The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1893-10-22
HOW MONTANA STOOD IT.
Helena and the State Generally Wont
Through the Experience
All Right.
Merchants Report Trade Almost
Equal to That of the Pre-
cedinG Year.
How the MiseF, stsck man and Msrohsaa
are Taring-ssas Helene Firms
In the swim. -u.

For twsnty years Helena has had she
reputation among the towns Of tho state Of
never giving up, no matter how adverse tho
conditions might be she WAS called upon 10
face. In the carly days whom the plaosrs
became played out IL was thought tho
camp would be deserted, but tho pioneers
then began hunting quartz, and found Il.
Ihon came n quick succession two big 6ros,
bus the only result Of these visitstions was
ths erection Of better buildings In the place
OF tho ehearer ones destroyed. Then came
1876 with she Black Hills boom, and il
looked for little while az though tho town
would be left 10 the owls; but many OF tho
men who had been with the oamp from the
beginning remained, and in She con 90 OF \
Tow years large ma jority Of those Who had
gone to the Dakota FL Dorado returned, and
Helena retained her prestiae - the leading
town Of the state. From 1880 10 tho present
time the growth Of the town has besn rsQu
lar and steady. and the public aud private
Improvements have kept pAos wish the
growth in population.
Less than sixty days ago The town ives
from coast to coast. and for forty-eiSht
hours following tho bow the croaksr for
once had shs floor. Bat the men who Ind
passed thEouan all the ups and downs since
the Foundation of ths city quickly rscov-
| cred themselves. and firm in shs belief that
| Helena was all right they showed BY their
actions that they believed H. Helena will
recover from this moro rapidly than any
Other town in the country" these men a.
serted. and events since have proved they
were right Right in the face Of shs panic,
and when In other sections railroAd build
ing was stopped short. r. A. Harlow and
his associates began 4 aiding ths Montana
Midland railroad between Hslsna and
| White Sulphu. bprtnRs. and this IL still
being pushed ahead. The Helena Conss!i-
dated Water company. through wh,oh the
city has one ot the best watsr services Of
any city In tho count J. continued it, Gen.
templated extensions and bettsTmsnts, while
the electric lighting and gas companies,
already ~ complete - any similar plants
in ths United ststsA kept right on alding
e their business. Ihs street car oompan-
los continued their service, and one of them
has now undsr way Ok tensions that will add
several miles to their trAskage. By the
hrst Of September the more timid looked
| about them and saw tho town had NOT been
uoVoN OO"1 tu0 VhllOy; tQ0 CD6nt1 De-
| gan to realize thst there was still a large
population left that had to have thei.
| wares, and. best Of all, they soon discovered
| that while hundreds of thousands Of dol
lara had been taken ont Of tho banks II hal
not been destroyed. but was in the town
and the people were going to spsud it.
just whom the change came no one seems
to know, but IL did come, and almost -
suddenly ~ the o. was the rise. ORDERS
tor goods that had been sountsrmandsd
We 9 sent In again. Clerks who had bpen
| laid of were re-employsd. and for the past
two weeks merchants In all lines report "
good business 40 there was At the same time
iass yenr. But ons effect of the storm, is
seen, and that Is that it has cleared she A.
mos here. and business In evsry line 10 In
better shape in Helena now than il has
ever been.
~. lost judge Of the business Of CON-
munity is the travelling man. Ask the rep.
resentstive of any line Of goods what town
in this section 10 in the best shape and
which is buyinQ she most goods and hs will
tell ypu Helena. When the hopeful man
ssid sixty days ago that Helena would como
out OF the panic all light he based his
| opin ON On solid Rround. He knew that
tributary to the city We the most p o.
ductive mining camps In the state; cam Oh
that depended 40 much on their gold A. on
their silver pi oduct and he knew that even
If silver were knocked out there still re-
mained 500 es OF productive gold mines
within \ radius of thirty miles OF the city.
| he panic did not cause Il shut down At
Marysville. nor at Alta, Corbiu or Wiokes;
the Bald Butte ana Psnobscot kept on Just
the srme, ~ did the gold properties in the
vicinity of Teston. Where there was one
mill sixty Gays nso III operation Ut Union
vile there are now five, and the
hundreds of employss at Eas: H.l4ns have
not lost an hour of time nor dollar in
wages BY reason of tho financial storm.
As is tho cass in Helena. SO il is to q
| large extent all over the state. Tho oak
srs said on Aug. l that the state would
become ono vast stock rnnee. with hero and
there a corral and few gold mines in the
| mountainous portion. But the sensible
and obsrEvant citizen WIS firm In tho
| belief that Montana was all right and that
! she would come out of the hery furnace the
| bettsr for the experiences. And she has.
While in other states immense manufao.
| turing concerns shut down. throwing hum
drsus and thousands of men out of work.
the g eat copper producers at Butte have
| kept right along employing hun reds Of
men; the reduction works At Anaconda and
| Great Falls have not shut down day; work
on the Butte. Anaconda d Pacific railroad
between the great mining camp and tho
noted smelter city was not delayed day
| by the panic. and now It is about rsady to be
operated. In the face of the depression mon
WHO knew Montana her wealth and re-
| sources. as thoroughly a. the On pineer
| knowA his snRins, began work on the Mon
| tana Southern railway. investing thei own
| money in tho enterprise, and having NO
| fear of the result.
| The cronk ker was fortunate In his season.
When the panic came Montana WAS just
| ready to ship her cattle. wool aud sheep to
| the eastern market. The Rtowsr w.s In
debt and 1t would be sixty days before his
| y otits would come in. But ths sixty da,s
| hnvs passed. he IL rapidly paying OF bis OBJ
| legations and he bnds himself with soms-
| thing left over to spend with the tradssmau.
| The ranchmau was told sixty days ago he
| would NOT be nble 10 soil his crops because
there would not DO any ono in the state to
buy The ha, vest has been bountiful and
| the ranchman hnds he has = better market
this yenr than ever before. Tue wheat
grower has sold his product because Aou-
tsninns are usinR this year 100 sacks OF
Montana -four whete formerly they ussL
ons. The railroad construction has made
n ma kct tor tho hay and oats
and ali tho other products OF The farm are
hndinQ ready sale. This 10 how Montana
has recovered from the panic 30 rapidly.
and 10 day all her industries. save alone
that Of the mining OF silver. are In 40 good
condition AZ In any previous ysar. There
10 less poverty within ths borders Of Mon
tsna Today Than in any otn~H common
wealth In ths count ,; be- people are mo .
| prosperous; tbs banks that we're furced TO
suspend By ieason OF lack of currsn,y will
DO ready IN open their oo.s for business
again by the first OF N, Yeai; the mrY-
II. ali hv =