The weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1891-1894, 1893-10-20
WHY WE GOT LEFT.
Grave Charges Against the ronn mittcc on
Mineral \ awards.

Grave Charges Against the toIn mittcc on
Mineral awards.
The citizens Of Montana have felt in
dignant-yea. deeply chagrinned-that
the mineral exhibit from this state
did not receive even favorable mention
from the committee on awards at the
worlds fair. The exhibit OF building
stone from the quarry Of Ed Canary Of
this city was the only thing the commit
tee appears to have noticed. The fol
owing dispatch from the Minneapolis
journal reflects g~ravely upon the CON
mittee. II the charges can be sub
stantiatcd tho Montana commissioners
ought to make a formal protest against
the treatment accorded the states fine
exhibit
"Montana worlds fair officials are
very much exercised over AN insult
which has been done their state, auI
they make serious charges against the
men employed in John Boyd T~hatcher's
blundering bureau OF awards As tclo
graphed the journal Saturday the omis-
sion Of Montana from the Official list Of
awards IN the mining department CAUSES
much comment, particularly in view Of
the "Underfully rich exhibit of gold. 81
yer, AMI copper made by that state.
The sensational statement IS nov
made by Commissioner BickfOrd of Mon
tara and Montana'G mining exhibit ST.
perintendent, l.. w. Curtis. Of Great
Falls, that only one judge came near
Montana booth, and that he wac 80
drunk he could not copy the list of en-
tries FOR awards. Mr.. Curtis also charges
that he was approached by Judges in
other departments Of the mineral build
ing and told broadly that noodle would
assure Montana Il lot Of awards. Thus
Montana was given tho "g0.by, and not
an award, except one for building stone.
bestowed on her exhibit. Even the
silver statue of Ada ltehan-the chief
attraction Of the Mining building for the
general visitor was left unnoticed.
THAT the serious commission was in
no wise the fault of the Montana off
cials is evident from the fact that Supt.
Curtis had prepared tifty-siN pages Of
entries, representing a total Of l,OOC ex-
hibits Of ore. These were neatly and
systematically classified, the name If the
ore, its location and the owner of the
property being given. Besides going to
this trouble all the ore in the booth was
scrubbed and frightened SO that it
might look at its very best when the
Judges came. But the scuhhing was in
vain.
"The Montana collection of minerals is
admitted by everybody 10 be among the
very best shown by any state at the fair.
Ono case of gold crystals represents the
largest and finest gold shown there, run
ming 500 to the ounce. This is the ia
nous collection Of ninety-nine specimens
owned by John Mccormick, OF Butte.
and is all from one property. AS for sill
yer and copper, Montana's exhibit in
those lines cannot be oXcelled. Copper
is shown in all it's stages from the rough
orc 10 the finished product. Montana's
production of copper IN 1892 amounted
10 l~Gi,,3OO,OOO pounds, out Of a total pro-
duction of copper in the United States
Of 325, 10000 pounds. |
Out of mere courtesy at least Mon
tana ought to have received some official
recognition by the exposition manage
ment, for no state has been moro untIr-
ing in its efforts to interest visitors in
the mining building. Her booth is open
from 7:3O in the morning until nine in
the evening, although every other booth
in the building opens at nine and closes
ut six. Such Il gross case OF diRcrimina-
ton will no doubt be looked into, and it
IL understood that an investigation is
o being made by the proper officials