The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1896-06-26
Editor BLACK HILLS UNION.

Editor BLACK HILLS UNION:
DEAR SIR: / have never asked
space IN your columns to defend myself
as well as the action OF the county COM
mlssloners in their April session, IN the
matter OF awarding The contracts in
compliance with the writ obtained by j.
B. Gossage in our district court, signed
by the Honorable William Gardner.
Since there have been so many mis-
statements IN regard to the matter gone
out through the Journal and reiterated
on the streets by the FRIENDS of that
sheet, either through ignorance or pre-
ludlce, | ask now that I NAV be allowed
to ylndlcate the action OF said board
And want to assure ycur readers and
the tax payers OF this county that will
not dea! IN any cowardly and vague as
sertlons to vlndicate my position, as
the journal has done; but stand ready
to prove every assertion from the time
the proceedings, that have terminated in
my Incarceration began, until the pre-
sent. That sheet has failed to give any
intelligent statement to the public IN
proof that he was or Is entitled to the
contracts that he is contending for, but
is and has been thus far relying solely
upon the action and aid OF the court.
whose action in this matter will leave
Tor a tax paying and interested public
to decide whether 1T has been actuated
by motives of honesty and Justice, with.
Il desire to promste the general welfare
OF cur county, or that OF prejudice,
coupled with q desire to punish
those who differ with it in regard to
what rights the citizens who furnish the
necessary funds for the expenses OF our
county, are entitled to.
For myself, will only say this, that I
invite a careful examination of the re-
cord in the office of the county commits
sloners during the year that I have been
a member Of the board, compare care
fully the sworn statement of the audi
tor OF auditors during that period, CIV
ing the annual expenditures of our
county and judge for yourselves whether
the populist members OF the board
who are now declared in contempt OF
court and are suffering the penalty of
imprisonment, with an additional cash
fine OF $lOO for a presumable offense
against the interests OF those whom
they serve. have violated the trust re-
posed in their hands or not.
Further than this would advise that
you urge the con tinuation of the lnves-
tigatlon OF county records that was be-
gan so zealously year ago and as
zealously dropped, for what reason l
have never been able to conceive. l
h&vs no doubt that !; you make q
thorough Investigation OF your business
for this is your business as we'll az your
individual affairs) you will discover the
motives that are prompting to action
some OF the parties who are SO viger-
ously prosecuting this case against my
self and Mr.. Tracy. There is enc fact
which l know you will discover and that
is that all the paupers the county has
been supporting have sot bssn subjected
to the humiiating process OF, being as
signed to a place in the county poor
house. You permit a breach In your
fence and allow your OK to feed unstint-
ipglv in your grain field or corn CRIB,
then undertake to repair the breach,
your OK will break down, ride over and
even gore any obstruction that may bs
placed in his way, humanity il built
much the same way, and We must not
expect to much from those We have per-
mltted to enter and feed unstlntingly at
our county CRIB. Moral In the future
permit no "breaches" in the fence.
Az to the history OF our action IN the
Gossage matter, allow me to say that
the state gives the board OF county COM
mlssloners authority to advertise for
bids for any and all supplies, work
or services (other than those for which
a stated salary is providedD with the
right to reject any and all bids" when
ever such expense exceeds 500 per an
mum. We advertised according to law