St. Paul daily globe., 1896-04-23
BONNER DOUBTS IT
MISSOULA,S MILLIONAIRE MER-
CHANT QUESTIONS REPORT OF
TWIN CITY BOYCOTT
BY FREE SILVER CHAMPIONS,
ALTHOUGH THE MONTANA PUBLIC
is SENSITIVE TO THE GOLD
BUG FIGHT.
MINERS MAY HAVE STARTED 1T,
Although Mr.. bonner Had No InfOr-
nation Either to Affirm or Dis
prove 1t.

E. P Bonner, of Missoula, Mont, one of the
ex-receivers of the Northern Pacific railroad,
who controls the Missoula Mercantile COM
pany, one of the most important business con-
Germs in the state, was shown yesterday by
G b reporter statement made by Min
neapolis newspaper to the effect that Montana
merchants had organized boycott of Twin
City wholesalers. The allegation was ad-
vanced in this article that st. Paul and Mime
apolis have Heretofore controlled 80 per cent
of Montana's trade, and that Chicago, on the
contrary had thus lost a greater part of it's
former business with the state of maintains;
but that he completion of the Burlington ex-
tension into the Black Hills had opened up
Montana to both Omaha and st. Joseph. These
cities were now joining Chicago in a systematic
slander of the Twin Cities attitude on the sill
yer question. The three allied enemies of the
Minnesota merchants have been saying that
they themselves rather favor free silver, but
that the st. Paul Chamber of Commerce had
already passed anti-silver resolutions, and that
Minneapolis was also pledged to the gold STAN
dard. By this reasoning the silver-loving
Montana merchants had been induced to break
trade relations with st. Paul or Minneapolis
Commercial travellers from the latter city had
been unceremoniously snubbed by their Oldest
Montana customers.
Mr.. Bonner read the statement carefully,
and then declared that it was altogether sur
prise to him.
I've been away from Montana since last
fall he continued, 'but I've been in constant
Of with
at Missoula. / think if there was anything to
this movement l should have heard something
about it. / don't believe that, even if it ex-
lists at ALL it is half as big movement as is
represented. I know we always did large
share of our buying down here at ST. Paul or
Minneapolis, and know, too, that most of our
merchants would not be pleased with any at
tacks on silver We're heartily in favor of
white metal, as every one knows. But l am
quite sure that If our own buyers, for in
stance, not to speak of other houses, were TAX
ing their trade to an entirely new territory
should have been informed of the change. 1
can't say where general boycott, if it started.
would first appear. / suppose that the miners
union, which is very powerful throughout
Montana, and has great influence with the
merchants, would try to get the assistance of
the boards of trade at Helena, Butte and else
where. If a movement like that had been
started, ought to know something about it.p
The silver people are certainly gaining
strength in the country at large. New Eng
land and New York are the homes of the
leading class and, naturally, they are deter
minedly in favor of gold. They want their
interest paid in that metal But Chicago
already contains some powerful advocates of
silver, and the south is filed with free silver
people. No, indeed, 1 don't think there is
much in the suggestion that the national
convention of the free silver party at St
Louis will combine with the national dele
gates of the Populist party. The Populists
have too many queer schemes of their own to
justify any such combination. 1 look for help
from both the older parties, and think that
the silver men will become so numerous that
one or the other will be obliged to help silver
out"
Mr.. Bonner accompanied by Mrs. Bonner
and their daughter, left for Missoua yester-
day afternoon over the Northern Pacific.