Fergus County Democrat. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1904-1919, 1915-07-29


Montana for the current year will be
greater than in any twelve months in
its history, not even excepting the
-"d old days when Alder gulch. Con-
e. md Last Chance sent forth
''''s r.'1,,,,,, ,,~.n los. by
the conll... Mon
tana. While II Z ere are
in this state today som. like a
quarter of a million head of beef cat
tie less than there were fifteen years
ago, the 100000 head of cattle now
ranging in Montana are worth, to their
owners, $1O,OOO,000 more than the mil
lion head of range cattle which grazed
years ago. Compared with this loss
in numbers, but gain in value in the
range cattle of Montana, stands the
200 per cent increase in the number
and 400 per cent increase in the value
of Montana's dairy herd, in which
there are now 1114,OOO producing
members, of value of over eight and
one-half million dollars.
Stockmen Prospering.
"The only class of Montana men
who, although experiencing prosperity,
have been slow to acknowledge it, are
the wool growers, and if we listen to
the complaints of some of them we
will be convinced that the dry land
farmers and the democratic party have
conspired to drive them out of busi-
ness. Yet the cold fact remains that
there were more sheep sheared in
Montana in 1914 than there were in
1900, and that, you will remember,
was some years before the dry land
farmer drove the wool man from the
free range, or the democratic party
drove him from the citadel of protec-
ton. There will be some who will
doubt these figures. To those, ] an
swer that the estimates of the National
Association of Wool Manufacturers, ac-
cepted the world over as the standard
authority of the wool industry, show
that in 1900 there were 3,717,160 sheep
sheared in Montana, while in 1914
there were 3,S69,000. Figures for
1915 are not yet available, .but from
what the newspapers report, the wool
buyers are paying for this years clip.
it would appear that the wool men, in
very shame. must soon quit their ca
lamity bowling and join in the great
song of prosperity, which is envelop-
ing Montana like an inspired anthem.
Material Wealth.
1T is source of extreme satisfac
ton to know that in point of material
wealth Montana acknowledges no peer.
We know from past experiences that
when period of depression. such as
was evident in 1898 and 1908, sweeps
over the land, Montana is the last to
feel it and the first to recover from
it's baneful influences.
even in the last year. when the
worlds greatest war completely de-
moralized foreign business, when
channels of trade were interrupted
when the machinery of world finance
failed to perform it's function, many
portions of our great country suffer-
ed from the effects of business stag
nation. For a time it looked as il
these causes would seriously cripple
our mining industry, but thanks to
the wise craftsmanship which we have
in Washington and thanks to the re-
sourcefulness of our fellow citizens,
Montana was quick not only to pre-
vent harmful influences being long
felt here. but to actually take advant-
age of the disturbed foreign condition
and to reap therefrom for our farmers
and our miners the profits Of legiti-
mate trade.
For the Future.
Montana is building not for today,
but for all time. 1t is developing, but
not dissipating it's resources; it is edu-
eating its youth and providing mag
nificent endowment for the children of
coming generation; it is building a
system of highways which will make
transportation cheap and easy; it is
caring for it's unfortunates. both young
and old; it is teaching its farmers how
best to farm; it is improving its live
stock. and safeguarding it against dis
ease and epidemic; it is protecting
life and limb in hazardous industries,
and it is successfully preventing the
exploiting of the weak by the strong
and powerful.
"There are demagogues who, for pur-
poses of their own, occasionally seek