The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1892-03-18
THE YELLOWSTONE PARK
A Correspondent Who Thinks That
a Storm Center Is Form
ing There.
Vigorous Reply of the Park Asso-
citation to Secretary Mobiles
Protest.
Transportation and Hotels-Former
Franchise AbroGated.

transportation and Hotcls-Former
Franchise Abrogated.
In its issue of March Z the New Yorl
World printed the following special from it
Washington correspondents: A storm cen
ter is forming in the National Yellowstone
park which threatens to develop into cy
clonic proportions when it reaches Mon
tana and Minnesota. II may do a grea
deal of damage throughout the west, ane
more or less in the central and eastern
states. Cautionary signals are ordered dis
played at all republican headquarters.
The storm has been brewing some time
AZ has been shown by the b%arometio indios-
tions on Capital hill. During the last
three DAYS it has developed strength and
energy in this particular quarter. and will
be raging furiously before another fortnight
has passed.
The full force of the tempest will be felt
at the interior department., and sumo OF its
inmates will DE- we'll to look for shelter In
etorm-cellars.
The expose of Secretary Mobiles misman-
aesmsnt Of Yellowstone park affairs in the
Park asNociation's reply to his protest
against tho passage of Its bill has been SO
generally discussed and has created so
much interest that the matter has got INTO
the house Of representatives.
A resolution calling for = congressional
investigation waG introduced last Wednes-
dav by Mr.. McRea. chairman of the COM
mittee on public lands, and doubtless will
PASS. 1t was referred TO the committee on
miles. but only to be made formal in its ex-
pressions.
This action makes the contention not
merely a private affair between the park
association and Secretary Noble, but gives
it the proportions Of a national inquest
upon the official conduct of q cabinet min
lister. A"
In 1889 Secretary Noble made six leases
to the Yellowstone Park assoclation for SIX
hotel sites in the park. On the faith of
these leases the association built five large
hotels. established telegraph and telephone
systems all over the pnrk. and through its
agent, Gen. Wakefield. did all the business
of Transporting passengers by stages
through the park and between the hotels.
Il expenaed nesrly $780, 900 in its plants.
Secretary Noble said in his official report
last November:
The hotels are reported to be well kept
and are now furnishing abundant accom-
modations to visitors. These, with the
good roads, make a visit to the park en-
ioyable and will attract more and more
visitors yearly to contemplate the n
full exhibition of nature there presented.
Cant. Harris, u. S. A., and supsrintend-
ent OF tho park, IN MS onnclai report LOT
1888, declares:
Annie facilities of excellent character
arc furnished at Mammoth Hot Springs BY
the Park association, through It's agent,
George w. Wakefield, and the Cottage ho-
tel. under the management OF Mr. q. l..
Henderson. During the past year no com
plant Of e1tortion OIL unjust charges by
anv of the transportation managers has
been made. The drivers and other en-
ploves have been atten tive to their duties,
civil and courteous III their intercourse
with visitors, and no accidents have oc-
curred that could be attributed to their un-
skilfulness or want of attention.
In 1889 Eupt. Harris report was of a SIM
In 1880 Capt. Boutell, U. S. A., then tho
superintendent, reporthd:
The transportation in the park, under the
direction of Mr.. George W, Wakefield mas
been increased and carried nearly to per-
faction. Tho coaches are as fine as human
ingenuity can invent, In order that there
may be perfect safety to passengers, only
perfectly gentle horses are purchased and
used. They are obtained principally in Iowa,
ana cost ADOub bWlCS ~ "uGd 90 ~ nHsIfV
horses of the country. In the seven years
Mr.. Wakefield has been engaged in the
business no passenger has ever received any
injury.
Can't. Anderson, United States army, the
present superintendent, IN his report for
1891, says:
The transportation in the park has been
carried on under the leases granted the
Yellowstone Park association. Mr.. George
Wakefield has managed ii for a number of
years, and he has az fine transportation as
there is anywhere in the world; stages and
harness are new, clean and we'll. kept:
horses are gentle and in good condition;
drivers sober, accommodating and com
petent; there have been very few com
plants of them, although perfection in
this class of public servants IL not always
easy of attainment.
more than five Thousand passengers each
season.
The hotels do not pay; tho transportation
business does. 1t was the most valuable
right the association held.
On March 80 the secretary, with these
official facts brought directly to his per-
sonal and official knowledge, made a lease
to s.. s. Huntlsy. a Montana republican ard
close personal and political friend OF Rus
sell Harrison, of tho rlghtof transportation
in the whole park, and the Sd of April, four
days afterwnrd, declared a forfeiture of the
1lkut VI 1oAoOo sAc haeA w Il
association in each of It's six leases, without
giving any notice to the association, ell
though the terms of the leases required
sixty days notice in case Of forfeiture, on
the alleged ground "of the failure on the
part of said association to comply with its
obligation and to furnish the transporta-
ton facilities provided for in the several
~loases.''
He mentions that Numerous and serious
complaints as to it's character have been
brought to the attention of the secretary
but he does not say by whom or what they
were, nor that they we're true. or that the
association had been given any opportunity
to reply to them, or that he had made any
hnding as to them.
Neither the Huntley Lease nor the 1850
citation forfeiture took effect until the first
day of last November. Ia this respect they
are both remarkable. because the forfeiture
was declared upon the ground that the as.
ISOLATION had failed to do the business
properly, and vet it, in effect, required the
association to do the business the whole OF
the last season. and the lease was given on
the idea that Mr.. Huntley would do the
business better than the association had
done it. but it did not require him to turn
n wheel until fourteen months after tht
Al-A