Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1917-08-06
MONTANA HARD HIT
BY DROUTH AND I.W.W'S
Has Grown Like a Mushroom
Having Had a Genuine
Boom

There is saying that in Montana
1t is either a feast or famine. For the
past three years, beginning with the
fine crop prospects of 1914, Montana
has been riding on the biggest wave
of prosperity that ever struck the state.
With the high price of wheat and wool
as well as metals, the state was just
preparing itself for another wave of
prosperity that would make it the
boomingest spot in the whole country,
when two things happened that chang.
ed the whole story.
The first to change the story of un-
precedented prosperity was the drought
of the past five weeks. There hasn't
drop of rain fallen in the state since
the last of June excepting in a few To-
calities and these local rains were but
light showers, not heavy enough to
change crop conditions, according to G.
f. Wilson, who has just returned from
Helena.
Labor Troubles Hurt.
The other factor to interfere with the
prosperity of the past three years is the
activity of the I. w. W. 1t is in the
city of Butte that the /. w. WI has
recently become active, and from that
city, this I. w. w. menace has spread
over the state like threatening cloud.
A few weeks ago /. w. w. organizers
and agitators appeared at Missoula.
Nothing was done to prevent its agents
from intimidating working men and
now almost all the saw mills in the Mis-
soula district are closed. The same story
is true of Eureka, in Lincoln county,
came to Eureka the local authorities
felt confident they could handle the
situation. Within a few weeks all saw
mills in that section of the state were
either closed or working with short
force, due to the threats of the 1. W.
W. kilograms were sent to Governor
Stewart, Attorney General Ford and as
sistant District Attorney Murphy at
Helena signed by the leading citizens
of Eureka, demanding state and federal
help, as conditions were unbearable.
Like conditions prevail wherever the
1. w. W. is allowed a footing in the
state, with paralyzed industries and far.
mers threatened with the burning of
their crops.
Wheat Killed by Drouth.
But it is the drought that has chang
ed the prosperity story of Montana. No
part of the state has escaped. Banking
on SO wheat almost every farmer put
in every acre that he could rent or
manage to control figuring that a fair
crop would pay for the land, as fine
wheat lands may be bought at from $25
to $40 an, acre.
Spring wheat will produce almost
nothing and the estimate for winter
wheat is from 40 to so per cent of a
crop in favorable localities. The dry
land farmer has been in great luck the
past three or four years, with even lar
ger production than irrigated tracts
This year, it is the man with an irri-
gated tract that win have a chance.
The story of the drought is the same,
whether one takes the northeastern
counties, Sheridan, Hill and Dawson, or
those to the south, Custer, Rosebud and
Yellowstone counties. Up in the Kalis-
pell part of the state, irrigated tracts
will produce fair crop, but the dry
land farmer is up against it, In the
northern part of the state from Havre
to Great Falls and west to Glacier Park,
the dry weather caught the spring
wheat anu ltAl hdfutg CIbp VI VIII
ter wheat.
Cities Double Population.
For the past three or four years,
Montana has been probably the most
prosperous state in the country. Thous-
ands of people from everywhere, even
from Washington and Oregon were ar
ter wheat lands. From every part Of
the state came the story of cities grow
ing, Havre three years ago claimed
5000. Today it is one of the hustlingl
cities of the state with 5000 popula-
tion and also with the hottest and cold
est weather of the state, with a mean
temperature of 49, Billings is building
so fast that it is difficult TO walk the
streets Great Falls claims 10000 and
also claims 10 be the metropolis of the
northwest. Miles City, in Custer county,
is feeling the effect of four years of
prosperity Missonle claims 10000.
Taking a cheerful view of the sit
uation. real estate man of Helena said
he supposed they would have TO regard
the crop failure as blessing as now
the farmers win give more attention