The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1896-05-21
ON AMERICAN SOIL
Colonel John L. Root Is Glad to Get
Back Home Again.
HE HAS BEEN UP IN CANADA
No Timber Has Been Stolen,
There's None to Steal How the
Inspector Made the Journey
An Interesting r ak.

Great Falls, May 20.-COlonel John l..
Root, special agent of the interior de-
partment. has returned from the
Northwest territory after a hard trip
along the international boundary line.
During call at the Standard office
this afternoon the colonel pulled an
English pipe, filled it with American
tobacco and then exclaimed in patriotic
tones
Thank God am back in an Ameri-
can city, in an American state, under
the shadow and protection of the star
ry banner that all citizens should wor-
ship, all people revere and all nations
respect! For two weeks / have been
abroad, in her matesty's dominions
among a strange combination of En-
glishmen, Irishmen, Scotchmen, Cana
dams, Finlanders and Indians. Some
of these people are very clever gentle
men, urbane, polished and broad
guaged. Others-and 1 have in mind
one particular man-are narrow-mind
ed, arrogant UPSTAIRS of the jackass
variety, who wouldn't know enough to
eat when they are hungry unless they
were told to. 1t is said the British en-
pire it the grandest on earth and that
every subject loves, admires and re-
spects the venerable queen who rules
over England, Ireland, Scotland and
Wales and does the empress act over
India and any other part of the world
where the British lion can secure a
foothold. If what / have seen in the
past two weeks is a fair specimen of
this great empire, do not want any of
ii in mine-that is as a permanent
thing. 1t may be a fad for eastern
snobbery to ape England airs, effect
English dress and to roll up their pants
orwell other garments-whenever II
rains in Lunnun, but no thoroughbred
American who respects himself will
do so.
1.-TWO weeks ago left this city and
went North to Sweet Grass station, on
the narrow guage road, a distance of
1874 miles. The little hamlet is lying
on both sides of the boundary line. The
center of the long depot is located d.
rectly on the line, one-half of the
building being located in the United
States and the other half in the British
empire. Bruce Toole, the American
customs officer, occupies an office on
our side and the stars and stripes
floats over his end of the building; the
other end of the depot is occupied by
the Canadian customs officer and over
that end the Union Jack floats in the
Zephyrs. On the depot platform a red
chalk mark shows the dividing line,
and l had the supreme pleasure of
standing in the United States and ex-
pectorating all over the British empire.
During my brief sojourn there 1 ate
and slept in the United States and took
advantage of every opportunity offered
to otherwise show my contempt when
ever 1 went over on. the English
side.
Deputy Collector Toole furnished me
with a rig and 1 drove along the bor-
der line and over to the three buttes to
ascertain how much Yankee timber
had been swiped by the Cannucks. AS
the Standard announced in it's news
columns to-day, there is no evidence
of any timber having been stolen; in
fact, there is none to steal. There is a
little underbrush on one butte and
none whatever on the other side. There
is not 100000 feet of decent lumber
timber in the whole country, and the
smart alexis who reported that steal
ing was going on to a government Off
Ger merely took this means of trying
to put one of their number appointed
by the government to watch the Ca
nadians and draw a salary for doing
nothing. / drove over to Middle Butte,
or Gold Butte, as IL is more generally |
called, and found a nice little placer |
mining camp. There is plenty of rich |
paying dirt there, but no water of any |
consequence, and as a result but little |
work is being done in the way of TAX |
ing out yellow metal. The river is only |
short distance away, and in order to |
work the ground successfully a large |
reservoir will have to be constructed |
and water pumped into it. When this
is accomplished, and 1t will cost con-
siderable money to do the work, Gold |
Butte will become prosperous mining
camp.
Driving back to Sweet Grass, I took
the train for Lethgridge, a little town
of 1,500 people, located 81 miles north |
of the line. 1t is headquarters for the
police, under martial law, and
the troops are commanded by Captain |
Dean. a clever officer and courteous
gentleman. The police are fine body
of men, great stalwart fellows, with
brilliant red uniform, riding boots and
a saucer-like hat or cap stuck on one
side of the head that gives them a gro
tesque and almost ludicrous appear
ance. From this central point squads
of men are sent along the boundary
line and all over the country to guard
the interests Of the Northwest terri
tory.
THE Lethbridge Coal company have
mines here and employ large numbers
Of Finlanders to operate them. 1t is
coal and shipped to points
along the Canadian Pacific, which has
a branch running from Dunsmore TO
and a good deal of coal is
also shipped to Great Falls and other
Montana cities. The narrow-guage
people are widening out cuts and
bridges between Lethbridge and Sweet
Grass and also on this side of the line
and il would not surprise me TO see
Canadian Pacific freight and passenger
,ars standing in West Great Falls with
m the next year.
There are a good many people COM
ng from the Northwest territory into
Northern Montana this year to locate.
and many of these come down on the
narrow guage. At Sweet Grass the /
rain is held for an hour, while Deputy |
Toole and Inspector Ringwald
20 through the luggage-that's En-
ylish. you know-and search for con-
raband goods Sometimes they reap |
rich reward as a result Of their in
ipection. but generally the immigrants !