Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1881-11-12

The election has nov got TO that stage
where the Il told you SOS" put in their
bugle. Everybody now knew all about
it long ago. No! not everyone, there is
to be found now and then a political
wiseacre who got most w~oefully left in
his calculations Amongst those are the
few who attempted to sail into Office by
getting up a breeze on the old worn out
cry Of the malcon ents Of county ring.
There may be q ring in this county but
who belongs to it has not yet transpired.
We know of only one, and that is "a ring
to put god men i'm office and that ring
succeeded. In putting forward the
name of A. z. Smith for county commits
sioner there was but one object in view,
which was to pick some good citizen
whose past record was clear and
above reproach, and whose long resi-
dencc amongst US gave a guarantee Of
his ability, honesty, and familiarity with
the wants and requirements Of our
ty. No sooner was this done than the
cry was raised that he was a ring mar and
must be downed or the mythical ring
would get fastened on the county with
the ~tenacity of Sinbads old man OF the
can influence the mass of Custer county
voters or not was shown by this weeks
election. A. =. Smith receives a fair
majority, az large as could reasonably
be expected in an election where az
little work was done, and where each
voter formed his opinion of the opposing
candidates upon what he knew person
ally of each. The attemp. to foist the
belief upon the people that he was Il
ring man has signally failed, and it is
also patent to everyone that the cry of
ring would not work without some
tangible proof that there is such Il thing
working to the detriment of the county.
Now, when one comes to search for
some evidence of "A 50 called ring he
+, finds that the foundation is 50 unsub-
s~tantial that it will not eve support d
shadow.
We have a board Of county commits.
sioners whose duty it was to let the con
tract to build our court house-outside
ofthe court house there Was and is no
chance for a ring-the board let the
contract to the lowest bidder, where i,
the evidence of a ring? after letting the
contract the builders proceeded to cree
AS good a building AS can be found il
the entire Black Hills, honestly earnin,
every dollar that they are to get for it
erection. where is the evidence of
ring there? The building shows for it
self, nearly every citizen has watched il
progress and no one h.s yet been abb,
to discover anything about it that wa
not done in a most workmanlike man
ner. There has been no poor materia
put In it, and what is still better anti
ring evidence there Is certainly no grea
money in the job.
Now a ring that manages that way i
the kind of ring that the people gener
ally try to put in Office, and if that is tn
kind of ring meant by the milcontent,
we are prepared to believe that A. I
Smith belongs to it. The fact is th'
outs always cry ring and the ms are al
ways called upon to prove by their act
that no thieving ring exists, if they Dc
not the people will soon GUST them
The people of Custer county en- rest as
surcd that in electing A. p. Smith the,
have put the best ma in and if the,
never elect a worse man they are il
great luck.