A history of Montana, Volume II, Part 124

Author: Sanders, Helen Fitzgerald, 1883-
Publication date: 1913
Publisher: Chicago : Lewis Publishing Co.
Number of Pages: 1002

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A man of broad thought and decided opinions, Mr. Keene takes great interest in everything pertaining to the history and government of the United States, and is active in public affairs, since May 22, 1911, having served as deputy clerk and recorder of Broadwater county. Fraternally he is a member of the Indepen- dent Order of Odd Fellows, and served during 1912 as vice grand. He is also an active member of Sons and Daughters of Montana, an organization of which the state is proud.

Mr. Keene was married July 24, 1912, in Butte, Mon- tana, to Ethel Alberta Oliver, daughter of Rev. S. A. Oliver, of Billings, Montana.

JOHN SELBY MARTIN NEILL. In setting forth the statement that no man in the state of Montana exerted a more potent influence in a political way than did the late John S. M. Neill, it is not anticipated that any . will be found who will feel justified in gainsaying that assertion. It is a fact that as proprietor of the Helena Independent he was a recognized power in affairs of a statewide import, and his passing has robbed Montana of one of the most aggressive forces for public good that the state has ever known. His con- ception of the political and economic exigencies was ever clear and decisive, and he was a master in the wise manipulation of those forces which dominated the activ- ities of his party. The Democratic contingent in Mon- tana ever found its interests materially furthered through his timely efforts, which were inspired through his innate love of his adopted state, and the city which was his greatest pride for so many years.

John S. M. Neill was born in the city of St. Paul. Minnesota, on March 25, 1860, and was the son of Rev. Edward D. and Nancy (Hall) Neill, natives of the states of Pennsylvania and Maryland, respectively. The father was a clergyman in the Presbyterian church, and a man of exceptional ability. When John S. M. Neill was two years of age the family home was re- moved to Philadelphia, and later to the city of Wash- ington, D. C. In 1869 Reverend Neill was appointed to the post of consul to Dublin, Ireland, by President Grant, and it was in the city of Dublin that the subject re- ceived his preliminary educational training. The fam- ily returned to America in 1872, locating in Minneapo- lis. and there the boy continued his studies in the pub- lic schools of that city, graduating from the high school with the class of 1877. Soon after he was matriculated in Delaware College at Newark, Dela- ware, and in 1881 he was duly graduated with the degree of Bachelor of Arts. For two years there- after he was a student in the law department of the Columbian University, at Washington, D. C., after which he came to Montana, locating in Helena, and

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this city ever since has represented his home and the center of his activities until the day of his death.

It was not long after he settled in Helena that Mr. Neill began to take an active hand in the Democratic politics of the city and state. His honest work in the two Cleveland campaigns resulted, upon Mr. Cleve- land's second election, in the appointment of Mr. Neill to the office of surveyor-general of the state, and this post he retained until there was a change in the administrative politics of the nation. It may be said at this point, that this was the only political office Mr. Neill ever was prevailed upon to accept, his energies being given rather to the placing of capable men in public office than to filling such offices himself, or seek- ing political favor for his own furtherance. As a vigorous and aggressive leader of the Democratic forces, the state early recognized the qualities of the man, and in that capacity he soon established a reputation that has never been exceeded in Montana. For years the Helena Independent had been the Democratic organ at the state capital, and the efforts of the Republicans to secure control of the paper brought Mr. Neill into ac- tion in an attempt to enlist Democratic support for the Independent. He finally succeeded in securing suf- ficient Democratic capital, purely from a business stand- point, to secure control of the paper and the Inde- pendent has from then until now been the open ally of the Democratic party in Montana. It was in the early nineties that Mr. Neill became the proprietor of the Helena Independent, his private business interests prior to that time having been confined to the real es- tate business, but from the time when he became iden- tified with newspaper work as the result of his efforts to save the Independent from Republican control, he gave his attention to the management of his paper, with a success that few newspaper men of the state have exceeded, or reached.

Mr. Neill was a close personal friend of former Senator Clark and was a prime mover in the manage- ment of the senator's campaign in the days of the memorable Clark-Daly feud, when Mr. Clark was the . choice of the Democratic party for senator. During his later years, though still an ardent Democrat and a sturdy worker in its ranks, lending through the medium of his paper every possible aid to its policies and its candidates, he withdrew somewhat from active participation in party affairs and gave his energies largely to problems of civic advancement. It was to this work that the later years of his life were principally devoted, and in which he had the greatest pride. To Mr. Neill must be accorded the credit for the planning of some of Helena's most notable improvements, and it was his persistent energy and unfailing belief in the future of the city which made these improvements pos- sible. The Mount Helena forest park, the Le Grande Cannon Boulevard and the west side improvement dis- trict, all owe in a large measure, their existence to the aggressive and enterprising spirit of this man. The plans for the greater state fair, now being successfully worked out, were conceived in his fertile brain, and it was he who brought to the support of this splendid plan the influential men who are now identified with the movement. He was an active member of the famous committee of fifteen, appointed for the pur- pose of negotiating plans for a new hotel for Helena, which committee established a record in raising more than $300,000 in nine days for the success of the project. He, too, was one of those who were active in the movement with regard to the Great Wesleyan University. Perhaps his most ambitious project with regard to the betterment of conditions in Helena was that of the Butte-Helena interurban railway, which was fast nearing its consummation through his efforts at the time of his death, and all his labors were per- formed with the idea in mind of making Helena the largest and most important city in the state, or in this section of the northwest.

The editorial expression which appeared in the In- dependent on the day following the death of Mr. Neill so aptly expresses the position he held in Helena and so well denotes the character of the man, that full space is here given to the article: "Yesterday, at Arkansas Hot Springs, a great and courageous man, after a struggle which excited the admiration of those who knew the hopelessness of the battle he was waging with the grim reaper, met the defeat which in time comes to us all. John S. M. Neill is dead.

"For years Mr. Neill had been a sick man. His physicians sought in vain to make him detach himself from the ordinary affairs of life and devote himself to the task of restoring his failing health. But there was much to be done, and beyond a few brief weeks of rest and recuperation, his restless energy and indomi- table purpose made him keep his shoulder to the wheel almost to the very hour when Nature claimed her in- exorable toll.

"The place which Mr. Neill filled in Montana and in Montana's affairs was a big one. In the various activi- ties to which men devote themselves, his influence was widely felt. In the industrial and political life of the state he was a strong man of affairs. He believed implicitly in Montana. He glorified in Montana's ad- vancement and looked forward with confidence to the brilliant future of the state.

"But big as he was in Montana's affairs, he was even bigger in the affairs of this city, and the men with whom he labored in a common cause agree that he was Helena's ablest and foremost champion. With a degree of pride seldom approached, he loved the city he had made his home, and with the full vigor of his splendid intellect he worked incessantly for the welfare and advancement of Helena. No project for civic im- provement was so small as to be beneath his notice or unworthy his help; none was so large or ambitious as to stagger his purpose or cause an instant's hesita- tion to the indomitable will that was his. To build here a great city-this was the ambition which Mr. Neill cherished most, and this was the ambition which piled up the prodigious labors of his last years. Many of the projects which he inspired he lived to see wholly or partially completed, and in them he took his greatest pride; others were but in their initial stages, and still others had scarcely been more than outlined in his own great mind and approved by the test of his remarkable foresight.

"As is true in the case of all strong men, it was given to but the few to know Mr. Neill intimately. To many he was but the strong aggressive business man. To others he was the political leader, the unbending partisan. Those who knew him best, however, knew that his life was full-orbed; knew that in his makeun there was nothing petty or mean. His bitterest foe never accused him of vindictiveness.

"Unlike many others, he took no pride in the enemies he made. None so much as he regretted the strife which was inseparable from his great activities. A man of strong convictions, he expressed them with all the strength at his command, and whether the struggle was one of national import or whether it was merely a minor labor for the advancement of Helena, he never faltered, and yet, when the day was done he carried home no rancor or ill will. On the human side, he thought well of his fellow-men and aspired to their respect and friendship.

"Next to the city of his home, it was to the Independ- ent that Mr. Neill gave a large measure of his affections. To make the newspaper a positive force for the intel- lectual, moral and material advancement of Helena was his constant aim, and to this end he labored with unceasing purpose. To the men with whom he worked on the Independent he was more than an employer; he was a guide to better things and an inspiration to wholesome endeavor."

Mr. Neill had suffered from ill health for a number

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HISTORY OF MONTANA

of years, and suffered a number of attacks from which his life was dispaired. Last December he showed signs of returning weakness and it was in the hope of bet- tering his condition, as much as for any other reason, that Mr. Neill made a trip to Panama, going as the guest of the American Institute of Electrical Engineers. On the return from Panama, Mr. Neill went directly to the Hot Springs of Arkansas, and while there he kept in daily touch with his affairs in Helena, by mail and wire. He expected to return to Helena about April first, - but death claimed him on the 22d of March.

The Helena Commercial Club, of which Mr. Neill was a member of the board of directors, met on the afternoon following the announcement of the death of Mr. Neill and formally adopted resolutions touching upon the sad event, and messages of condolence and sympathy poured in upon Mrs. Neill and her son, George G. E. Neill. Among many expressions of regret and sorrow was one from Jeremiah Collins, of Washington, D. C., former editor of the Independent, who said: "In the death of John Neill, Helena has lost its stanchest friend. At all times and under all circumstances his first consideration was Helena. How he loved the city and state of his adoption! My intimate relations with him for many years give me warrant to say that no one was ever more loyal to his community or his friends. His death is a distinct loss to Helena and Montana. His enthusiasm and optimism in public affairs will be missed, and his place as a communal leader hard to fill. Big of brain and heart and filled with love of family, friends and neighbors, his loss must be accepted as a public one. Words do not suffice to express the deep regret I feel."

Perhaps no man in Helena is better qualified to speak of the real character and purpose of Mr. Neill than is Edward C. Day. a prominent attorney of Helena, for many years the close friend and legal adviser of Mr. Neill, and his written tribute to his old friend is here incorporated as being the most consistent and accurate commentary upon the life and work of Mr. Neill that might be procured. The article follows: "It is im- possible for me to speak of Mr. Neill except in terms, which, to those who did not know him intimately, ap- pear exaggerated. He came from a strong intellectual and cultivated line of ancestors, and he inherited a nature attuned to the finer things of life. He had re- ceived a thorough early training and the foundations of a liberal education, but he did not possess the patience of the student, and he permitted his material activities to crowd out of his life that systematic pur- suit of learning which was necessary to round out his training. Yet he managed to keep alive to the love of literature which he inherited, and while he was in no sense a thorough reader, he had read much of cer- tain forms. He was especially devoted to biography, history and oratory. Magazines, unless containing useful information, were too ephemeral to appeal to him. Finely written editorials and speeches upon great political questions interested him deeply, and the last months of his life were practically taken up with the study, as depicted in the daily and weekly press, of the beginnings of the campaign which led to the nominations of Woodrow Wilson and Theodore Roosevelt. He was thoroughly familiar with the politi- cal history of his country, devotedly attached to the principles of human liberty and freedom, and had he developed in less turbulent and factional times than those which attended the early years of his adopted state, Montana, he would, no doubt, have contributed by practical service to the political history of his age. He was a Democrat of the old-fashioned kind in politics, yet he was keenly alive to the changes which had come into our complex modern civilization, and he welcomed into the party the new intellectual and lib- eral spirit, which found its expression in the leader- ship of Governor Wilson, whom very early after his

election as Governor of New Jersey, Mr. Neill hailed as the coming leader of the Democratic forces.

"Another striking intellectual trait which amounted almost to genius, was his ability to see far into the future, and to shape his action so as to lead to great future results, which were not apparent to the ordi- nary men. This faculty often led him into conflict with those of slower perceptions, who thought him a dreamer and denounced his schemes as wild and vision- ary. Being himself quick of temper and with but little patience for what he thought was stupidity and narrow- mindedness, he met the attack with equal denunciation, and his wordy encounters over matters of public or civic policy were often inexplicable to those easy going natures, who never do anything until compelled to it by some external force. This trait enabled him to render signal service to his city and his state. He foresaw, as but few men did, the future greatness and early development of Montana, and he labored to have the foundations of government laid broadly and sketched plans for the future, worthy of an empire. Especially was this true of his plans for the state capitol build- ing, the state fair grounds, and his ideas upon the cen- tralization of her educational institutions. Small natures could see nothing present in these plans, and taking the cue from their own littleness, often attributed to him selfish motives, or a desire to profit personally, and they defeated or delayed many of his efforts by the preju- dice which they were enabled to thus arouse against him. But it is a satisfaction to his friends to know that already the actual growth of the state has con- firmed many of his views, and there are those who already regret their own short-sightedness and conse- quent failure of co-operation, which might have has- tened the success of ventures now too long delayed. So, too, in city affairs, he loved the city of Helena as a child of his own blood. He saw her, in his splendid imagination, sitting enthroned in her mountain home, with the great fertile valley at her feet and peopled with a host of happy prosperous people, worthy to be the capital city of the great empire to be. And he wrought with all of the impassioned force of his life to ac- complish this end. He labored, as did but few others, to make her the capital of Montana, and from that day until the day of his death, it is not an exaggeration to say, not a day passed that her future did not rise before his vision, and that his ceaseless mental energies were not actively engaged in meditation upon her wel- fare. Not as a great manufacturing, or mining. or banking, or business or political center,-he would have her all these,-but as the great social, intellectual and spiritual center of the state was his ambition. No movement was too great to have its center here, and no building could be designed by the greatest architect which would be too magnificent to house the species of her activities.

"Next to his breadth of vision was the clarity of his vision, and directness of speech. He had a peculiar timidity about public appearance, and he never made a set public speech in his life; yet he was the most force- ful public speaker of his generation. He never attempted a public utterance until he became so full of his sub- ject that he could not restrain himself, and then when he arose to his feet, it was to pour forth a stream of direct and forceful words that overpowered his adversaries. His speech was more like the swift, recur- rent forceful blows of a great hammer welding quickly the hot iron into shape. He could not introduce a subject to his audience, or enter into detailed explana- tions, but he could sum up the arguments on his side at the close of a running debate, in a manner which would have made him famous as a parliamentary orator.

"He could inspire others with his ideas in such a way as to make them and the public think them original. whereas the writer was but wielding the pen of Neill. This was most noticeable in the work

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of his newspaper. He was fortunate in securing the services of several writers peculiarly gifted as to style. Whenever he was moved to advocate a cause he would have a talk with his editor, which would resemble a public lecture or a tirade upon the editor's shortcom- ings, as the case might be. The result would be an editorial which radiated life from every sentence, and differed as much from the daily work of the editor as the inspired poem differs from doggerel. The Neill editorial was well known. When it appeared the com- munity was thrilled, and his enemies feared the shriek of his message and took to cover, as the soldier shrinks from the shrill cry of the bullet or shell.

"His courage, physical and moral, was remark- able. He knew no foe of whose strength he was afraid. Not that he underestimated it, but he posses- sed so much of self-confidence that when he assumed a position he accepted all of its responsibilities. He was generous and charitable to an unusual degree. He gave freely of time and money to every cause which was presented to him, and to those in which he was especially interested he gave his whole self. If he was your friend there was no sacrifice he would not make to aid you, and the only return he ever asked was that of loyalty. The only fault he could not forgive was that of double-dealing on the part of one whose friendship he had accepted and returned at face value. "His devotion to his family, and to all the members of it, whether to his brothers or sisters, as well as to his wife and son, was most touching and beautiful. Here the generosity of his nature knew no bounds, and he heaped upon them a wealth of love and affection, exhibited not merely in words, but in deeds of sac- rifice, sustenance and support, which was only lim- ited by his strength and means.

"His life was short, measured by ordinary rules, but it was full and rich from the beginning to the end. When told a few years ago by his physician that he could only live a year, unless he gave up all and went to some quiet health resort, he calmly and without a moment's hesitation announced that he would choose the year of his life. He lived the remaining years fully conscious of the immediate presence of death, laboring strenuously to perform as much as possible of his assumed life's work, before the summons came. When it came it found him earnestly engaged in his beloved task of devising plans for the improvement of the city of Helena. He turned aside and laid down to rest like a tired child, to awake no more on earth, This is written of him that something of his indomitable spirit and inspired vision may be transmitted to those upon whom his task now falls."

Mr. Neill left a widow and one son who mourn his loss. He was married on November 7, 1883, to Miss Margaret G. Evans, of Newark, Delaware, and one son, George G. E. Neill, was born to them, who has succeeded his father as proprietor of the Independent. Mr. Neill was educated in Princeton University, and is recognized in Helena as the proper successor of the father in his unfinished life work.

CAPTAIN THOMAS COUCH. The name of Captain Couch is known from California to Alaska. For nearly half a century it was one with which to conjure in mining circles great and small. His decisions made and unmade fabulous fortunes and there were times when the shake of his head caused stocks on the Wall street market to tremble. Montana owes to him an immeasurable debt of gratitude. No other single in- dividual has so largely contributed to the development of her resources and to the establishment of her finan- cial integrity at home and abroad.

An Englishman by birth, the captain seemed always most typically American in mind, heart and manner. He was born on the twenty-ninth day of December, 1843. at Praiz-Camborne, Cornwall, England. After a life filled with adventure, crowded with discovery and

invention and paved with good deeds, he passed away, into a land of broader opportunities. His death oc- curred February 5, 1902. He died in Lane Hospital at San Francisco, having gone to that state of perpetual sunshine in search of the one asset that his own great efforts could not bring him-abounding health. For six weeks he had been the prey of bodily ills that in- creased rather than lessened during his sojourn in California. His body was carried back to Montana, the state nearest his heart, where every citizen knew his name and many had reaped the benefits of the more intimate knowledge of the man himself. His body rests in Highland Cemetery, Great Falls, the town that he finally chose for his home.

Even in his boyhood the mysteries of the earth held Thomas Couch with a great fascination. When twenty years of age he left England for America attracted here by rumor of the wonderful treasure beneath our soil. On landing,, he went at once to the Lake Superior or copper district. The great finds in California, how- ever, soon lured him to the coast. His first trip was made by way of the Isthmus of Panama to San Francisco. For five years he worked in the gold fields of Cali- fornia, spending most of his time at the Grass Valley mines and on the properties near New Almaden. In 1868, he pushed on into Nevada, two years later as- suming the control of the Hidden Treasure mine at White Pine, the most important find of that vicinity, and 1871 found him temporarily in Camp Floyd, Utah. From there he went to Tintic to become the manager of the Mammoth Copperopolis, a gold and silver mine of national reputation. Bingham next claimed his at- tention. Here he operated successfully the Neptune and Jordan silver and lead mines, leaving Bingham to become superintendent of the Hidden Treasure of Dry Canyon, an exceedingly rich find that was soon ex- hausted. The last property with which he was con- nected in Utah was the Horn Silver at Frisco.

Mr. Couch had now become, through his study and perseverance, a man of science, a student of mineralogy, geology and metallurgy as well as a practical mine operator. In the interest of eastern capital, he traveled through the entire western portion of the United States and Canada, examining a mine here and opening one there as the case might be. On coming to Montana in 1883, he located in Butte where he became known as the greatest mining expert of his day. Within a very short time, he reported on properties in Deer Lodge, Lewis and Clark and Meagher counties. He was instru- mental in developing and managing almost all of the greatest mines of the state. In company with Capt. John Daniels of Michigan 'he examined and reported upon a group of mines embracing the Mountain View, Colusa, Liquidator and West Colusa. These were owned by Mr. C. A. Larabie and the Montana Copper Company. His favorable report resulted in the pur- chase of these properties, their consolidation and the formation of the Boston & Montana Copper & Silver Mining Company. The magnitude of this en- terprise and the enormous dividends paid to the fortu- nate stockholders under the skillful management of Captain Couch have become a part of the history of Montana. The smallest detail in connection with the development of this huge property failed to escape his notice. He personally supervised the opening of each new mine, the working of the smelters and concentra- tors and the control of the men employed above and be- low ground.

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A history of Montana, Volume II, Part 124

Author: Sanders, Helen Fitzgerald, 1883- Publication date: 1913 Publisher: Chicago : Lewis Publishing Co. Number of Pages: 1002

Author: Sanders, Helen Fitzgerald, 1883-
Publication date: 1913
Publisher: Chicago : Lewis Publishing Co.
Number of Pages: 1002