The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1892-07-10

IN OUR OWN HANDS.

il always loyal to the interests of the
community in which it is published and
has done much for the upbuilding Of the
Utah metropolis. Salt Lake, like other
cities OF the inter mountain region, is
experiencing business lethargy just now,
and the Tribune has something to say
to her citizens which exactly touches
Helena at this time. 1t says:
Times are dull. There is a good deal OF
complaint in the city OF dull business and
poor collections. There are a good many
idle men here. md property values are not
increasing. We believe the remedy for this
ID going to be through the extension Of the
railroads. We believe two or three parties
are about to begin. but We nee moro toll
our people that there ia no way to insure
tho speedy beginning of railroad building
in this region 80 certainly As for the psople
themselves to do what they can. Times
are hard, but the value of real estate in this
city amounts to many millions OF dollars.
The city itself, through its officers, cannot
mortgage the property to carry on a work
of that kind. bat the people who own the
property can. and it seems TO ~ that q
AOLOA RIOpotbJ owAct0 ~ AkAs eAhV 0Ooet AUS
ct their property, certified to by the proper
authorities, and might with them obtain
money enough to build twenty-five miles of
railroad out of the city; with that done,
any new company desiring to start would
be glad to buy il. and If no new company
we're to start, that much of the road could
be mortgaged to build hat much more,
and so by the time the autumn came the
road might tap eight or ten camps. which
would give it employment enough TO pay
the interest on the money and to return
the money to the owners within three years.
md at the same time leave them the owners
OF the road and all its profits. In the
meantime. too, the property originally
mortPaged would be doubled in value 1t
is strange that shrewd men like a great
many of our business men would let this
opportunity rest month after month and
year after year n make no effort toward
securing what would begin to make this
one of the foremost cities of tho west, and
one of the most prosperous spots in the
republic.
Here are words Of wisdom that our
own people a apply. Recent expert
ences probably have convinced some of
our citizens that the way to build rail
roads is to build them. Two years ago,
when the Castle railroad project first
took shape, instead of depending upon
themselves our citizens sent a com
mittee, hats in hands, to ask the North
ern Pacific company to build a line from
this city to Castle and White Sulphur.
Weeks were spent in dilly-dallyin and
the scheme fell through. At that time
the money could have been raised and
the road built by our own people. This
year nor wisdom has been shown in
the movement, but still there has been
too much dependence on the possibility
of outside aid. Communities are made
by the people who live in them, and not
by people who live elsewhere. Outside
capital, Of course, is necessary to pro-
mote the growth of western towns, but it
does not come to people who are not
self reliant and who do not believe in
themselves. There is no reason why the
Castle railroad project should not now
be a fixed fact instead a matter of con-
lecture. That assured We could take
hold OF the road to the Flathead country
and push it to completion. Communi-
ties on every side of us are waiting for
an opportunity to enter into closer
social and commercial relations with us.
They are ready to contribute to our
prosperity and growth if we will only
invite them. We are depending too
much on natural advantages and on the
chance that people from outside the
state will insist upon helping US along.
1t we had the road to Castle well
under way, and the line to the Flathead
country begun, before another winter,
should see Helena start by another
spring on a season of rapid growth such
as she has never experienced. Two
more railroads would effect a revolution
in the condition of business here. And
just as surely as those two were built
we should have two or three more
hurrying to get here from the outside.
Once started in the line of railroad ac-
tlvlty, our city would be the point
toward which the Burlington, the North
western and the Union Pacific would
head as rapidly rs possible.
A. TO CARNEGIE.
Thus far not q single ewspap re-