The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1901-09-26
Asserts That They Are Forcing
This Country Toward
Socialism
ADAM BEDE TELLS A STORY
Early Day Enterprise of the Ex-senator
Is owned Up to-Sioux Falls Press
stock for Sale, II lie Hos
Any.

MUG W oS PN'AA
mistic, especially on the trust question.
He was IN the twin cities yesterday
and at one of the hotels a group gath
cred about him.
The combinations already formed
he remarked, together with those
forming. are forcing the country to-
wards socialism with great rapidity. 1t
is singular that the leaders Of the re-
publican organization cannot discern
this potent fact. and that If there is
really the virtue in the competitive sys-
tenn which this generation has been
taught to believe. the support given
trusts and overwhelming combinations
of capital by the predominant party is
rapidly and certainly destroying the
competitive system. 1t is altogether in
eNplicable,' said the senator, shaking
his head gravely, and lapsing into
thought.
Then the irrepressible Adam Bede in
jected himself s~trenuously into the con-
versation thus:
The senator, having been successful
under the competitive system, hates to
see it destroyed. Did you ever hear
how he crushed the Minneapolis lawyer
on a real estate deal? No? Then it
Will bear telling. Away back in the
primeval days, just after Noah's ark
had landed in the northwest, the sena-
tors eagle eye rested upon a piece Of
real estate made vaiuable by being in
proximity to Sioux Falls. Nobody
seemed to w the land, or bothered to
pay taxes on 1t, SO the senator a con-
tent to lie still and watch until one day
a Minneapolis lawyer slipped in quietly
and purchased the tract at a tax sale.
Then the senator started on the war
path. and found that a half-breed at or
near Mendoza, Mimi, had the fee sim
pie to the property. He came quietly to
Minneapolis-he always comes down
very quietly and never hires a brass
band-and proceeding to Mendoza found
with thei owner of the land. The sena-
tor waited outside in the bushes until
the lawyer had finished his transaction
and then slipped in with a quit-claim
deed all prepared and ready for execu-
ton. I have just sold him to Batteese,'
said the ~half-breed. oh, that makes
no difference; sell him again to me-
said the a If you will sign
this deed, I'll give you all this and ex-
hibited five $40 gold pieces.
Got Deed and Filed 1t.
The temptation was too great, and
the breed fell-and executed. When
the senator reached the train he ound
the lawyer already aboard and While
the cars We're speeding toward Sioux
Il lie liiS pOIlOGIcu HOW lie was
going to get his instrument on record
ahead Of his legal competitor. When
the train was within four or five miles
of Sioux Falls the senator went for
ward and climbed onto the engine.
Say he remarked to the engineer,
ain your old machine here out Of or
der?'
What machine?'
This old tub of an engine? Don't it
need immediate repairs?' and the SEN
ator slipped another $40 into the hand
of the ~astonished engineer, and then
held a whispered communion with the
railway employe. The engineer winked
at the senator, slowed up the train and
called up the conductor, telling him
the engine was devilish close to a
wrecked condition, and he would be
compelled TO drop the train for half an
hour while he ran into Sioux Falls to
have a screw or two frightened and the
cd tub braced up.
THE senator rode with the engineer,
while the Minneapolis lawyer cooled his
heels IN the car away out on the
prairie, and the senator's deed went
on record first. Oh, yes! Senator Pet
tigrew would not have the competitive
commercial system destroyed not on
your life!" and Adam laughed.
There is more truth in that story
than in most of them they tell on me-"
dryly remarked Mr.. Pettigrew.
rs there any truth in the newspaper
story that o refuse to sell the Sioux
Falls Press because the proposed pur-
chasers want to transform it into a
republican paper?" asked the reporter.
Hello That's a new one. Who told
you that?"
THE story is going the newspaper
rounds"
THE Pressis a fairly good property"
was the senator's response. IF I own
any stock in 1t, the stock is for sale
just like any other property I hold-for
cash n It's equivalent and I do not
care two whoops in sheol what the pur-
chaser does with the property after he
owns it,"