteenth. This location is very near a
railroad crossing of two great railroads,
where every train must stop. Moreover,
the location is but one and one-fourth
miles from an electric, and steam motor
line. Eight thousand dollars only. would
it cost to bull Il line to the college. We
have the promise of the president of one of
the lines that this road shall be built.
Fourteenth. The money value of Helena's
offer is such as to make it almost impossi-
bio to convince anyone of its value who
does not live in Helena and know land
values there. This ground II plotted would
furnish 100000 front feet, and at the ri
diculous figure of one dollar per foot means
$10O.0O0. Land but Il short distance off is
even now selling at $25 to $50 per front
foot. Five years ago the prospect of this
lane reaching S25 per front foot was less
than those of our proffered location to-day.
If we say even fifteen years hence this land
is worth only $50 per foot, the location IL
then worth 500 0 900. Here is our grand
offer to you for endowments. Would you,