The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-07-17
M|SSOULA'S SHEEP WAR
The Mayor Comes Out With
Flying Colors.
SHEARERS WERE SHARED
History OF the Famous Confiict-A Story
OF the Northern Pacif1c's Long
Trains-Some Good
Stories

Missoula, July 16-The war over the
| sheep shearing has passed into local
history and probably will never be
heard from unless it springs up as
campaign material in the next city
election. 1t was quite furry while it
lasted and it developed traits in the
mayor of which nobody had ever sus-
pected the existence. The mayor, how
ever, emerged from the conflict with
flying colors and with snug sum in
his pocket for the city treasury. All
fair that adds to the cash balance of
the city treasury. The history of the
early stages of the sheep war, as told
by one of the participants, is full of in
terest. This man says that the pres
aence of the sheep shearers and the
sheep has always been a source of
much annoyance to himself and his
neighbors. When they made formal
complaint to the city council early this
spring, they were assured that the
nuisance would be abated, but when
the shearing season arrived the sheep
were on hand, and so were the shearers
Then the protest was repeated, but all
that the complainants received was
tiiS iiol olC neal anu lIle Sllltil Vi tue
sheep smelled on. And the smell was
little smeller than it had ever been
before.
The man who tells the story says
that he went first to the chief of po-
lice and then to the health officer. but
each of them claimed that he had
neither interest nor jurisdiction in the
matter. The aldermen who were inter-
viewed professed deep interest in the
matter, but did nothing. Ii is charac-
teriStic of an alderman that he can
talk of interest and concern and eX-
ercise less of these qualities than any
other living being. Then the man who
was forced to smell mutton against
his will went to the mayor as a last re-
sort. The mayor declared his inten-
tion of investigating the matter per-
sonally. He did not take it out in talk,
elther but went over to the firing line
and sized up the situati He prompt
ly decided that the cause of the kick
ers was just and he proceeded to act
upon that ground The man who tells
the story says that the mayor came
back to the city in a hurry and served
notice upon the officers who had failed
to take action in the affair that they
might choose between losing their Jobs
or serving the papers in the case The
papers were soon served, and though
the city attorney did a poor job on the
first attempt, this error was soon cor
rected and the shearers were sheared
The mayors famous compromise which
was published in the Standard to-day,
was the result of the shearing of the
shearers. 1t was good clip and it
served to demonstrate lnat the mayor
is all right when he is removed from
the evil counsel of those who would
like to see him in with the push
Stories of the long trains that are
run on the Northern Pacific are con-
stantly making their appearance Some
of them have been told in these COL
umns, and some have not. One that
has not is considered by railway men
to be a good one. In the recent short
age of trainmen, several tours 8
brakemen were employed. Most Of
them were relics of the good old days
when the trainmen fixed the number Of
cars that make up a train. and these
were not prepared for the revelation
that awaited them in the matter of
long trains. One of these itinerant
brakes was sent out with a crew that
took a train of SO cars from Mis-
soula west. One engine pulled this
long train from here to DeSmet, and
the brakes eyes were as big as
saucers. At DeSmet one helper was
put at the rear end of the train and
another was cut into the middle. Then
tiiC lpllS IllV VI cars IcSuiiitu IT'S JOuI-
ney up the mountain grade. When the
brakeman completed his round trip and
brought up once more at Missoula. he
at once sought the trainmaster's office.
He had not said much during the trio,
but he had evidently been thinking a
good deal. He asked for his time. The
trainmaster inquired what was the
matter and urged the man to remain.
He was short-handed and needed all
the men he could get. But the fellow
was obdurate. He wanted his time. he
said, and he wanted it quick. He had
been railroading all his life and this
was the first d place that he had
ever seen where they sent out train
and ran it seven miles to fill it with en-
gines. That was too much railrOadins
for him. He got his time.
The haying season has caused a
shortage of men in the city and it is
difficult to get any work done just now
The men seem to like to get out into
the country for a while. even if it is
to work in the bayfield,. They will
have all the country work that they
want for a time. The haying will be
followed by the grain harvest and there
will be plenty of work for all who want
to work. This is the season when the
gentle hobo has no excuse for asking
''for the price of a meal or bed.
There is no excuse for anybody to be
without work these days.
Journalism in the Bitter Root fire.
quently develops little pleasantres
that are peculiar to that section. There
are ways and ways of saying mean
things, but the Bitter Root editors have
nice. delicate way of saying these
things that is winning. 1t will PROP
ably win an early grave for some OF
them. Here is an instance: Mrs. -
has placed the handling of her city
property with and will go to
the head of the Big Hole. where she
will spend the summer with her hus-
band and her other stock" 1t would be
difficult to beat that paragraph in any
mans country. The man who wrote tina t
will be all right wherever he is placed.
that is provided he succeeds in getting
away from Mrs. -.
Another Bitter Rooter-this one lives
at Stevensvile-Calls Professor Elrod' :;
biological camp a National History
Camp" The understanding here has
ttlra1 N &c