Morris tribune., 1915-12-31
MORRIS MAN SAYS
BUTTE ISN'T BAD
Reputed "Wickedest City" Has
Adopted Modest Ways but
Drouth Remains

Butte, Mont, long reputed the
"wickedest city on the American con-
tinent,' has reformed, according to
Peter Hoaglund, a former Morris
young man who now resides there and
who was here last week to attend the
funeral of his brother whose death
occurred some days ago in this city.
Butte is the city which claims to be
the Chicago of the west but which
has outstripped Chicago in all forms
of vice. Hoaglund has lived at
Butte eight years following his mar
riage to a daughter of Mr.. and Mrs.
Chas. Edmonds who lived near this
city. He says the iniquities of the
old town have been wiped out and
that fine homes are built. Skyscrap-
ers, schools and a college are in
course of erection. The old idea that
Butte was a mining camp with but
a brief life before it has been aban-
doned and everywhere were evidences
now of desire to reach the moral and
municipal level of permanent cities
elsewhere. Mr.. Hoaglund returned
to Butte Friday morning but stopped
at Fargo to spend Christmas.
Before leaving he gave an interest
ing description Of the Montana min
ing town where he is engaged in car
penter work.
Butte is a city which knows neither
night or day. 1t is located almost at
the top of a mountain. The mines
are under the town. Shaft house
rise everywhere. One winds it's drum
within a quarter of block from the
leading hotel. The miners work in
eight hour shifts and the streets are
filled at all hours by their coming and
going. No man who works under
ground gets less than 81 day, while
some receive much more. The month
ly payroll is said to be in the neigh
borhood of 81 100000, while in some
of the industries such as the street car
lines the men may draw their pay
every night. There are about $50
mines with one hundred shaft-houses
within the city limits and all within
one and half miles of the city hall
Eight of the shaft houses are more
than 1000 feet deep and twenty mine
are more than 1000. The total an
nual product is valued at about eighty
million. The ore mined is copper,
gold and silver and new companies are
formed frequently and prospecting
ceases not night or day or Sunday.
The bank deposits at Butte are
amazing, according to Mr.. Hoagland.
Four of the banks, not including the
Clark bank which resources are I'm.
known but supposed to be fabulous,
have combined capital of one million
but the aggregate deposits exceed fiji
teen millions. The combined value
of all the mines in Butte is something
upon which the experts will not haz,
ard a guess but would certainly rur
far into the billions.
While reforms have come rapiC
in the last dozen years Butte is still
long on saloons. On ninety percent
of the principal street corners there is
one saloon on each corner. From
corner to corner every third place is
a saloon. Where the drouth comes
from to support them all is one of the
unsolved mysteries of the west.
Many of the saloons have little
cage like ferry ticket office over the
window of which is the significant
sign, "checks cashed here" Gam,
bling and other forms of vice have
been stamped out, at least one woulc
have to look sharp to find game.
The mining industry is in the hands
of the Amalgamated Copper Co. which
took over the interests of Clark, Heinz
and others. Clark lives in New York
but still retains a residence and {
bank at Butte. Clark is we'll likec
by the workingmen at Butte and can
have anything he wants when it comes
to votes in campaign.