The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1903-09-25
PLANO TROUBLES.

1fODaDly no one Cnlng ever caused
in any town so much foolish wrang-
ling, silly contentious and all
around petty trouble as the contests
for pianos which have Seen going
on in this city for the last few
mon tbs. Tickets are issued by our
merchants to purchasers Of so-much
goods-the more goods the more
tickets. 1t was first intended that
only lodges or organizations should
enter the contest, so we are in
formed.
After bit, however, individuals
entered and their friends not only
supported them, but were loud in
their criticisms of organizations,
which they claimed had plenty of
friends to buy pianos, and for this
reason they said should not oppose
poor, but deserving persons who
were deprived of many of the pleas
ures of life. Each party had his or
her grievances to recount. If some
lodge happened to run ahead one
week, some other contestant would
fiercely allege that things didn't
look just right. If one Of the less
wealthy contestants managed to
poll a few extra thousand votes,
some one was sure they were Sc
cured in a questionable manner.
Different merchants have been &C
cused of giving away tickets TO ia
vorites without having sold goods
to the amount, and some have even
claimed that the amounts on tickets
we're traudulently raised. This Of
fee has come in for it's share OF good
things also. Some one has been in
dustriously circulating the report
that we have been printing tickets
and giving them away! Furnishing
paper, ink and time, all free, just to
defeat somebody else. To say moths
ing Of the right or wrong of such q
transaction, as business PROPOSE
tion it is too silly to deserve mem
ton When we print tickets for the
company we receive pay for doing
so. Why, then, in the name Of all
that's sensible should we print them
for nothing? But Of course, com
mon sense never en- tiers the Uranium
OF anyone capable Of making such
an accusation.
The Masonic lodge, which has
been one of the contestants, with
drew it's name this week from the
contest for the reason, as they state,
their integrity has been questioned
and others are likely to do likewise
if the cauldron continues to boil as
it has in the past.
The Union has never yet ex-
pressed a preference for any one Of
the con testants and did not intend
to do SO. However, since so much
has been said and since some Of the
busy bodies are so hysterlcally con-
cerned over which way we cast our
votes, we shall say that we favor
above all others the only contestant
that would give the general public
any benefit Of the piano the Public
Library II any other contestant
but the Library should receive it,
very few persons would ever have a
chance to enjoy its benefits. II the
Public Library should get it anyone
and everyone would have an oppor-
tunity Of getting some pleasure out.
of it. The Union is for the Public
Library and while we shall not print
tickets for fun or pure cussedness,
we shall vote what few belong to US
for the Library,
g. D. Cade returned this week
from the eleventh irrigation con
gress, held in Ogden. Utah. Mr..
Cade speaks very highly Of the hos
pita,ity Of the Ogden people. He