Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1896-04-18

There is not q town in existence to-
day, no matter how prosperous it may
be, where the kicking element is not to
some extent in evidence. 1t would be
almost impossible to imagine code of
conditions so favorable as TO warrant
complete and universal satisfaction on
the part Of even few hundred citizens
thrown together by chance, without
reference to their distinctive DISPOSE
tions and varied characteristics. Custer
is no exception, and Notwithstanding
the fact that, by every rule by which
the advancement Of the town may be
fairly measured, her progress may be
clearly and unquestionably established
the gloomy murmurings oft pessimist
may be daily heard. A wonders what
we are going TO do IL the town con-
tinues for any considerable time, to
languish as at present. B thinks he
will have to change his location, 60 to
Cripple Creek sr some other loudly
Landed camp, IL there 10 not a speedy
turn in the tide Of our material pro-
gress. G says he don't believe our
mines have any merit, and quotes the
authority Of local boomers Of other re-
motely located Black Hills mining
camps to bear him out in his wild and
baseless opinion. ID says, if the mines
around Custer are as good 40 reported,
he can't understand why they fail to at
tract any considerable degree of atten.
tion; and We desire to say in passing
that if ID was cognizant of the influences
exerted TO thwart every effort made to
bring our mines into deserved promi.
nencs, he would cease to wonder over a
situation, which, to the uniformed,
seems SO anomalous. + thinks we are
rapidly drifting backward, and that
there are no definite indications point
ing toward change for the better.
Now, IL We were to subscribe to these
wholly unwarranted possimistic theo.
ries, advanced by few of our ever
restless citizens, the situation would in
deed be intolerable, and the result could
not be otherwise than most disastrous.
Let US for moment look the situation
squarely in the face, with a view to a
determination of its real status. Is
Custer going backward? Let us see.
In the first place look over the town,
in which there is not a vacant house.
will convince any reasonable man that
there never was a time in the history
Of the town, save in the boom period Of
'76, when she could boast of larger
population. Now, let us direct our at
tention to the measure Of business being
transacted at this writing as compared
with the past year. The railroad busi-
ness Of the town may be accepted as a
fair and safe criterion by which to
determine this question, and the books
of ths railroad company show, for the |
past several months, q material increase |
oyer the business transacted during the |
ID also q factor which may be reason
ably considered in this connection, the
aggregate of which for the past quarter
is in excess of that of any preceding
quarter since the Office has been estab-
lished. 1t may be truthfully said, not
withstanding the fact that actual cash is
less in evidence than it was in former
years, as it is elsewhere, Custer is now
doing as much, if not more business, is
as prosperous and has as bright pros
poets for future advancement as she has
ever had, and it only remains for her
people to diyest themselves of their
gloomy and unwarranted fears of future
failure, grid on the armor of energetic |
effort and aid in the establishment of
an ara of progress and industrial ac-
tivity in Custer which only awaits the
potent spur of enterprise to create.