Sturgis advertiser. (Sturgis, Dakota [S.D.]) 1887-1???, 1889-05-02

tory instead of remaining at home is not
reasonable. The residents of the south
ern part of the county, notwithstanding
they do their trading in Rapid City, are
equally as much interested in the gen
eral welfare and financial prosperity OF
Meade county as any taxpayer in the
county. What do the men who own
Tilford care for the welfare of Meade
county or the amount of taxes levied aft
er you have enabled them by locating
the county seat at Tilford to sell out
! their town lots and put their money in
their pockets? The purchasers of these
lots, like the original owners, and like
the purchasers of lots in Buffalo Gap,
will be principally non-residents, who
will buy them on speculation and not
for the purpose Of settling in Tilford,
erecting buildings and adding to the
wealth and prosperity of the county. No
man of any experience in this western
country who has ever seen and observed
the history of these inflated, mushroom
towns will ever be caught in making any
permanent investment and establishing
a residence in a paper town. Towns
grow by gradual accretion and are not
pulled into stability by town site boom
ers. Monopolies, combines and trusts
have robbed the farmers of the west long
enough by paying minimum prices for
your produce and charging you maxi
mum rates for every pound Of freight or
every article of manufactured goods
which your necessities compel you to
purchase.
This system of robbery, however, is
mild and harmless compared with for
eign corporation that comes into your
county, secures large tract of land, lays
out town and forces you into rendering
their barren, worthless lots valuable by
turning the entire business of the county
over to them, erect your public build
ings and transact your county bus
mess where it will not add one cent to the
wealth of the county or the value of
property owned by the citizens of the
county. If they succeed in their scheme,
how long will it be until they involve
your county in debt for public improve
ments that will render their property
still more valuable? What inconsistency
on the part of the advocates of the town
of Tilford to inveigh against combines,
trusts, monopolies, ETC., to organize far
mers' alliances, pass resolutions and
make speeches denouncing the wholesale
system of robbery that you have been
subjected to, and then throw up your.
hands at the first command to ''stand
and deliver" which these autocratic land
sharks issue. Vote to increase the
wealth Of your own county, of your own
people and not to add to the accu-
mulated wealth of men whose only inter-
ests are and whose only wish is to in
duce you to surrender your own rights
and interests. They will make you
large promises based upon airy fabrica-
tions, promises that will never be re-
deemed unless by their redemption these
Shylocks will add more of your hard
earned wealth to their already overflow
ing Golfers. Look at this matter square
ly, apply your good, hard common sense
to its solution, and if You do not come to
the honest conclusion to vote for Sturgis
for the county seat rather than for the
Pioneer Town Lot company located at
TIford, then abandon your county ALI
ances, rescind your resolutions Of indie
pendence, stop talking about monopo-
lies, trusts and combinations against the
farmers interests, and acknowledge that
you must continue to remain showers of
wood and drawers of water" Admit
that the influence Of combined capital is
too great for even free men to success
fully contend against. Doff your hats,
bend the suppliant knee, and lick the
hand that smites you; wear the collar OF
oppression and confess yourselves base,
ignoble slaves to soulless corporation
that wants mortgage not only upon
the labor of yonr hands, but upon your
life.
With what pride an honest American
citizen can exercise the highest right Of
citizenship at the ballot box when he
knows that some debauched hired yaga-
bond imported from the purlieus Or hell
by gFasping monopoly will kill his
vote.