The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1909-11-17
WEDNESDAY, NOV. II, 1909.
FRIENDsHIPSFoR RAILROADS.

FRIENDsHIPIFOR RAILROADS.
In one of his recent public speeches,
James j. Hill, the Great Northern
railway magnate, INDUCED in his
favorite form Of advice regarding the
relations that should exist between the
public and the railroads. Mr.. Hills
remarks, according to newspaper re-
ports. were aboutlas follows:
''Now 1t is easy to build q railroad
in Montana and you want q good
many miles of railroad that you have
not now, and If I imay just speak q
word OF advice, bellgood neighbors to
your railroads, and depend upon 1t
they will be good ueighbors to you,
because before theyIcan get one dollar
of products, or get it out of your pro.
ducts, you have got tosesrn it and pay
for it, and they would no more injure
you and they would no more destroy
your power totproducelthan the father
Of q good family would would destroy
or impair the strength or the health
of his children. You ssre not our
children, but we are.in the same boat
with you, and we have got to prosper
with you DRIVE have got to be poor
with you."
The residents of:this part of Mon
tana we're givenlexactly the same kind
Of advice yIlMr., :Hill twenty years
ego, and 1t has been repeated by the
railroad msgnate on various occs-
sions since that time. At q silver.
spike-drivinglceremony lei the Fort
Benton depot, insiOctober, 1887, MIR.
Hill made q plausible speech in which
the desirability of friendly feeling to-
wards the railroads vas given special
emphasis.
It is the belief of this newspaper
that Montana !citizens generally are
acknowledgements, and wish to be on
friendly terms with the great trans
portation systems; and if such rela-
lions do not exist, there is q reason.
Friendship is alsentiment that cannot
long endure without reciprocity.
1t cannot be denied that the ideal
conditions desired by Mr.. Hill are not
visiblelin.this part of the so-called
Great Northern territory. The ship
pers believe the railroad is not as
friendly to them as Mr.. Hill would
have them be. toward the Great North
ern management, 5and they have proof
to sustain that belief.
"A typical instance Is that Of a Fort
Benton business firm that received a
bill of goods from Boston a few days
ago, for which the freight charges
were a surprise. The cost of trans.
portation.from Boston to St.. Paul,
about 1900 (miles, was $3.50, while
from St. Paul to Fort BENTON, l,O3O
miles, the charge. was $40. The ap-
parently extortion ateSrate charged by
the Great Northern did not encourage
friendly feelingsltoward that railroad
by the drmithat.had to pay the freight.
A few yearslsgo ,tnorthern Montana
stockmen were required by the au-
thorities to dipetheir cattle for mango.
and a supply of:Texas crude oil was
needed for that purpose. The cost of
the oil at Beaumont, ::Texas, was s105
for 5000 gallonsifree on board a tank
car, but it was discovered that the
freight on that quantity of oil from
Texas to northern Montana at regular
rates would be about S94O. The rate
per 100 pounds was Sl.584, the haul
from Texas to Sioux City, Iowa, l,lOO
miles, costing 554 cents, and the
charge from that place over the Great
Northern, for a haul of about 1,l6O
miles, being Sl.03.
AS a great concession, a through
rate of $1.l34 on this Texas oil was
granted, making a charge of about
1851 for a tank a of 5000 gallons.
AS cattle shipments from Texas to
northern Montana were handled at a
rate of about IS cents per 100 pounds,
the stockmen figured that ever a rate
OF sl.l3t for the same weight of oil
was not an evidence of great friend.
ship or consideration for their in.
terests.
A long list of similar instances of
railroad friendship (!) for the ship.
pers might be recited, If necessary
But the conditions are we'll known 10
the general public, and it will require
something nor tangible than advice
from Mr.. Hill to overcome the anti.
railroad feeling caused by extortion.
ate transportation charges.
Chester Signal: AT last Chester has
notice prOtection. The board of county