The Mobridge news. [volume] (Mobridge, Walworth Co., S.D.) 190?-1917, 1912-05-17
HON. E. |. ABEL FOR
LIEUT.. GOVERNOR

dblt IL -. ~AtNl' vi ii'iNhf h"'
seldom been eQualled ald never
surpassed.
While he is not Il rich man by
any means. Mr.. Abel could haze
beer one of the richest men Of the
state if he had not been so square
with his ueighbors during the hard
times of twenty years agO-and he
could have accumulated those
riches honestly and lawfully. But
Mr.. Abel was square, he refused
to profit himself by the miSfo.-
tunes of his n~eighbors.
1t was back in 1893 and 1894,
the years of the hot winds and
and drouths and hard times. Mr..
Abel owned a bank at Bridgewa-
ter, in McCook county, and had
made a number of loans, many Of
them small, to the farmers in the
vicinity, taking mortgages on the
land for security. When the
drouths came the farmers we're I'M
able to pay the notes when they
came due, many Of them not even
being able to pay the interest.
Having an aversion to foreclosure
proceedings, the farmers decided
their lands to the banker and re.
NAMED on the farms as tenants,
though no titles were paid the
holder of the deeds, the farmers
retaining all they could obtain
from the soil.
Soon the tide turned, the rains
came and the crops grew, and the
wave of prosperity swept over Me-
Cook county, as we'll as the rest
of the state. The lands doubled,
tripled, quadrupled in value. Big
crops were raised and it was not
long until the mOrtgagOr-tenants
were able to pay the original notes
and the accumulated interest. And
then the square dealing of f. L..
Abel was made manifest, for in
each instance he decided back to
the first (but fortunate owner the
lands he had mortgaged, profting
naught by the miraculous raise in
the value of the lands. And Mr..
Abel's title to the lands was clear
and was secured absolutely law
fully.
Reminding its readers Of this bit
Of history, the Bridgewater Tri-
bune says that 1T is small wonder
that the people of McCook county
are shouting for Abel for lieuten-
ant governor" the Bridgewater
paper having this to say of Mr..
Abel's record during the hard
times period:
f. L.. Abel has a very good rec
ord as a state seuatOr; he also has
a remarkable record as a banker.
He lived in Bridgewater during
the hard times of 1898 and there
abOuts. Farmer alter farmer was
unable to pay interest or principal
on his farm mortgage and gave
Mr.. Abel a deed in order TO avoid
foreclosure. In a large number of
cases the former owner remained
on the farm as a tenant. Later.
when crops improved and prices
went mp, he was able to pay Mr..
Abel the amount of the mortgage
and i%nterest-and in each case the
land was decided back to the form
er owner upon receipt of such pay
ments without any consideration
OF the fact that in most cases the
land had doubled in value, and al
so that Mr.. Abel's title to it was
absolutely secure.
This is the man who is today the
republican candidate for lieutenant
governor OF South Dakota, a man
who has proved the worth of his
name III every sense, a man who
will grace the vice position at the
state capital. And, as the Bridge
water Tribune says, 1T is small
wonder the people of McCook
county land the whole state) are
shouting Abel for lieutenant gov.
ernor. Aberdeen American.