The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-07-15
Leading Merchants and Shippers Anxious
for Closer Trade Relations With the
State--yiews of the Packers.

Nlcw ~ SAA NoaANp
timents expressed in you telegram are
thoroughly r]eoiprocatsd in Omaha. l am
assured by leading business men that be-
fore the summer is over they will avail
themselves of the privilege of visit
ing your city. in accordance with the lnvl-
tation SO courteously extended them. On
behalf of the Bee allow me to
thank YOU for the compliment
tary words contained in you telegram
and to assure you that this paper stands
ready to do all in its power to bring about
closer business relations between the great
states of Nebraska and Montana. There
are no states in the union between which
more profitable reciprocal business rela-
tions can be established. The fact that
within a few months at the furthest one of
our great railroads will have completed it's
lines within POO miles of the Northern Pa
ciic gives assurance that it will not be long
until your great cattle ranges will be open
to this market, and our immense corn fields
and growing packing houses will be ready
to establish an interchange of products.
Very truly yours. HE BEE.
Per HAYNES.
In addition to the above, the Bee, under
date OF July u. publishes Il utlIb VI ~
teryiews with leading business men of that
CITY on the desirability of closer relations
between the two sections. Thu paper says:
A we'll known grain man who was averse
to allowing his name to be used, stated
Yesterday that the possibilities OF this
scheme OF trade relations were SIMPLY lm-
mense.
cit is not generally known" said he,
''that Montana is in a fair way to be one
of the greatest wheat producing states III
the union. Her soil is very rich, as is
plainly shown by several experiments
which have been made with wheat, and she
has plenty of water. They can easily raise
wheat up there which will run from forty
to sixty bushels per acre. They cannot
raise corn as the climate is not suited to
it. but the reputation of Nebraska as the
greatest corn growing state i'll the union IS
already established, and the people OF Mon
tana want some of our corn.
Another thing" he continued. 1T has
practically demonstrated that it is q better
business investment to bring cattle into
Nebraska off the ranges and feed them our
corn before shipping, than to ship the same
corn east. 1t also uses up our Surplus corn.
In order to do this satisfactorily, however,
we must have more direct railroad com
munication and it is highly important that
the business men of this section should
meet those of Montana and establish closer
relations in order that both points may put
forth all their efforts to attain the desired
end"
Secretary Nash of the Omaha q Grant
smelling and refining company, stated yes
terday that he had just returned from Mon
tana and was firmly convinced that Omaha
should allow no chance to escape whereby
she might get a firm hold on the country
adjacent to Helena. Recent developments
prove conclusively that there are large de-
posits Of copper in the Big Horn country in
northern Wyoming and southern Montana,
and there are strong possibilities of gold
and silver.
I'VE get large quantities of ore from
Helena and that vicinity said Mr.. Nash,
but we labor under a great disadvantage
in having to pay the Same freight as the
Chicago people do, and then We have to
ship our product to Chicago. 4 direct line
from the mining country into Omaha would
affect this rate directly, and put us on a
better footing. That is a great country up
there, and Omaha ought to have all the
trade from that section.'
Euclid Martin, president of the board of
trade, stated that Montana and Wyoming
were naturally tributary to Omaha, but,
under existing conditions, the greater part
of the trade of the country goes to st. Paul
by reason of the more direct railroad con-
nections. He thought something should be
done to bring this trade to Omaha, and
was in favor of Immediate action on the
part of the board of trade and other
organized bodies looking towards that
end. 1t would be a very good plan. MIR.
Martin suggested, for a number of
business men to go together to Helena and
the surrounding country and cultivate the
business acquaintance of the people. The
numerous excursions of this nature taken
by the board of trade, he said, had been
productive of much good. Nearly every
man In the party had picked up q Gus
toner here and there and these had brought
moro and TINS INC GnSp1 tine trade of the
city. Moreover, these trips had a tendency
to broaden the IDEAS OF the business men of
Omaha, and resulted, indirectly, in good to
the city.
Mayor Cushing agreed most emphatically
with the ideas suggested by the Bee and
said Omaha should, by all means. use
every effort to obtain and hold the trade of
that important section. 1t was a matter
for Immediate action on the part of the
commercial organizations of the city and
they should take the matter i'll hand at
once. lie was heartily III accord, he said,
with any measure tending to increase the
commercial standing of Omaha.
General Manager Hoidrege, of the b. g.
NJ, was asked his views on tho subiect
under consideration and unhesitatingly de-
clared that tie Importance of the country
ugh to be made tributary to Omaha was
not to be questioned. but the only way to
encourage the building of railroads con
Meeting Omaha with the territory around
Helena was to give the RAILROAD world some
assurance, by both words and acts. that
railroad property WAS worth something in
this part OF the county. he continual
agitation of the cry for lower rates, when
everybody knew rates were already too low,
only resulted In depreciating the value of
railroad stock, and no one in this county
or In Europe could be induced to invest "a
dollar in railroads. Until something was
done to restore the confidence of capitalists
IN railroad securities west of the hlissis-
slppi, he said it would be die to talk of
building rny more roads in this territory.
II have given the subject very little at
tention," said Manager Edward A. Gndahy,
of the Cudahy Packing AS his
attention WAS called 10 tie editorial in the
Bee III regard to trade and shipping facili-
ties to and from hlontaua. II hele is
plenty of trade with that section. Montana
has plenty Of cattle, ard good cattle, too,
and We need the cattle. At present what
cattle we get from that state come via st.
Paul. / think that we do not get many cat
tle from that section, as | suppose the rail
road lines leading from the Montana ms
turages, have direct lines to Chicago, and OF
course would give preference to shipments
40 Chicago. We could use ali the catGle that
would be shipped from that state 30 tins
market. Ii the grazing sections of the state
were tapped by railroad ines with direct OF
good connections here, with good, fair