The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1905-02-10
WHY! WITH Big W!
AS to Why Don't rladi-
son Ue After Dakota
Central Railroad.

To the Editor That petition for a
new depot may be good thing as the
world goes. Everybody will sign it, OF
conrse.. There may be some people who
don't believe in this petition business
but they must be Cranks Was not thi4
night of petition one of the things that
our glandfathers had up against George
the III in 162 Have we not been pc
titioning ever since, and though these
things are as harmless as an old flint
lock musket would be in the Jap war
we still persist in sending them to con-
eress and to our ma sters everywhere
when we think we are specially aggriev-
ed. Of course we just exercise our
right to petition, though we know on
arrival at headquarters it viii go at
once into the waste basket and be COW
cred with tobacco juice. This will not
deprive the petitioners of the benefit
they will receive from the fact of THEN
going on record as protesting against a
common nuisance. Jim Hill or Van
derbilt might possibly hear the petition
read, but they are now both out in the
cold and Rockefeller and Hartman con-
troll the roads, and they will build a
new depot at once no doubt. They will
need place to do business. They will
appropriate more room SO their freight
smashers can handle milk cans without
strewing the leakage all over passen
gers who are struggling through bun
dies of baggage, old iron, mail sacks.
popcorn vendors and wheelbaIrows, to
reach or leave the train. They will ar
range some way by which the north
and west trains can reach the station
without passing one another on the
same track, and possibly they will ar
range to keep Egan avenue free from
moving freight trains during the hour
of getting to and flom the regular pas
senger trains. Now these men who
hold in the hollow of their hands all the
rights of the dear people, to life, liber-
ty and the persnit of happiness, will fix
these things when they see this petition.
They are not after dividends but are
simply anxious to serve the people.
Why that man in the white house
should sound call for an attack on
railroads is mystery, Why don't We
petition?
Here an old Pop comes in and after
pulling the ice off his whiskers
says, Why don t the people of Madison
and vicinity who want better railroad
facilities get together and go after the
Dakota Central2 That road is ready
to build to Madison if we will do the
right thing by it, and with two lines
of road would not the people be likely
to get better service? They could at
least have choice of two evils. OF
course the man who knows it all, says
this Dakota Central is only the Milwau-
kee in disguise, but the people know
better Eliminate from the question
all parties dependent upon the Milwau-
kee for employment or for value of
warehouse property and you will find
nine tenths of the people ready to go
after the Dakota Central How long
this nine tenths will allow the one
tenth to sit on their necks is problem.
If the people who dig the ground for
their business are here simply to serve
the few middlemen who, like the dar-
key S coon trap, skins them both, ''com-
in and ewine, all they need to do is
to keep still about another railroad,
work LITTLE harder, raise little more
stuff to sell and trust for their reward
beyond the realm of railroads and mid
dlemen.
But we ask, How about the new law
proposed TO regulate the matter of rail
road charges 'Humbug" replies ouI
Populist friend. That law il just as
commendable as it is useless. When
the railroads get through with it in the
court of last resort even Teddy wont
recognize it. While the railroads are
private property they will be subject
to private management If the govern
ment can control Jim Hills road. ii
can control John Smith S farm. The
control will come after ownership, not
before. And when the people learn
that the old despised Populist crank was
right, who said you must buy the roads
before you can control them, that they
must be made public highways in law,
as they are in fact then and not till
then will they be subject to government
control. -
But go on with your petition, mean.
time while asking other people to do
something why not do something cur
selves and get the only independent line
of road in South Dakota built this year.
from Cotton to Madison? ~
CHIED At TT