The Kalispell bee. [volume] (Kalispell, Mont.) 1901-1901, 1901-08-14
GIVE US A SUMMER RATE.
Why Should Not Montana be Treated
Literally by the Railroads.

Literally by the Railroads.
Montana would suggest humbly,
but none the less urgently, that one
of the railroads traversing the state
initiate the enterprising example of
the Rock Island, which initiated the
cheap summer rate from the east to
the rockies, has done more to adver-
tise and promote the growth of the
centennial state than decade of la
Dor on the part Of the chamber Of
commerce and immigration bureaus
could have accomplished.
These cheap excursions, tried ex-
perimentally by General Passenger
Agent Sebastian, became SO popular
that competing lines were forced to
offer similar rates. The Rock Island,
as the pioneer of the service, soon OBJ
tanned such prestige that its rivals
found themselves, in spite of all COM
petitive devices, in the undesirable po-
sition of profitless tail-enders. Now
they are in revolt, and threaten to dis
continue the rate next season, with
the hope that the business will swamp
the Rock Island and so embarrass it's
higher price traffic as to force an
abandonment of the excursions, or
compel such an advancement of the
rate as will make it profitable to
handle the relatively small lots of ex-
cursionists who patronize the less pop
ular carriers.
The threat makes Mr.. Sebastian
smile, and he replies that nothing
would please him better than to be
thus swamped. The fact is the Colo
RADIO summer rate has come to stay,
and no fewer than 10000 tourists and
homeseekers will take advantage of it
the present year.
Why cannot at least one of the
transcontinental lines entering Mon
tana give the Rock Island a race for
this growing traffic? AS a competitor
scenicly, we ask no odds of the rock
ribbed state. In truth, We have an
idea that in vistas of mountains, lakes,
forests, parks, rivers and plains we
can offer greater satisfaction to the
tourist. To the sportsman, the hun
ter, the angler, we pledge the de-
lights, not equalled for primitive al
lurements elsewhere in the United
States. Here the waters of the Mis-
souri,, the Columbia and the Colorado
take their source, and carve their way
toward the Atlantic and Pacific
through scenes the majesty and vari-
ETY. of which challenge description.
The Yellowstone park, the like of
which exists nowhere else on earth, is
only one Of the many picturesque
of the state.
In mineral resources Colorado is a
respected rival, but merely second at
that. We can show the visitors the
most wonderful mines and the great
est reduction works in the world. The
grazing and agricultural resources are
matchless. Texas cattle are driven
here for fatening.' The high-class
farms and stock ranches of the state,
young as it is, would be revelation
to the stranger.
But why continue? The tourist, the
health-seeker, the investor the indus
trialist. the agriculturist, and stock
raiser could find no more interesting
or profitable spot in the union than
Montana; and the railroads could
make no better investment than to
let such folks come here in the sum-
mer time at such rate as would
cause them to feel ashamed of them
selves, if they stayed away.
BY all means let us have a sum-
mer excursion rate, such as the Rock
Island, to it's own credit and the i'm
measurable benefit of Colorado, has
given that state.-Inter Mountain.