The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1892-03-14
HELENA MILITARY POST.
Eastern Montana is Not Very Much
Interested in It's Estab-
lishment.
Miles City Announced as Gan.
didate for an Indian Indus
trial School
inspector Leonard WIN Report to the
Department ms to the Point
of Location.

NtSAotAD n AsIb KOlIlI OH III WHICH MIS-
saula ana Helena are at present the prlnci-
pal contestants" is tho way the Stock
GfoWefs journal puts it, and continues:
zine cause of the fight is the talked of
abandonment of Fort Missoula and the pro-
posed establishment of a large military
post at Helena. Each OF these cities has
It's own interests at heart, but they ask the
h1d OF other cities III the state to secure the
prizes they covot. This fight would not i'll
Jefest eastern Montana much we're il not
that IN roundabout way Miles City is to
pc dragged into it. Bozsmnn desires that
the state capital be situated at that beautl-
ful city, therefore il is in the field in fight
against Helena. Bozeman, like the princi
pals IL the military post fight, wants sec
onds and asks eastern Montana to assist her
~ securing the capital. Now Miles City
has been candidate for an Industrial
school for some time, and with the strong
recommendation Of Gen. Nelson A. Miles to
tho department. that this is the point 70 /
the establishment Of large industrial
school.
~. a. Leonard, an inspector in the In
dian service. has been in Montana some
little time. One object Of his visit is to re-
port to the department the best point in
Montana for the location Of al Indian in
dustrial school. He has visited the Grow
resesvatiop, Billings and cities west of
tthere, FEhas not as yet been at Miles
C1tts by the western exchanges ho is cred
tied with having become thoroughly satu-
rated with the idea that the Indian school
should be situated near Bozeman and that
the old Fort Ellis reservation is just the
site for the school. Now. Of course Boze-
man must be given credit for having ma
tured the idea in the mind of the inspector.
1t ls all we'll enough to show energy in the
matter Of attracting enterprises and insti.
tutlons to individual localities, but our
beautiful Bozeman should remember that
she has larger cheStnuts in the fire and that
she may want to borrow some paws to
stick in among the hot Goals. She accuses
her rival, Helena, Of grasping everything
ia sight, if that is to be one of the stock
arguments she had better rot adopt a
course to which it will be replied, you
too
Here is positive statement. Miles City
ls the place az which the Indian industrial
tabllshed IA Montana. A few of the
reasons for this are apparent to any one
who will recall them. An Indian school
should be situated near an agency Miles
City is over ninety and 100 miles distan
from the agencies in this vicinity. The
location OF the school here would attract
the Indian lads more than one at great
distance and still be far enough away to
prevent the bad influence of friends and
relatives. The location would be near
enough to the eastern line to be available
for the Sioux youth. Its proximity to Fort
keogh would have several advantages. In
case of mutl1fy or attack the property Of
the government would be promptly and
amply protected. AS it is the POLICY of the
government to make soldiers of the Indians,
they would be in good position to have the
military instruction SO valuable in youth and
tho great lesson OF discipline would be in
stlled into them early. Then if aCricul-
ture is the natural step from the nomadic
life toward civilization then surely Custer
county is undoubtedly the county in which
the school should be located. as was most
play at the fair at Helena last fall. This is
the banner farming county, and there is no
better place to teach farming and make it
attractive and interesting than in a county
where nature assists in crowning effort with
the highest results. For these and other
reasons Custer county ia the place for the
Indian industrial school. 1t has Gen. Mel
son a. Miles written endorsement for the
location of the school on the Fort Keogh
reservation just noross the river from Miles
City, its surroundings are all that could bo
wished for i'll placing Indian Youths uude,
good influences. Eastern Montana has de-
manded very little, and ambitious cities in
the middle and western part of the state
must accord some measure of consideration
to this part of the state or the persimmon
poles west of us will have to be elongated
before next .November, and
the meeting of the second legislature of the
state of Montana