Sturgis advertiser. (Sturgis, Dakota [S.D.]) 1887-1???, 1888-01-04

STURGIS ADVERTISER.
|. r. GROW. PnoPR,sroH
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY. i. 1883.
The ADVERTISER Is entered weekly at the Sturgis
post office a. second class matter.
OUR JUGGERNAUT
The Western Town Lot Company
and It's Operations Throughout
Dakota, Nebraska, Wyoming
AND WHEREVER IT HAS LANDS.
OUR JUGGERNAUT.
AND WHEREVER IT HAS LANDS
FRO Bono Publice.

This well known corporation, that has
conducted its immense business SO sue
cessfully and made itself extremely
wealthy, was organized in Chicago sew
eral years ago. 1t is composed of the
principal officials of the Chicago & North
western; fremont, Elkhorn & Missouri
Valley and the Sioux City & Pacific rail
way companies. The leading members
of the company are: Marvin Hughitt,
president of the G. & INV, F. E. & M
v, and s. G. & p; Albert Keep,
ex- president, and present chairman of
the boards Of directors of the same roads /;
Charles E. Simmons, land commissioner
of the same corporations; p. e. Hall, ex-
general manager and present superinten-
dent of construction OF the f. e. & NJ
"; Horace Williams, OF Cedar Rapids,
Iowa, a former director of the F. Il. &
NJ. ", and S. @. & p, and at present a
heavy stakeholder in the came, and a
few others of lesser note and influence.
The Western Town Lot company was Or
gained for the purpose OF establishing
towns and villages alongs the various
lines Of newly constructed road as they
are built, and sell town-lots to all who
desire them, on timeat good rates of
interest. In doing this they claim to be
working for the development of the
country, and from observation we think
they have succeeded in that at least.
This company with some slight changes
in its name and personnel, has operated
extensively along the lines of the above
named roads in Iowa, Minnesota, Ne5-
raska, Dakota and Wyoming. A cor
poration OF the importance, Of the
Western Town Lot company must ex-
pect their actions to be inspected and
criticised by the public, and most assur-
eddy the actions in the past OF this cor
poration in particular, will invite invest
lgation and public inspection. Let
the public investigate carefully and con-
scientiously and find to what conclusions
their deductions bring them. What has
this so-called country developer and phil
anthropic Western Town Lot company
done for the inhabitants of the country
along the lines of these several railroads !?
True, they have established towns and
villages where emigrants came and re-
manned, some OF them locating on gov
ernment land. Remained, because i'll a
Thousand instances they could not get
away. What money the railroad did not
take for transportation, and the town-lot
company for a location, was spent
by the settler in trying to get living
for his family. Look at some of their
work along the line of the F. e. & M. v.
railroad west of Valentine, !. Nebraska.
When the road arrived at Gordon, it
found town started on magnificent
SITE Business houses were erected and
in operation, and the people were happy
and contented. ALI the land necessary
for railroad uses they could have had for
the asking. But no, the town-lot com
pany, composed of the officials Of the
road, who used their positions to further
their personal interests, concluded that if
the railroad stopped at the old town and
erected the necessary buildings, they,
1.-THE town lot company could not cor
raj all the land in the village without
paying for it, and SO built the track on,
a quarter or half mile farther west, To-
Gated their town-site, erected the rail-
road buildings, and-sold lots. They
purchased the site for very small am
cunt, and sold over $4,000 worth OF
lots. Immediately the track went On
westward. They got all they could out
of the people and after that had no
earthly use for them. They let them
rustic for themselves snd get out the
best they could. At Nashville and Hay
Springs they went through the same
performance. Land was bought by
them for little or nothing and parcelled
out in the shape of town-lots at prices
that prior to their advent, would have