The Daily Missoulian., 1912-08-25

OF the men who bazed the way into
this country, spending his sunset days
IN a county almshouse: such a condi-
rich state which these men helped to
build. We boast of the wonderful out :
put of our mines: we herald abroad
the unrivaled fertility of our soil, we
point with exultaton to the stu
pcndous totals which represent the
productiveness of Montana each year.
We tell Of the wonderful natural ad-
vantages of our state. Sometimes.
however, we forget that natural ad-
vantages are nothing without human
effort and that Montana would be n
gulches and her fields not been
touched by the magic wand of
the worker. And II was the pio-
noer who opened the way 1t
was the pioneer who led the ad-
vance,. II was the pioneer who estab-
lished civilization IN the wilderness
and made possible the present great
ness OF the state. IL it not, then. mere
justice that out of our plenty we pro-
vide for such of the advance guard
as have failed To realize their early
di cams of fortune In the land which
they sought out and prepared for us :?
L. II anything more than an obiga-
lion which any honest man would
feel as a moral responsibility which
he could not ignore? There IL sem
timent. II Is true. In the plan. But
there is also the bounden duty, called
for by the spirit of the square deal.
OUR HERiTAGE-We owe this
debt to the pioneer because of the
splendid heritage which he handed
dpwn to us. And great az is the ma :
terlal wealth which he begueathrd to
the present generation. this Is not the
hes, or the richest thing which he
left for our possession. He built the
roads. he opened the mines, he
erected the mills, he established the
farming industry. he stocked the
plains and benches with flocks and
herda--he showed us the way To Nart
wealth. But though he left to us this
splendid material prosperity. the
greatest gift which he bestowed upon
the generations to follow him was his
example of good citizenship, of lofty
courage, of fear.essness In public
dntS. while he. was clearing tha for
est and breaking the sod. the pioneer
ertablished law and order The Wig
iiantes were the early progressivcs of
Montana. The forms of graft aud
lawlessness which they had to me. I
and regulate were crude. ,'he rlD-
b!ng of a sluieebox. the holdup of a
stage. the murder of wayfarer-
these We're the outrages upon the
public which the ploneer progress
sives had To fight and punish. Pu,
no less of outrage attaches To the
theft of personal liberty. to the de-
spelling of public resources, TO the
control of legislatures for private
ends-whlch are the special form o.
evil which we have to face In these
later days. And the priceless git
which we have from the pioneer Is ~
spirit of liberty, which enables us +
go against the seemingly overwhelm.
Ing force of the modern plunderel
and 10 demand that these outrages
cease The present day holdup IL moi
as open as his prototype of lSG3-hC
Is more cowardly. He fights from
III he has accomplished II. This
makes him the harder To fight ant
presentday conditions do not admit
OF the drastic form of punsh
which prevailed In pioneer days. il
1t We're possible, there would be q
thief dangling from every tree alonl
the trail and, as was the case In tn,
days of the Viglantes, some of thes,
danglers would be men who had beer
constituted officers OF the law, bu
who had betrayed their trust.
A CLEAN STATE-Upon the pres
ent generation of Montana, then, rests