The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-10-27
Pat Points in
Passing Politics

pm a party composed of political cay
ings. does not seem to be meeting with
much favor in this community. II you
leave out the men who are paid to talk
on street corners and In saloons and in
public meetings. there would not be
much noise to the Clark boom and no
spirit OF enthusiasm at all. There IL
certainly no uprising of the people
in Mr.. Clark's favor. The feeling seems
to be that the town owes nothing to
Mr.. Clark. and II he wants anything
at the hands Of the citizens Of Butte
he should make his residence In Butte
long enough for the people to get ac-
quainted with him and ascertain IL he
is the Kind of a man they want to rep
resent them in the senate. 1t m
be said that he has lone anything as
yet to deserve II, and n talk about
his (Mr. Clark's) purifying politics. al
ways produces a laugh in Butte.
II Butte were a Clark-made town. II
would still be a camp Of frame shacks.
II you want to see what the city would
be III II II had depended on Mr.. Clark
to push II along. look at the row OF
frame shacks which he still owns on
the south side Of West Park street, a
little west Of the corner of Main. For
a quarter Of a century these shacks
have stood there, unaltered and unim-
proved. They are a standing monu-
ment to the enterprise of w. A. Clark
and to his interest in the growth and
prosperity OF Butte.
These shacks have brought In enor-
nous rents for their value. but not a
dollar has been expended by their own
er in their Improvement in all these
years. Any repairs that have been nee
essary on them have been paid for by
the tenants. not by the owner.
Look at the splendid blocks hat nave
been erected on West Park street on
either side of these shacks and oppo-
site them by men who probably had to
borrow money to put them up. There
Is the York block. and the Barrett &
Jacky block. and the Mauie block. and
In Stephens block. and the Cap
lice block. and the Shodair block.
and the Joe Hyde block, and the
John Thomas block. Most OF these
men had to borrow the money with
which to complete these blocks. but
they had pluck n enterprise and they
believed in Butte's future. II they had
any doubts about Butte's future, they
kept their doubts to themselves and
took chances on growing to prosperity
with the town or going down with IT.
These are the men to whom the people
OF Butte should feel grateful. Directly
| opposite these shacks owned by Mr..
Clark Is the Curtis music hall, erected
by John II. Curtis. Mr.. Curtis bought
the lots from Mr.. Clark on which to
erect this beautiful building. and but
for Mr.. Curtis pluck and enterprise
unsightly frame shacks would still oc-
cupy the place where the Curtis
stands.
All over town, on Broadway. on
Granite. on Main, business blocks have
been erected by men who had to Dor
row money to put them up. Scores of
progressive citizens OF Butte have
erected buildings here. They took their
chances on Butte's future; they helped
to make IL a city; they are a part of
Butte and deserve well Of II. These
men had to borrow money to complete
their buildings, and all this time Mr..
Clark. who made his immense fortune
in Butte and who all this time had
money in his bank to burn. let the
shack stand. II is now announced
that Mr.. Clark is going to erect a SPLEEN
did six-story building mex yea on the
site covered by these shacks. 1t is
about time, sure enough. But things
like that have been heard in Butte be-
fore. Next year IL will probably be
"some other year" However, IL is a
matter for congratulation that MI.
Clark is at last gaining confidence in
the town which made him one Of the
wealthiest men OF America and gave
him the money which enabled him to
build his palatial residences in New
York and Paris. But what has Mr..
| Clark to expect of Butte? What does
Butte owe him.? Had Butte waited for
Mr.. Clark to build IL up. Main street
would to-day be a thoroughfare lined
with one and two-story shacks. II
Butte had depended on Mr.. Clark to de-
century behind where II is to-day. for
Mr.. Clark never sank a shaft in this
camp until some one else had sunk
below him so he would not have to
bear the expense Of pumping water.
What has Mr.. Clark to do with Butte?
Does he think that he can pay for this
quarter Of q century Of neglect by open
ing up q barrel for the 'boys7" Can
he repay his neglect by breaking up
political parties with the glitter and
Jingle OF his gold? Is the Wholesale
corruption of it's reople the only thing