The daily tribune., 1907-08-24
IN WICKED, DREARY BUTTE
IS DESOLATl0N AND VICE

L
that is Butte, and no other language
does the town Justice 1t would be
impossible with the agency Of mere
words to convey to the accustomed
minds Of those dwelling among the
green fields east of the Mississippi an
adequate iGea Of blasted, treeless.
grassless, flowerless. God -forsaken
Butte. Butte, the rich mans Golfer,
but not his abiding place. Butte,
where vice stalks abroad by day and
by night, unrestrained, unclothed and
unashamed; Butte, which claims to
be the Chicago of the West and verify
outdoes Chicago in all forms Of wick
edness.
Conceive, IL you can, city Of co.
600 Inhabitants where green lawn
is so rare rs to be al object Of wonder
and surprised admiration; where even
the commons are as bare of vegetation
as the palm of mans hand; where
money was poured ont by the tens of
thousands in AN almost futile attempt
to find some trees that would make
even dwarfed growth in CLARK $
public gardens in the suburbs; where
dollars are 80 plentiful as almost to
roll along every gutter. yet natural
comforts are practically unknown; n
city upon mountain top in which
people dwell solely for the financial
returns there to be attained and in
which intemperance in one form or
another in single relaxation of a
large share of the population.
And yet Butte has reformed. The
people tell you that now the town is
being run with the lid on. A few
months ago the gambling hells were
all run with the open door, as free as
groceries and many times better pat
ronized. At this time you can see
only half of the roulette wheel peep
ing from under the lid, and you often
have to look through glass for a
passing peep at faro and poker and
piles of chips and gold.
Butte, it must be remembered with
all this, is city which knows neith-
er night nor day. The mines are un-
der the town. Shaft houses rise
everywhere. One winds its drum
without ceasing within quarter of
n square Of the principal hotel, which
hotel is for the stranger and is a. fine
as hotel need be anywhere. The
miners work in eight hour shifts,
and thus their coming and going fills
the streets with people at all hours
No man who works underground gets
less than a day, while some receive
more. The monthly payroll is stated
to be in the neighborhood Of ~ mil.
lion dollars, while in some Of the in
dustries such as the street car lines
the men are paid of every day.
And saloons. Seek you the princi.
pal street Intersections Of tine city,
and at 30 per cent of them you will
find saloon on each Of the four cor
ners. Walk down the street from
corner to corner and in many cases
you will find every other place Of
business a saloon. Where the drought
comes from to keep enough people
thirsty enough to support them all Is
one Of the unsolved mysteries Of the
great West. And scattered about
among tho saloons and pool rooms
where bets are made OH the horses of
every track in the country, and loaf
ing. lounging, pasty y-complcxioned
youths, with tin horn" and "piker"
written all over them, abound in
small armies.
Butte contains many good people,
Of course, and some few comfortable
homes, but the indeliblc impression
made upon the stranger Is that at its
very best it is the wickedest place,
bar none, on the American continent
Yet only 8 per cent Of the population
Of the city proper is placed under ar
rest each year. and the Inhabitants
tell you that for real tough place
you ought to have seen II few years
ago, sin tho old DAYS W lien respect.