Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1892-10-21
Desperate Struggle
Such is the Fight Upon County
Treasurer Bradley

Sucn - the right upon County
Treasurer Bradley
BY Evans and His Hirelings.
IL Bradley is Elected Their Last Hope
Perfshes.
From its long-continued service as a
mouth-piece, the Herald takes it for
granted that even legitimate news
papers must be such, and accredits the
STAR of being 'the acknowledged
spokesman for the First National
bank" In the issue between the peo.
pie and the Herald-with James Brad
ley as the peoples standard bearer in
the county-the STAR as a representa-
tive paper has joined with the people;
just what might be expected Of any
one having ordinary common sense.
The STAR processes and proposes to be
their Spokesman
The STAR comedies none Of the
charges against Mr.. Bradley. No one
with a thimble-full of brains would
concede any of the charges that the
Herald makes. We very plainly
showed last week that the taxpayers
were not paying any o interest
than they mad bargained for when
they voted bonds for the court house,
which is seven per cent. II Nj. Evans
judgment is found by the supreme
court to be valid the citizens and tax
payers who have given bonds to
all loss will pay the interest upon that
judgment. BY refusing to pay the
court house warrants Mr.. Bradley has
but followed the advice Of the best
legal talent in the Hills, and be did
this in the interest Of the taxpayers.
For if the court house was not legally
located, the county most ~assuredly
does not wish to pay for it. But if
once paid for. even if afterwards found
to be illegal, the county could not re-
cover the money. This is the very
cause Of the bitter fight upon Mr..
Bradley at this time. 1t is because Of
fear that the supreme court will not
sustain the circuit courts decisio., and
that the court house location will he
pronounced void, in which case The
county will keep the money that Mr..
Bradley has wisely refused to pay out
for a court house upon which the title
is questionab le. If a milk-and-water
treasurer could be elected it would be
no trouble too bull-doze him into the
idea that he must forthwith disgorge
the court house money, and then the
taxpayers might whistle and get a
title that would stand the tnst of courts
as best they could. Then the tax
payers would have to foot the bill of
a lawsuit over the location of the
court house. But as it now stands the
county treasurer has something over
$4,000 Of the county's money deposited
where il is safe, and 1T will remain in
his charge until the supreme court de-
cides whether or not the court house
should be paid for. While ON the
other hand, the $4,000 that Mr.. Brad
ley deposited in MIR. Evans bank, in
order to satisfy him that he was not
Withholding payment for the court
house in order to use the funds, was
paid out without Mr.. Bradley's sanc-
ton or any authority of law what
ever. The money was deposited by
Mr.. Bradley and drawn out by other
parties. If the supreme court sustains
the circuit court and rronounces the
location Of the court house legal, then
Mr.. Bradley will pay out the court
house funds that he now holds and the
parties who have given indemnifying
bonds will pay the interest. This is all
there is to it.
Before MIR. Bradley refused pay.
ment of the court house bills he took
good counsel as to what course to pur-
sue, and was advised not to make pay
ment, as the location was wholly ille-
gal. Therefore, acting wholly in the
interest Of the taxpayers, he refused
payment, and still holds the money,
which any good and honest business
man would do. People as a general
thing are in no rush to pay for prop
ertv about which there is a question
as to the correctness of the title. Sup.
posing the commissioners had succeed
ed in bull-dozing MIR. Bradley into
paying over this money, and the title
OF location is afterwards found to be
void, what redress would the taxpayers
have? With their money paid out for