The Livingston enterprise. [volume] (Livingston, Mont.) 1883-1914, 1892-03-05
PRICE 10 CENTS.
Tho Park Hotel Privileges

It A special to the Pioneer Press. dated
It February 25th, says: The Yellowstone
d Park bill introduced by Senator Wash
II burn and which in recent statement
s was so savagely attacked by Secretary
: Noble, promises to open the way to some
t very interesting information There are
i; a great many complaints in this Yellow
! stone Park business, and the investiga-
: tlcn to come, it is very probable, will in
r volve the presidents son Russell. The
9 people of the northwest will remember
= that Russell Harrison attempted to
!, break down the character of John Sloan,
: steamboat inspector for the St. Paul
district, because Harrison's friend, E. C.
: Waters of the Park, was dissatisfied
with MIR. Sloans inspection of his boat
, on Yellowstone lake. This matter will
: probably be we'll aired in the coming
consideration of the Yellowstone Park
bill
Secretary Noble attacked the bill very
vigorously, and a reply was today made
by Charles Gibson before the senate
committee on territories. 1t was as
good as the secretary's, and opened up
the matter of Russell B. Harrison's con-
nection with the Yellowstone Park and
shows what has been generally known,
that he has been far too active in this
administration for the administration
good.
The Yellowstone Park association had,
with the Yellowstone Park Transporta-
ton company, leases and rights in the
Park. Last spring the secretary of the
interior revoked the leases of the trans
portation company and granted to Silas
S. Huntley the transportation rights.
The hotel privileges of the association
were of little value without the trans
portation rights, the money being in the
carrying traffic Mr.. Gibson, in his re-
ply today to the secretary's attack on
the bill, undertook to show that the con-
duct of the men having the old contract
was good and after an investigation it
was shown that the superintendent of
the company was conducting affairs in
satisfactory manner. On the snbject of
exclusive franchise Gibson said of the
secretarys criticism:
"He objects because the bill practi-
cally annuls the contract made by the
secretary of the interior with Silas S.
Huntley on March 6, 1891, giving him
the right of transportation, and also
that it in effect annuls contract made
August H. $780, for ten years between
the Yel!owftone Lake Boat company
and the department, giving it the right
OF navigating the lake. | wish again to
repeat that the association makes no OBJ
lection to the grant of such rights in
common to any or everybody
Gibson also said that the law which
the secretary quotes forbids the grant
of any exclusive privilege and he could
not see how the pending bill can annul
the old contracts. 1t had been charged
before the secretary that there was pol
itcs in this Yellowstone Park business;
that Montana was so close politically
that the employees OF the Park company
could turn the election. It had also
been charged that Wakefield, who was
the company's superintendent, was
democrat and that he had worked in the
interest of that party. This, Gibson
claims, has been investigated and proven
untrue; the company took no part in the
politics of Montana. 1t was in the last
part of his argument that Gibson cut
loose on the secretary, Russell Harrison,
Huntley and Waters. He said:
"It is idle to argue before the senate
that this bill can only affect Mr.. Hunt
ley and the boat company by CONNER
cial competition. In short, it is per-
fectly clear that the secretary is by all
his acts endeavoring to chop off all com
petition and then to maintain Huntley
troll, which is,. in effect, the exclusive
privilege of transportation and naviga-
tion in the Park l call this committee
to witness that presented this case, as
my letter shows, so as to keep politics
out of it. Most of the stockholders are
republicans. We have never had po-
litical shadow even in our camp. AS
their representative, as we'll as my own,
am in straight jacket on this occa-
sion as to what / may say or do; but the
secretary himself has forced me to de-
fend the association. The Park is the
best part of the worlds fair, and it is the
Minnesota and Montana part of it. The
completion of the system of improve
ments there, SO as to be ready for the
fair, is OF high Importance to those
states. Not merely are expenditures for
buildings and the current operation of
the hotels made in the twin cit es or
Montana, and Portland, in Oregon, but
in 1892, 1000 rich tourists, and in 1893,
10000 rich tourists, enticed there by the
Park, will leave their financial drop
pings in those states. And then the ad-
vertisement of all the west is Of vast i'm
portance in these states, especially.
Both those states are contested-the po-
litical caldron will boil and bubble in
them as hct as hell's half acre in middle
geyser basin, until November next. A
few votes in either state may change the
result Of the presidential election itself.
Now, Mr.. Huntley and Captain E. G.
Waters are known all over Montana as
the personal. especially devoted and po-
litical champions and friends of the son
of the president. Democrats are kicked
out of their rights and turned over to
these two favorite friends of young Mr..
Harrison, while their property must be
sold at less than half it's value to them
or sacrificed outright. While this is in
dividual or private, in addition to these
the public generally is interested. All
improvements are stopped, large amounts
which the association is ready to spend
and nobody else will think of spending,
are to be rejected; the new road, which
cost the government S155OOO, is to re-
main without hotel, and the Park is to
be left half finished for 1893 rather than
give the association any reasonable
rights. such as every prudent man
would expect before paying out his
money in large amounts. Is there any
way to avoid keeping politics out of the
Park on the programme Of the secre-
tary?'
Mr.. Gibson read his speech and dis