Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1899-12-27
DRUNKENNESS AND BRIBERY.
Mr.. Fergus Trusts These May Not Be In
troduced Into Our New Possessions.
Christmas Morning, 1899.

Christmas Morning, 1899.
EDITOR ARGUS: | was sorry To
learn through your issue of the 10Th
Of the untimely end OF James ID.
Grant, in San Francisco. He and
Mr.. Cowan worked for US several
years as they were both temperate,
Industrious and good workmen in
their several vacations. We sold
them 32O acres OF good land on Box
Elder creek with its improvements.
for 81 800 and n band Of good sheep
on time at 81 a head. Wool going
up from $ to 20 and 90 cents u pound
they were very successful, Grant sell
ling out In in about five years-hav-
Ing bought hr. Cowan's interest In
the meantimc-for $4,000. He was
owing about $4,000, leaving enough
to have kept him comfortable all his
life II he had kept away from the
whisky shops, but this appears To be
a failing among young men, par
ticularly sheep herders, or there
would not he ten whisky shops in the
little country town Of Lewistown,
with about 1000 inhabitants. Sheriff
Shaw wa kind enough to give three
Of men beds In the county jail at
different times last spring; OF our
sheep herders took his summers ear
nings In to the saloon keepers about
three weeks ago and another OF our
employees Is said to have lost Sll5 In
a poker game later. Suppose the
women who are one-half the human
family should do such things, get
drunk, take off their coats and want
to fight, insist upon spreading their
bed In the middle Of the street, or
gamble all their money away, what
we would say Of them? But man
whom they have to swear to love
and obey can do 1t with impunity.
But here Ia another phase OF our
Christian civilization that we want
to Introduce into what we Gull our
new possessions. The public domain.
including its minerals. belongs to the
people Of the United States, but we
let the Clarks, Days and Others take
the gold. silver, copper, etc, out OF
our mines without let or hindrance,
some Of them using large sums to
bride and disgrace not only them
selves but the bride taker, the state
and United States Mt large. Report
says that Marcus DAILY handled the
pick and shovel in the placer mines
in early days. Judge Murray Of your
own town being n Of his partners,
and that w. A. Clark-a lawyer by
professionalism worked Mt placer
mining; no unusual thingforlnwyers
I'm the COS. Mr.. Clark isnow said to
be n multimillionairc and has the
largest income today Of any man
living. This drunkenness ut the bot
tom Of our civilization and bribery
at the top is probably not equalled by
any people on the fuce Of the earth
and still we want to Introduce our
so. called civilization into III So
called new possessions. Introducing
what Spain called Christian civilian
ton into Cuba wiped out every ves-
tige OF its original inhabitants. We
have wiped out some of our Indian
tribes at the east. don't let us degrade
the Inhabitants OF our ''new posses
slons" by introducing our habits Of
drunkenness and brlberles among
them. Old age IL conservative, 80 |
have written n very mild article and
my eyes are 80 bad that | cannot
read what | have written, but ! an
not help raising my voice against
these crimes.
Can you or any Of your readers tell
me what has become Of John Vert.
who left his home about four miles
below Maiden, 10 go by the lana
route to the klondike some twenty
months ago, promising to write to
me Mt every opportunity, but have
had no letters from him or heard
nothing about him further than a
rumor that hc died nea Fort Steele
from the effects ofexpOsure. would
like to hear something definite about
him as he was an old timer In this
county and "A good citizen.
JAMES FERGUS.
while in Lewistownnot long ago,
Mr.. Frank ID. Finlaw, OF Maiden.
told the writer that John Vert was
In Alaska-Cape Nome, we think
and that he was doing well In the
gold fields. Mr.. Finlaw said that he
had recently heard from Mr.. Vert.