The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1894-01-01

pee, that 1893 would witness great ad-
vance In population and in ths development
OF its material resources. II was expected
that the Chicago. Burlington a Quincy
railroad would reach the center Of the state
before the year closed. and that the output
of silver would exceed that Of any previous
year. For six months the promise OF these
things held good aud then came abe hnan-
oiAl panic. extending from the Atlantic
20 the Pacific and from Canada
10 ths gulf. Montana was caught In
ths whirlwind. and though the effects
In this commonwealth we're mos so serious
~ In other sections OF the Union. thsy
we're sufficient 20 cause q osssAtion Of orsr-
ations by the Burlington railroad. and 70
lock mp money 90 tight that work on many
enterprises. we'll under way. had 10 be
temporarily suspended. The followed the
drop In the price OF silver. the lack Of de-
mand for wool. resulting IN 0xtrsmOlJ low
prices. the ts@p @porary suspension Of several
of the strongest banks in the state, and for
thirty dsJsit looked 10 some a. though
there was no hope for the failure.
But there were thousands Of men in The
state who knew that Montana was inher-
emily all right They knew that she pos
ssssed within herself all she sources Of Ina-
tsrial wealth-minsral. agricultural. pastO-
raj; that she had thousands upon Thousands
OF acres OF timber land that would furnish
lumber for industrial purposes and fuel for
domestic use for ysars; tbsy knew that this
material wsslth had scarcely been touched
upon in ths past and they knew that pos
ssssinR 10, as she did 10 a greater extent than
any other state In the union. Montana
would rally quicker than her sister states,
and be all the better for her trial In the
nery furnos. And tho iaissr end Of the
year 1898 has NOT only 10 a large extent re-
deemed the promise of the early months, bat
10 has justified the hopes Of those who saw a
gold lining 10 the clouds that hung over
the state in July. August and Sep
tsmber. The last ninety days OF 1898
saw the completion of a branch line
of railroad that WAS carried on through the
financial storm; saw the grading Of hfty
miles Of new roAdbed in the southern part
Of the state and Of forty miles IN the CEN
tral; Witnessed the securing Of right OF
way through the Grow Indian reservation
by the Chicago. Burlington & Quincy rail-
road; Witnessed the resumption Of work by
many silver mines that had shut down
when the drop in silver hrst came; wit
messed the discovery ana opening mp OF
more gold mines than during the same Pc
riod in any year before in the history of the
state and saw nearly ali the banks that
had closed their doors in July open and do
ing business again. During those last
ninety days msny enterprises that
had seemed dead beyond all hope
Of resurrection took on new life
fou0Hn.
tiona than ever before. u had been pre-
dicted that 70 per cent Of tho taxes due by
the people OF the state would not be paid.
In the last GO days ths falsity Of this
was proven. because the delinquency for
tho yosr 1888 was not greater than in any
previous year. and In a large number Of the
counties II was less
Looking back over the year 1S93 and
taking II as a whole. Montanians have lit
tie reason TO say Father Time was not
kind to them. For so many years the state
had gone along in it's aggressive. pro-
oressivs way. meeting no obstacles.
and literally with tho world and
the fullness thefeof at its feet
while adjacent states and territories wers
stricken one year by drouths, and the next
by floods OF cyclones. that her citizens had
got TO the stage where they believed they
we're the especial wards of Providence, and
that no ill-wind could GROSS the mountain
barrier on the west or get past the Bad
Lands on the east. The new member OF
the sisterhood was bit saucy. perhaps. and
Just a mite pulled up. She needed a little
disciplining. perhaps. She got 10, aud 40
day, individually and as a state. she 10 the
better for IL. IL was not punishment that
hsoko her spirit or iniured her in any waI.
but 10 was such as taught her that she IL
but one of many and while perhaps better
able 20 care for herself than a majority Of
her sisters. she is dependent upon them as
they are rpon her.
The bigger and older sisters said they did
not want any more Of her silver money.
Sister Montana sulked a little while, shut
down her silver mines. turned her miners
adrift. aud said; 1--WE don't want your
goods then" But she could not remain
passive very long. Bhe knew. though the
world did not. that besides her mountains
of silver and copper she had mountains Of
sold. while the world wanted her silver.
she dug 10 out Of the hills and sold II 20 the
nations. when they refused n she turned
20 her mountains OF gold. and where there
was enc gold mine In operation in Montana
ayear ago. there are now score; where
there was 800 invested in developing gold
properties then. there 10 100000 to-day.
This hunt for sold and extraction Of the
yellow metal 10 not confined 10 any par
ticular section OF county. Ftom all over
the state come the same reports Of old
plaosrs being worked. old mines rsopensd
and new ones being deve,orsd. From
Teton county only a week aRo there came q
report of the discovery Of rich gold
quartz. In Fergus county. In the
Judith mountains there are between 200
and 800 men engaged In mining gold quartz
where twelve months ago there was not n
dozen. In Chotsau county considerable
gold has been taken out Of the Missouri
this year. moro than for several previous
ssasonG The new counties OF flathsad
and Ravalii also report discoveries Of gold
quartz. While ths old county Of Missoula
never In her history made such advances in
gold mining a. 10 did in 1893. Lewis and
Clarke county has broken its reeo In tbs
matter Of gold discoveries. and there are
to-day more gold quartz mines In operation
within its limits than in she entire state OF
Colorado. oallatln county also rspoTts