The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-04-23
DECLARES MONTANA
FAVORS ]. ]. HILL
Senator Paris Gibson States the
Attitude of the Hartman
interests.


whelmingly in favor of James ]. Hill
in his fight with the Hartman inter-
ests to prevent control of the Northern
Pacific by the Union Pacific. They
recognize their debt to Mr.. Hill and
they will give him their fullest SYM
pathy in the great fight now being
waged for the control of the Northern
Pacific railroad"
This was the declaration of Paris
Gibson, United States senator from
Montana, at the Ryan hotel last night
Senator Gibson, accompanied by his
son, Theodore Gibson, is in St. Paul en-
route home from Washington. The
venerable senator is in poor health
and broke the tedium of the long
journey nearly across the continent by
a stop of day and a night in st.
Paul
Montana people will have but one
voice in declaring their preference in
the big railroad fight, and it will be for
President HILL" he said. '"They realize
what he has done for the entire North
west, including Montana. He is an en-
pire builder and they appreciate what
the development of his plan of great
oceanic lines of traffic means to the
advance of the Northwest and the up
building of its industries.
There is no intelligent man who will
fail to see what Mr. Hills scheme Of
development means to the country COW
cred by his railroad lines. The sue
cess of Hartman means the pulling
away of an immense traffic from our
own country and the diverting Of this
carrying trade to the lines in the lower
ATTITUDES.
What Mr. Hartman Would Do.
What sensible man believes that
Hartman, should he gain control Of
the Northern Pacific and the Burling-
ton, Will haul the cotton of the South
to the Pacific by means of these lines
so far to the North? He would do just
what any other good business man
would do, and that is haul it to the
ports where his chief interest is CEN
tered, and that would carry it over
either the Southern Pacific or the
Union Pacific"
Speaking of the work of the senate
which will probably be brought to a
close in the last days of April, Senator
Gibson said:
There is big sentiment in favor
Of revision of the land laws that will
save the public domain for actual set
IACAS anu 1AOI tSl II pass the COLI
troll of large speculative and live stock
interests. We are endeavoring to set
tie the country and build up it's in
duStrieS. We are finding Montana
richer in agricultural and mineral re-
sources than was ever thought. By
mineral resources I refer more partic-
ularly to the common metals. Agricul-
ture alone can maintain a great popu-
latiOn in our state if we are able to
n of in
regard to reclamation of our dry lands.
Bad Land Laws.
GA large area of the public land is in
control of a comparatively few people
by reason of bad land laws, and we are
trying to repeal these laws and save
the remainder of the public domain for
actual settlers. The advocates of land
law reform have made splendid prog
reSS in the past six months, both in
and out Of congress.
cit will probably be impossible to Sc
cure the passage of remedial legisla-
ton at this session, but there is a
general awakening of the people to the
Importance of preserving the public
domain, and look to see legislation in
the near future that will shut out the
land spectators and give the people
who will improve and develop their
possessions the first chance. There
was never time when large interests
were so anxious to get control of eX-
tensive areas as now, for they see the
end is drawing near, and the means for
acquiring land, with the country richer
than ever before in it's history, are
greater than ever"
In reply to a query as to his presi-
Dental preference, Senator Gibson de-
clared for Cleveland and then for
Parker as his second choice. He said:
IF were able to nominate
the Democratic candidate for president
I would be unanimously for Grover
Cleveland, whom 1 consider the great
est statesman of modern times. For
eight years 1 followed Mr.. Bryan, but
like thousands of other Democrats
throughout the country I think Grover
Cleveland is the strongest man we could
nominate. He seems, however, to be
an impossibility, and next to him
prefer Judge Parker. He is safe and
sane, and I believe that if he is NOM
mated at st. Louis he can be elected
And I look to see him nominated
Hearst? The people in the West don't
know Mr.. Hearst as we know him or
he would have a very much smaller
following"