The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1902-05-27
is NOT MoNTANA.N.

AS to the minds of the PariSianS
Paris is France, so to the minds of the
Butteites Butte is Montana and they
can never refer to the latter without
congratulating the people of the state
on their good fortune in having Butte
to give them "a name and local hab-
itation." Especially is this true as
pertains to the scribes of the big
mining camp. The ~patronizing man
ner they assume to all who reside be-
yond the confines of the cluster of
mining shafts, smelters and prospect
holes, bounded on one side by a
stunted pine tree, a guscch on the
other and suffocating clouds of arsen-
cal fumes on the remaining sides and
hiding the sun of heaven overhead,
is really amusing, even though at
times it may become sickening.
Everybody recognizes Butte to be a
great mining camp and everybody is
also willing to admit that it is a gen
erou contributor to the aggregate
of the states production of wealth,
but everybody is not prepared to adj
nit all that is claimed for the place
by its adherents and admirers. No
matter what it's W people may think
in that regard, there are plenty out
side of the city who will not agree
with the claim made for it that it is
"the heart of the state" No, not by
a jugful. Right here in Billings are
there such dissenters. Much as they
would deplore such a calamity, there
are people in this city hardy enough
to believe and assert that if one of
the mountain peaks towering above
Butte were to undertake to give an
exact reproduction of the perform
ance that made Pelee noted and
gave it enduring claim on fame, Bill
ings would still continue to maintain
it's place en- the map and as far as
actual prosperity is concerned would
not be aware of the misfortune that
befell its big sister to the west.
Not a pound Of the products of the.
Yellowstone valley, and the total is a
large one, finds it's way to the mar
kets of Butte, great as they no doubt
are and much as the rest of the
world may be called on to contribute
to them. The 1ocks annually fed and
shipped from here go to the markets
OF the east. The herds which fatten
on the grass and alfalfa CT eastern
Montana find their way to the sham
bles beyond the Mississippi. The
millions OF pounds of wool gathered
and sold here go to Boston. The
money that finds it's way into the
arteries of trade of eastern Montana
does not have it's origin in Butte and
neither is any of the stupendous
Butte capital, of which we hear SO
much, invested in any of the enter
prises of this part of the state. In
fact so far as material connections
between the two are concerned, for
all that affects Billings and the other
cities and towns of eastern Montana,
Butte and the mines which have made
IT. possible might as we'll be owe in
Washington or up in Alaska.
It is no spirit of enmity or malice
that prompts these remarks neither
are they uttered for the purpose of be-
lifting Butte or %detracting in any
manner from it's just claims to great
ness, but simply to keep the record
straight and prevent the rest of the
world from forming an erroneous
opinion. They probably would never
have found place in these columns,
although the provocation has been Of
fered and the temptation to say
something along this line has been
often hard to resist, had they not
been particularly called for by an edi-
torial OF a few days ago which was
printed in one of the newspapers of
that city, and in which it was rubbed
in on the rest Of the state in an ex-
c%eptionally hard manner
To the writer of the article referred
to the livestock business may have no
greater merit than affording a subject
on which to exercist his humor and a
target for his wit, but to us poor
mortals in these parts the lowing of
the gentle kline and the bleating of
the harmless sheep is sweeter music
than the voice of the agitator, and
the odor Of new mown hay and per
fume of the ripening alfalfa more
welcome to the nostrils than the
!