Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1899-04-26

town something else besides a burg?
Are we going to wait until t%hedrones
wake up and until we get permission
of those who have no concern for
sanitary conditions?
If people are willing to clean up
and beautify their homes, why not
the town? A beautiful home in "a
dirty, rickety old town, with villain
Gus streets and worse sidewalks, is
too indicative of greed and affords
some justification for the Spanish ap-
pellatiOn Of American pigs"
What is urged against incorpora-
ton? Is Lewistown too new? Is it
too small? Lewistown Is fully eve
teen years old, while Great Falls il
%fourteen-a city Of 10000 inhabitants
built up by enterprising and public
spirited men. Asidefrom its railroad
facilities the resources of Great Falls
are far inferior to those Of Lewis
town.
II IN urged that taxes will be great
ly increased and that an irrespon-
sible element will control the town
government. As to the first point,
we believe there IL nothing to war
rant the contention. OF course, il
improvements are made they will
necessarily cost something, but the
work can be done slowly and eco
nomically, a little each year. 1t must
be taken into consideration that the
town will get all of the road money
now distributed throughout "A large
district; it would secure all the money
from fines, which now goes into the
school fund uf the county, and would
derive revenue from town licenses.
The only expense for town officers
would he that of marshal and city
clerk, the latter ii very small amount.
The mayor and aldermen would serve
without compensation. With pub
lic-spirited men, chosen irrespective
Of party, to direct affairs, we believe
the expense would prove n mere bag
atelle to the benefits to be derived.
The claim that the business men
and taxpayers Of Lewistown could
not control affairs, we believe to be
groundless and absurd. Ii they can
not do it now, the time will
come when they can
Then, again, certain individuals are
peddling around the story that afew
men have axes to grind, that they
want an electric light franchise and
have contracts to secure as soon as
Lewistown is Incorporated. This is
simply an absurd invention Of the
opposition. who have nothing better
To offer. 1t becomes more ridiculous
when it is known that some of THE
heaviest stockholders in the new cleo
tric light plant are opposed to incor-
poration. So far as street lighting
and water supply goes, Lewistown
can get along several years without
either; there are other things more
urgent.
While we belle We In aud favor in
corporation, we would oppose ex-
travagant expenditures and too
great u haste in public improve
ments. We feel that the time has ar
rived when the first steps should be
taken by the people OF Lewistown to
do something for the place and not
trust all to luck and natural advaut-
ages. There are plenty of towns in
the United States which enjoyedlocal
government before they were as old
as Lewistown. No good town, with
public-spirited business men, has W
regretted Incorporation. Many of
them have become cities through the
energy, generosity and ability of a
few men. A great many t towns small
Ter than Lewistown have made pro-
vision for or are enjoying public
parks. With Lewistown "a park is
but "a dream of the distant future, II
it even amounts to that. No one IA
visit Great Falls and view it's parks
and streets lined with trees, all the
work of human hands within the past
ten or twelve years, without a II
of shame for his own town.
Money-makingi is well enough. Some
will say they ''are not here for their
health" and, we should say, not for
the health Of anybody else, il nothing
is to be done to improve sanitary
conditions. But we contend that
every dollar spent In public improve
ments adds two dollars to the bust
ness and real estate values of Lewis
town.
Yet, in closing, we will say that IL
incorporation is defeated at the com
ing election we will favor the indefi-
mite pOstponement OF the question,
or leaving it alone for n period OF five
or ten years. We say this knowing
that those who favor the movement
are among u most sincere, honor
able and public-spirited citizens, who
have a just pride in Lewistown and
are nm Xious IN make III one Of thp