Year: 1868

The many who are departing for the
States on pleasure, commercial business
or to prevent the total destruction of
the government, inevitable should any
other person be appointed to the Post
office or Indian Agency for which they
are aspirants, can incidentally do a good
service to Montana and their friends by
telling the truth. The capital that is to
develop the vast resources must, as it
has in n great measure, come from the
East. The amount of capital in Mon-
tana is little more than sufficient to sup
ply the demands of trade, after except>
ing the product of mills shipped to
eastern stockholders and the placer
acquired a competence return TO the
States for investment. With capital
thus employed and rates of interest ex-
brilliantly high, Montana, although pro-
duciug her own breadstuff5 and $12,-
100000 to $1,000 900 in precious met
ais annually, depends upon this OUT
side capital for rapid development. To
those who are acquainted with the
cess is practical knowledge of mining
in the persons having charge of compa
nies, and development of leads prior TO
the erection of expensive buildings and
the putting up of costly machinery,
the gross ignorance and absurd
ideas entertained on these matters by
many persons in the East who have in
vested or may invest in mining enter.
prises, will be astonishing. AS an in
stance of this, company of business
men last year organized a company with
100000 capital, purchased a fine mill
and shipped it to Montana About the
first of September we met the Presi-
dent of the Company in Chicago. He
was about to despatch a Superintend =
ent, ANAL lganiator, and another employee
TO Montana to erect the mill immedi-
ately and sledge out golden bricks. On
the three leads owned by the company
there were said TO be two shafts (y) fif-
teen feet, and one thirty feet deep. The
party of whom they were purchased
had been absent from Montana two
years, during which time no one had
touched the leads, and neither of the
three persons To be sent out had ever
been in mining country, yet they were
counting confidently on most astonish-
ing success, and considered they had
dead sure thing" on fortune in six
their mill in Helena and develop the
property before the erection of the mill,
was treated almost with contempt. The
assertion that fifteen, or thirty feet, was
no development at all-that they were
not sure of their lead a foot beyond the
bottom of the gopher hole, and that they
were recklessly and unnecessarily haz-
arding many thousand dollars in the
employment of impractical men and by
not ascertaining the existence of lead
before expending money in transporta-
ton, buildings, etc, was rebutted by the
testimony of a dozen book worms who
had been consulted, and reference to a
tract published by the Company, in
which dividends were set forth in
glittering, fascinating array that would
seduce dollars from the bags of a miser.
1t is a qualification to know that good
counsels prevailed, and the Company is
now proceeding in a manner that would
be approved by the successful miners of
Montana Our State e-bouud residents
are generally cognizant OF the right way
and the wrong way to achieve success
in quartz mining, and in their driftings
up and down the States may do grea:
good by exerting, when circumstances
are favorable, what influence they may
to have capitalists, who may invest in
mining, proceed in the manner expert
euce has demonstrated is free from the
perils and breakers on
which many companies have wrecked
their fortunes and done detriment to
a Territory whose gold and silver leads
will generously yield to the "open sesa-
me- of well directed enterprise


WILL-O,-THE-WI