The Helena independent., 1893-08-22
BUILD UP The STATE.
Hon E. d Edger,on Shows How II
Can be Done by the People
Themselves. !
No Commonwealth In tho Union
With Resources Equal to
Those OF Montana.
IN the Item Of Flour Alone y Million and
ualf Dollars Can be Kept in
the State.


President Z. q. Elgertou. OF tho Helena
National bank. returned yesterday from q
visit TO Park county. where ho won't to look
after his mining interests in that section.
Talking about the financial outlook, he
said that while hs had not kept fully posted
the past few days, he noticed that large i'm
po,tations OF gold continued. and that from
every source II would appear that an easier
feeling prevailed throughout the entire
country, and that In his judgment matters
were ra, idly monding.
''Wsli, what about silver? Do yon think
We are going TO get silver bill2" wns
asked. to which the rsply was: u dont
know much. about that; ! presume my
guess ia a. good AZ any ono else's. ana
don't think any one knows much about It.
Gov. Hauscr says the outlook 10 Nory favor
able. Tho Chicago Tribune says there is
not q shadow OF q hope. Personally.
I have como TO tho belief that CON-
aress 10 a great uncertainty. While IL IL
useless TO deny that fa5 orablo silvos log's-
lation would be be beneficial to this coun-
try, vet do not share in tho opinion OF
those who think silver 10 the only thing
this country possesses and also think we
shall gain some good from these hard times
forcing rs to consider other resources which
We have neglected. As l stspped on tho
train yesterday morning at LiyinRston
President Tnlcott OF the suspended Ma
tional Park bank Of thnt place. stepped on.
Hs stated that the National Park bank
would Immediately resume with plenty OF
f4nll - fRN
valley is Just simrly burdened down with
tho weight OF its generous cror.
"Tho trouble with us here IN Montann."
he continued. 'is thAt se do not renliZs.
any OF IA, what wonderful country wo
live In. We do not begin to correctly est!-
mate its resources and is Capabilities. We
have simply got stuck on silver and We
think If we do not have silver ws have
nothing. Why. what would you think Of
IL II I should say that. would wager a thou
sand dollars that there ia not a strip OF
country Of tho ssms size that would be
embraced bv twenty-five miles west, north
md south OF Bozeman to be found in the
United States that would produce as many
pounds Of cereal products: or, to put It
stronger. that has produced 40 many this
present yenr2 The trouble with us 10
that We don't realize what We ros-
aess. We do not realize our own sur
roundings. OF. II We do. We do not realize
them in a practical way. l believe am
telling on tho exact truth whom say that
there ia not state in the union with the
same number of people that have tho same
resources. or the Same products from the
earth. We urs supposed to bo simply
mineral region. and still We actually pro-
duoe more than the Same number OF people
Al any other place onsthe earth. For in
tion. ws raise more Xhsat than Dakota or
Minnesota, more ana hotter barley than
Canada. more cattle than Texas. more
sheep than Ohio. and moro gold than Cali
ale always based upon ths question Of pop
ulation and not area or sNtititya(
Nov. going back toTthA l1allatiD valley.
/ want to make practical illustration.
hecauso that particular 60: tion OF Montana
deserves some mention at this particular
so much attention. During the past few
days see the palers are advocating boy
oottinQ North Dakotn and going down to
Nebraskafor -four. Well. for my part. ]
am not much on the boz cotr principle,
particularly whom recogniz, the fact that
for homo cousumr tion. 1t can rrolucs all
tho eggs and butter. and NIL the potatoes.
and sl1 tho substantial elements necessary
to sustain life. Take tho question OF -four.
We arc sending out Of this state for flour
alone one and half millions of dollars
every year, Ull OL WuICu Dc Bpeut
right hore at home, not to encourage the
introduction OF the industry. but to con-
sumo what ts nctCnlly raised. We buy
annually about 275.00O barrels of -four
from tho ontside. VS. have the facilities
to-day to supply cve'y barrel OF that -four
from home production. better quality OF
-four. more healthy. loss ndu.teratsd, and
at p ice OF nt least $1.50 loss per barrel to
this consumer. Now l know what l am
talking about. These arc startling factr.
The average man DOESN'T realize them.
would not think OF boarding at n rlace tina,
did not use Montana -four. It is simply
outrageous to bo sending this money of
east. and raining tho country. and why
Some people say ON silly prejudice; my
iIeK is because il costs moe. I have lived
in this country now for ton years. and II
WAS nsksd to designate the weakest point
In q Montnnian's character, l would say
that il was the fool idea that ho eungsd
good deal then It ia very good. That Is
true both at homo and away; it ia true ol
his clothes; 1t is truo of his boots; 1t 10 true
OF his barbsr; it ia true of his bread.
'Sinoa have been away" said MI
Edg, ,ton. II have noticed there hns beer
one or two public meetings. and there hal
been whole lot of beautiful scolding, ant
Iguess it is all right; but read tho ao-
counts ca efully, and did not SOC that 1
single one Of tEass oaiois mnds any aug-
Esstion in the direction OF utilizing Mon
tana products. or course it is II move il
the right direction to curtai! e1pcnlitu' es
but that alone is not enough. We want t.
learn TO DO economical. industrious ane
Eelf-supporting. Now. going back again Il
this subject of flour. which is OF itself BIZ
item. but only one Of many. Tho Gallatir
valley alone raiacs 600,0 bushels of whea
annually. Less than % per cent of tn
-four consumed is n Montana roduct. To
day every elevator and evers storaR
compartment in tho Gnlintin valie
Ia full - tho great felds ar
simply covered with golden harvest
and no plaoe to put pound. There Il
probably over million bushels of whea
that could bo marketed within the mex
sixty days T. om that valley alone, Inst yen,'
with it2 III. necessarily shipped east. ans
at what p ice? To-day you can 20 thr ougl
the Gallatin valley and buy wheat at 8
cents ror bushel. The esstorn papers 90,
wheat ia selling for nGout 60 cents, an,
then you 60 homo and groan over the con
dition of tine poor farmer in the ehst, an,
wonder il you can't buy an extra barrel o
Nour to help him out and right down here
within 100 miles of your own door, thoy ar
selling wheat for 35 cents. 1sn't tina
ridiculous2 Isn't il mn outraeo2 Suppos
these farmers hnve to ship this wheat east
how much iS il going to br,nn them2 Nov
il 10 would stop scoldinR. and stoH lookin,
at tho stars and wondering who was Roin,
to fail next and turn our thoughts to tn
practical solution of the problem OF help
Ing each othct both as individuals, mud a