r
8 TTbe Conservative *
BUILDING A KAILWAY.
How tlic Utah Northern Caiiio to bo Luc-uteri
anil Constructed.
BOISI : BAUKACKS , January 24 , 1885.
Soon nfter ray arrival in Montana in
1875 , I wrote some letters to the Chicago
Tribune , describing the territory , its
vast interests , resources and advantages.
These letters were seen by a gentleman
in the employ of the Union Pacific rail
road , Mr. E. F. Test , a man of intelli
gence , and ho wrote to me about them.
He said : "The trade of Montana is one
of vafc and growing proportions and is
principally fed by the East and is
reached by but two principal and avail
able channels , one of which is accessible
but a short time during the year. These
are the Missouri river to Benton and the
Union Pacific to Ogden , from Ogdeu
thence northward by the regular Mon
tana Stage Route to Helena , Virginia
City and Bozeman. * * * Will you
not with this nffectiou for Omaha , her
people and her interests , advocate as
you know how the benefits of a northern
route to Montana via. Ogdeu and
Omaha. It were presumptuous in mete
to suggest the benefits that perforce
must accrue to Omaha from this route
being opened and a good substantial
road made thereon , so I will leave the
request with you , feeling that it will
A suggest to your mind the vast good that
a little prompt work can do for Omaha.
* yi * * * We are working to no disad
vantage for the present and if persistent
efforts backed by a logical array of irre
sistible facts can impress the minds of
the people then Omaha will lead all her
competitors in the race for this rich
prize. "
It was in accordance with Mr. Test's
request I addressed myself seriously to
the task of advocating the building of
the Utah & Northern railroad. Mr.
Test called the attention of the U. P.
officials constantly to what I was saying
about Montana and a northern route
from Ogden , and soon Sidney Dillon
nnd Jay Gould took up the matter. I
was asked for a report and made it , and
it received full consideration. Then
Mr. Gould made a proposition to the
paople of Montana that if thejr would
secure to the builders § 1,500,000 8 per
cent bonds he ( Gould ) would construct
a narrow gauge railroad 300 miles long ,
from Franklin , Utah , to mouth of Big
Hole river , and begin the work within
CO days after the deposit of the bonds in
New York. I thought the proposition
defective in that it did not propose to
build the road to some other point than
the month of Big Hole , Gaffney's ,
Helena , or the bank of the Missour
river. The proposition , amended by
adding $5,000 per mile for the difference
iu distance between Big Hole and one
of the other points named , should have
been accepted. I have always believed
t to bo the policy of Montana to foster
the building of the Utah Northern
road.
The proposition to subsidize the road
did not pass ; the people of Montana did
lot want a railroad bad enough to give
anything for it. I wonder what they
would take today and have the track of
he Utah & Northern torn up and the
road removed from Ogden to Butte ?
After the failure of the subsidy we
went to work to see if we could not get
some ono to build the road for the profit
; here was in it. Many contended that
t would not pay , but I believed it would
) ay 8 per cent per annum on the capital
nvested. At last the U. P. began ad
vancing the track north from Franklin ;
; hey never put a dollar into the road ; it
paid its own way and the northern end
was built entirely out of the profits
derived from operating the eastern end.
What a magnificent speculation the
Duilding of this road would have been tea
a few private gentlemen. I saw it , but
alas , I didn't hove the money. Who
would not like to own the Utah &
Northern today. Even Jay Gould or
Vanderbilt would feel their purses sen
sibly made heavier by its proprietorship.
And Eagle Rock , the very centre of
; his great road ; well may she be proud
of her future prospects. When I came
over from Montana last summer with
my troops I could not believe my eyes
when I saw the city. Where I had
amped on a barren plain only a few
years before stood hotels , lines of stores
and acres of handsome residences. I
bad to march three miles from my old
camping ground to get a place to pitch
my tents. It is all very wonderful ,
surely , and judging the future by the
past , we hardly can estimate what is
likely to occur in this West of ours in
the way of development and improve
ment in the next five years , to say noth
ing of what may be done in ten years.
James S. Brisbin , in Omaha Herald ,
Wednesday , January 28 , 1885.
CHILDISHNESS.
the fault found
with Americans at present by every
body outside of our own nationality , and
by many , many persons within it.
Whenever thoughtful and far-seeing
Americans get together to talk over our
troubles and suggest plans of relief the
comment and complaint is invariably
the same : " Our people are so childish.
They will not see ; they will not heed ; they
will not act. And when they do sec ana
are ready to heed , it will be too late
to act. "
Childishness implies ignorance and
lack of good judgment ; in the face of
what has happened lately can the
epithet be considered undeserved ?
The whole affair with Spain was
childish from the beginning. There was
the impulsive sympathy with the op
pressed Cubans , as shown in Fancy
Bazars , whore young ladies exhibited
ihemselves in the insurgent colors and
flirted with the romantic looking
refugees whoso business it was to fan
; his sentimental zeal into active war.
There was the absurd position of the
great body of the clergy , professing to
preach the gospel of peace and good-will
and really urging on the people to rob
bery and murder. For it is robbery to
; ake forcible possession of lands which
Spain had no authority to sell , and it is
murder to kill the Filipinos , who would
never have threatened nor harmed us in
any way.
There was the de Lome episode ; the
disgraceful theft of a private letter and
; he shameless publication of its contents
for the purpose of inflaming the public
mind ; the opinions of a foreign official ,
expressed in confidence to a personal
friend , made into a national grievance
: o soothe the wounded vanity of the
president and gratify the brag and
3luster of indignant citizens ; two nations
threatened with all the calamities of
war , because the ruler of one had been
privately criticised by the envoy of the
other. Could childish recklessness go
farther than this ?
There was the mad outcry for revenge
upon the destroyers of the Maine , those
destroyers being assumed to be the
Spaniards ; although it was plain to
every unprejudiced mind that the deed
was in direct opposition to the wishes
and endeavors and interests of - the
Spaniards , and was probably the work
of some Cuban insurgent who trusted to
the childishness of the Americans to
force their decision through that
catastrophe.
What followed on our side after the
declaration of war was characterized by
the same astounding levity of conduct.
The rankest favoritism , the most sicken
ing subserviency to the demands of the
rich and influential and would-be
"aristocratic" individuals and families
was displayed by the president in the
appointment of officers of volunteers ,
and those young sprigs pranced before
the admiring gaze of feminine relatives
and friends in all the glory which
*
epaulets , swords and sashes could
bestow upon them. The enterprise
seemed to be considered as an immense
picnic , which must be made brilliant by
fine dress , and romantic through the
addition of " " " "
"cow-boys , "rough-riders"
and other anomalies of New World
methods of conquest.
The sequel waa what might have been
expected. Insufficient supplies , un
healthy locations , unaccustomed hard
ships , created disease and caused the
unnecessary sacrifice of hundreds of
lives ; the military and naval successes
were the natural and almost unavoid
able result of attacks made by a strong
power against a weak one ; there was no
real reason for the insane joy and ever-