The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1895-09-06
BIZ SURE 10 PAY IT BACK.
Is the Advice:Given the Horny Handed
by State Papers.
TERRIBLE PENALTIES IN STORE
The Farmer Who Borrows Seed From the
County and Neglect to Return It
Will be Shown no Quarter
Big Criminals Go Free.
E S. D.. Aug. &c,

LAvERNE. S. d.. Aug. 26, 1895.
Editor BLACK HILLS UNION:
1t was with some amusement that
we perused a little article in the Rapid
City Journal, issue OF Aug. %, 1895.
We will quote the article IN full, to bring
the matter fully before your readers; 1t
runs thus:
Estate papers are warning
every farmer who has procured seed
grain IRON the county that he should
remember the fact that it is a GRIM
inal offe' &c to sell any of the grain raised
iron the seed thus procured, until the
county is paid, and the penalty is a fine
not exceeding one thousand dollars
Il ,OOO,) or two years in the state
prison. or both, unless the proceeds OF
the ale is turned over to the county in
payment for the seed gram procured
from 1T, the law is very strict, and the
farmers should be very careful not to
lay themselves liable by the violation OF
it,"
Now we are not for a movement
advising the farmers to violate the
statute but finding this article occupying
a very prominent place in the editorial
column we feel justified in the assertion
that it voices the sentiment of the editor
OF that journal. We wish to call your
readers attention to a few comparisons
on past statement of said journal as
we'll as papers referred to. When Elk
State Treasurer TAYLOR looted the treas
ury to the tune OF $3.50, 900, we can not
remember seeing any such warning given
to treasurers nor to any Of the bankers,
state officials or ex-officlals who were
connected with the conspiracy to rob
the taxpayers Of the state, but instead
II our memory serves us Alright, the
editor OF this same journal proposed
that each taxpayer would contribute
$l.OO to a fonnd in order that the state
could be reimbursed, it's credit sustained
AID we, suppose the penalty paid, and
the law satisfied, we are often led to
wonder how many dollars this
famous editor would contribute in case
some poor mortgage ridden farmer, who
IN his unequal strife would de driven to
part with Or eat this wheat crop rather
than see his half fed and half clad
wife and children suffer. We wonder if
he would if he would contribute one or
more dollars to reimburse some county
und. How evident it is that the law is
for the poor and not for the rich for the
pilferer who is driven by unwise laws
and unChristlike social conditions to
take or retain for the use OF himself
what legally belongs to others.
And how eager we find editors OF
papers in our little rural towns to ape
the sentiments of the wealthy classes,
VI the big thieves, Ever ready as in the
case OF w. w. Taylor to declare a law
unconstitutional that would send a de-
faulting% treasurer to the p%enitentlary for
a term of five years, with never a cr,ti-
cism or even All acknowledgement of guilt
on their own part for the aid given in
assisting such a set OF thieves as this
state has been cursed with. INTO
office. On the other hand how ready
they are to avail themselves of every
opportunity to Warn the poor ignorant
farmer OF the enormity of the CRIME of
useing or touching his crop until the
county TO whom he is indebted ls fully
relmbu rsed.
Al. MCCAIN.