Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1938-12-17

Versary OF Montana's admission to the
union, Nov. 8, 1889-brings to light
the fact that the man who sounded
the tocsin on that eyentful day in
Butte is still in that city, Sol Levy, 8
pioneer Of the early eighties.
ut was over at the corner Of Mon
tana and Park Streets" Mr.. Levy said
1.-THE county commissioners decided
that there ought to be some sort OF
signal to let the people know we had
dropped the leading strings Of terri
torial existence and become a state
They picked on me to spread the news.
$50 I got lot Of gunpowder from
one of the prospectors and four anvils
from blacksmith shopS-an extra one
here and there-and set to work. An
anvil. 1t may be stated, has a hole
where a chisel is set in and used to
cut hot iron. Well, set a couple of
anyils right side up and filled the
chisel holes with powder-packed 1t in
tight Then I split powder around the
edges of the hole-made a sort Of
train Blasting caps and fuse were not
as common as today. Having prepared
my charge and train, I inverted a
couple of anvils and placed them on
top of the two charged anvils. This
done I lighted the split powder which
'phut phutted' away until 1t reached
the charge under the anvil.
THE powder went off with a bang
like a small cannon. If you don't be-
lieve it just try charging and shooting
an anvil some time. Makes quite lot
of noise. After firing one I shot off
the second one before I reloaded the
first. To reload had to take the anvils
apart.
He Went All the way
NOW an anvil weighs considerably
more than a powder puff, but I had
to mount, dismount again and again
the two top anVils until I had fired
as many shots as there were states in
the union-including Montana. had
quite a crowd before I got through
and notwithstanding the heavy powder
shocks, didn't break single window.
1t was a crude way Of showing our
JOY over becoming a state, but I'll bet
a box of matches that our Joy was just
as sincere, just as deep as that of the
people of any state in the union"
Montana's admission to the union
didn't come as quickly as her admirers
might have wished, according to Sen.
o. H. Plat of Connecticut.
In the carpeted, mouse-quiet senate
library at Washington in senate pre-
statehood debate, can be found the
record of the furious debate engen-
dered when the admission of the
state of Dakota and the territory of
B. 185-was brought to
the floor of both chambers.
She has done nothing for which
she should be kept out of the union
except that in all her trials she has
held fast to the republican party"
Plat, in a discussion of the
Dakota statehood-an accusation that
held good for the other parts Of the
Lincoln territory that later became the
states Of Montana and Washington.
Platt meant the southern senators
visioned a loss of power If too many
western states came into the fold,
bringing a strong republican flavor
with them.
ScOrches Carpetbaggers
THE day of carpetbag government,
as far as the south is concerned, is
gone. Carpetbag government now has
been transferred to the territory Of
Dakota. There the people are governed
by officers whom they do not elect,
aliens in the land they rule.
'1They are deprived of the rights Of
f-government. There they cannot
say what the government shall be. Yet
when that people come to the door Of
congress and ask to participate in the
conduct of its affairs, and have an
equal share in its glories, they are
told they cannot come in because when
they come they will bring republican
senator's to this floor.
"If the people of the south believe
IN the white mans government, if |
they believe no carpetbag government |
should be there, ask them to let there |
be a white mans government in
Oakotal"
AS far as the records show, it was
Rep. j. K. Toole Of Montana whose |
silver tongue pushed Montana's ban |
ner high. In a lengthy speech that !;
covers page after page Of the Record |
ne told in glowing terms of the Won |
iers Of the state, its resources, popu- |
alton, wealth.
He earned thunderous cheers with
;hese words:
Montana is a territory whose valleys |
)f gold and mountains of silver have |
never ceased to swell the volume of !
precious metals of the world in the |
asst quarter Of a century.
BiIl's Course Rough
"a territory which, If measured by
The grandeur of it's mountains, the |
fertility of its valleys, the majesty of !
It's rivers, the splendor and utility of |
is waterfalls, the richness of its mines,
he number and value of its herds and |
locks, the wealth and density of its |
.orests, the health and vigor of its
the intelligence, aspiration
and patriotism of its citizens, ought