River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1878-12-05
THE DRIVE WE'LL.
Address to the People of the State

Address to the People Of the State.
The time has come when to submit longer to
the extortions of the company controlling thC
"drive-well' patent, without using all legti,
mate means of resistance. ceases to be a vir-
tsse." Our people are peaceable and law-abid
ing citizens and have no wish to ignore any
lawful and Just demands upon them; nor
would the mere collection of a reasonable roy
atty upon the Green patent have caused hardly
a ripple on the surface of our everyday life,
hat for the evident disposition of those con
ts1lling this patent to take every possible ad
vantage of the public sense of security in the
ownership of property that all had once pald
for. to impose upon fees and costs that are
al once needless and Crievous to be borne.
IN the general expectation that agents would
call upon them, III due time or at least make q
formal demand before entering suit, hundreds
cf honest people with scanty means have been
gued and aggravating costs and charges superad-
6ed to royalty which in ITSELF is more than suf-
fsCient to make the agents immensely rich az the
general expense. They have refused to receive
simply their original claims, with all legal costs
added. but have demanded and are now de
reanding such an amount from each well owner
,a shocks ard outrages all sense of right and
.uatice so that their methods have well become
.3nnoxious to the charge of downright extortion
snd robbery.
Under these circumstances. and with the
gdded force that recent evidence of driven
wells existing for many years before Green
claims to even have had a conception of his
,4dea" can give to our cause, we appeal to that
sense of Justice and that hatred of wrong
which are said to be innate in all mankind, for
aid by money and influence so far as each per-
son is able to contest the pretended claims of
the Oppressors and to carry case to the SUI
nreme court of our country for final decision,
Irmly believing that that high and impartial
tribunal will afford us protection, and reverse
he local decisions under cover of which our
communities are now being shorn and de
spoiled in the interest of greedy sharpers.
We hope that local societies will be formed
everywhere. funds collected and forwarded at
lnce Tor within two weeks to the secretary of
our State association at st. Paul, for deposit
with Horace Thompson, president First Ma
tl9nal bank who Will act custodian of this
money. BY the rules of the association the
executive committee will have control of the
funds collected and il not used for the pur-
pose specified it will be returned 20 the donors.
Send remittances by draft postoffce orders.
The executive committee is at present COM
posed of one member of each town or county
society now organized, and they will meet for
business upon cali of the president and secro-
tary when necessary. Each additional society
viii be entitled to one member. Further de-
tails on application to Major Thos. p. Wilson,
president of the association, at ST. Paul, to Ia.
T. Fluke, secretary, Pennington, or to either
one Cf the executive committee. The secre-
taTy, Mr.. Fluke, will be in st. Paul during the
next four or i've weeks attending to this BUSH
ness, and should be addressed there.
Per order of the Association.
j. W. EarERY, Pennington,
z. b. CLARK, Benson.
q. C. BURT, Mankato,
Committee on Address.
Dec. ?. 1873