The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1908-11-27


preme court. 1t was held by the
court that the commissions ruling
that the rates on first-class freight
from Mississippi river to Kansas City
points should be reduced from sixty
to fifty-one cents a hundred and pro-
portonal reductions in other classes
to be revolutionary If allowed, to
stand, the court said, it would fix
principle tantamount to govern
ment ownership of railroads.
Madison Square Garden Fails.
One would suppose that in New
York, if anywhere, a great hall erect
ed to accommodate the largest au-
diences, and to make room for such
events as are of extraordinary in
terest, would be paying investment.
But Madison Square Garden, New
York, has proved the contrary. The
sarden, which is really vast hall,
ike Chicago Auditorium, gets the
overflow events of the city life. The
orse and automobile shows are
ED there. In campaign years tre-
nendous gatherings go there to
urrah for their candidates, but
carcely to listen TO them, as the
lace is too vast for human speech
make much impression.
But the garden has never paid and
e men who have carried the deficit
years have at length grown tired
it, and have offered the premises
sale. The real estate is worth
lore than s2,oOO,O0O, and with
kyscraper instead of theatre erect
d upon it, there would be comfort
BILE profit instead of an annoying
elicit.
Ma ison Square Garden illustrates
e difference in the way things are
tone in this country and abroad. In
london or Paris. Madison Square
would never he expected to be
money.maker. 1t would be subsi-
liked for the common good
The Prospcctor and His Burro.
"ln sixty days MORE" said the
u usI)eCtOI W ms DuIIO, rtne HillS
nd the canyons will be full of what
call undesirable citizens'-a class
people who are as detrimental to
e mining industry as is the fake
lromoters or the wildcatter. This
undesirable citizen can be classed
lnder the head of two varieties:
The claim-jumper and the owner of
claims who never does his annual
assessment work, never intends to,
and who aims to maintain title to
the same by re-locations year after
year. The claim-jumper is in the
same class with the Indian thug, for
he lies in ambush until the first of
the year and then jumps valuable
property which may or may not be
open for relocation under mining
laws. AS a general thing, however,
his endeavor is to cloud the title
held by original and bonafide owners,
with the hope that compromise
may be affected and that he may be
able to filch little blackmail money.
OF course, in the case of the jumper
he puts up his stakes and mOnu-
ments, as a general thing, on ground
owned by people who have done or
are doing assessment work, the plea
being made that sufficient work has
not been done, and that, technically,
the claims are open to the first man
who may come along.
"In many cases." continued the
prospector, might is right with
the scrubs who appear in the noun!
tains at midnight on the morning
of the first of the year with the in
tention of jumping the claims of
some other man, and, armed with I
rifles and shotguns, they are secure
in their position for the time being.
But, you ask, can they make good?'
They can If no contest is made later
on. If the owners fight the case the
courts will generally decide in the
favor of the original claimant, but
not until he has been put to a great
deal Of trouble and considerable ex-
pense; for blackmailer has hide:
as thick as sole leather, while he has
everything to gain and nothing to
llose-not even a good reputation.
81 want to tell you, Old Long
Ears" concluded the, prospector, 'it
is not always plain sailing with the
honest claimholder and the. pushing
and active mining man; none what
ever. He may 'hew to the line and
live up to the requirements of the
law, and yet he may be the victim
of the undesirable citizen He may
leave his property over night and
return in the morning to find it COW
cred with new monuments and
stakes, and then he has fight on
his hands as despicable as are the
Black Hand episodes one reads
about in the papers, for the rascals
have departed, leaving their warning
in the form of notice posted on a
center monument, which, reading be-.
tween the lines, plainly states that
a wad of money must be distributed
among the title assassins, or that
the title to the property will be
tainted. only to be cleared by being
put through a court laundry; and
there you are. In the case of the
man who annually relocates his
claims instead of performing the as
sessment work required by law, he
retards the growth of the district and
keeps out capital. In one way he is
genuine bred claim hog for he will
do nothing to develop his property,
neither will he allow others to dc