The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1896-03-24
VERY BAD REPORTS
Detrimental Press Reports Too FIRE.
quently Sent Out of Montana.
WRONG IMPRESSIONS MADE
Sanders Recent Coldbus Utter
ances Wired Over the Country
as the Sentiments of the State
Cold Weather Stories.

Missoula. March 23.-Lew E. WILL
Jams, clerk of Ravalli county, who re-
turned from a California trip last
night, said to a Standard reporter, in
speaking of his visit: II had a very
pleasant time. The weather was good
most of the time and the change has
benefited my health. / am very much
surprised to find such good weather
here in Montana, as all the reports
from this state printed in the San
Francisco papers have been to the eff
feet that the weather up here was bit
terly cold. One report sent out during
the first week of this month stated
that the thermometer ranged from 80
to 40 degrees below zero throughout
the state l was not prepared to find
such spring-like weather as you have
here now"
Mr.. Williams statement is the same
that is made by nine men out of every
ten that go away from here for a
month or two A well known Missoula
man who returned from Colorado not
long ago after an absence of several
weeks said: THE only Montana news
that / saw in the Colorado papers was
a report of the weather and that was
an erroneous one. AS Montanan who
is proud of his state felt ashamed. /
don't know who sends out these false
press reports, but / do know that the
state is seriously injured by them.
They create the impression that Mon
tana is a bleak and desolate region.
hardly fit for habitation. Some effort
should be made to put a stop to this
sort of business. If nothing else will
do it. IL would be good plan to vigil
lante the man who writes the reports"
This complaint has been made many
times to the Standards reporter. II
will be remembered that few weeks
ago this paper published a portion Of a
letter written from Boston by former
Montanan. in which the writer deplor-
ed the practice referred to above of
disappearing the conditions which
prevail here in Montana. The majority
of these reports are under Helena date
but there is no apparent reason why
the state should be thus maligned even
from Helena.
In a recent conversation on this sub
1ect, Judge Walter NJ. Bickford re-
ferred to the report of the proceed
ings Of the immigration convention,
which was sent out by the associated
press This report" said Mr. Bck-
ford. was prepared by T. V. Smalley
and created the impression that the
remarks made by Colonel Sanders on
the silver resolution voiced the senti- |
ment Of the convention. That this is |
false, everybody who was present |
knows. At the outside. there were not |
more than 10 of these who heard Colo |
mel Sanders who shared his views |
Who is back of Mr. Smalley i'm this |
wicked policy don't know. nor can |
it's motive. but Mr.. Small /
ley's every utterance regarding our /
state is in the nature of a libel"
In this connection, it may be well to |
recall a former remark of Mr.. Small |
ley's made some years ago when writ |
ing of Missoula. "Missoula." he wrote, |
lis a small frontier town, which sub
sists upon the vices of a military post"
And yet there are many men in Mon
tana who regard Mr.. Smalley and his
st. Paul friends as friendly TO Mon
tana.