Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1915-11-20
THAT PETITION
Resident of the Game Preserve Answers
State Forester's Communication
of October Thirtieth.

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plying to the same. To begin with
wish to say there is absolutely no state
ment whatever made in the petition bot
the plain, straightforward and unvar-
nished truth save one and that being in
regard to the length OF time some of the
public highways have been traversed.
While it is quite trse that the public
highways entering and passing through
the so-called "State Game Preserve"
have not been travelled for the past 40
years as stated in the petition, but as
matter-of.fact, have been travelled by
the public in general for 80 years. But,
be that as it may, that is neither here
nor there and does not, in any sense of
the word constitute as the State For
ester says, false statement and has by
DO means any bearing whatsoever upon
the petition being circulated by the set
tiers who are wholly justified in being
autagonistic toward one Of the greatest
and unmitigated impositions ever forced
upon the tax paying public by a clique
OF bone heads who were supposed to
represent their constituents in the state
legislature aud work for their interest
and welfare. 1t matters not whether
the public highways have been travelled
by the public for one year or hundred,
IL does not alter the fact that they have
been unlawfully obstructed.
No person but a narrow. minded one
regardless of their being a resident in
side or outside this menagarie approves
Of game preserve being located in a
place where some go or more settlers
reside, some of whom have lived upon
and acquired patents to their homes
long before there was ever any thought
of the state embarking in the menagarie
business. Some Of the state officials as
we'll as other people have formed an
erroneous opinion and are laboring un-
der misconcepuon in regard to the
writer being antagonistic toward game
preserve. On the contrary, / am in fa-
vor Of game preserve and the preser-
vation Of game when the same is estab-
lished in place where the rights and
liberty Of the people in general are not
violated or disregarded but | am abso-
luely opposed and adverse TO one being
situate upon my private property at my
expense or upon that of anyone else and
at their expense. There are other local
tiles wherein a game preserve could
have been established without fencing
in 90 or more settlers TO be included as
part OF menagarie. | am safe in say
ing that no fair minded person or in fact
anyone else who will take the trouble TO
ascertain the true facts and existing con-
ditions prevalent in this game preserve
would sanction the same as it now ex-
lists. Only those who are directly con-
nected with this affair, by reason of a
job or otherwise, or those Of narrow
mindedness approve Of it.
No signer of this petition, regardless
OF who they were, whether they were
resident, either inside or outside the
game preserve were ever asked to sign il
without first being requested to read it,
which nine out of every ten invariably
did. The writer of this item was one of
the several who circulated it, and in no
instance did anyone who signed it do so
against their own free will, nor did they
say, "Oh, what's the harm, it won't do
any good anyway" or, 81 never even
read the thing" or, 81 had to sign it
for business reasons" or, 81 signed it to
get rid of him."
III any such assertions were ever made
by any OF the signers, they were certain
ly never made to the writer when circu-
lating the petition, and am sincere in
my belief and frank in saying that ! do
not believe that any such statements
were ever made by any of the signees. |
But, however, If such statements were |
ever made, it simply and adequately |
demonstrates that those who made these |
remarks after signing it, does not possess |
a mind OF their own, and to advance |
such reasons as an excuse for signing it |
is preposterous. 1t is also asserted that |
the circulating of the petition was done |
80 with the hope of gaining advantages |
for few selfish individuals Nothing |
is more divested of the truth than this |
allegation. If the residents of the game !
preserve can be justly termed of being |
selfish simply because we object to hav |
ing our crops destroyed by the elk and |
buffalo, then we all unanimously enter |
a plea Of guilty. We ask for no advau- |
tsges, neither does the petition contain
any such request and to interpret is as
meaning such is pre-eminently disgust |
ing. The Forester asserts that the sign
ers of the petition had no clear under |
of its purport or motive, or that |
they were even interested in it, but sim |
ply signed il to get rid OF the circulator |
and TO avoid any further request for |
their signatures. Nothing is more de- |
void of or remote from the truth.
The bankers and merchants are vitality !
interested in the welfare of the. people |
as the foundation and success of their |
business depends wholly upon the pros
perity of the rancher and stockmen |
Can you dispute this being fact Mr..
Forester? He further states that there
were persons who refused to sign the
petition because their fairness and good
judgment forbid their doing so, simply, |
because in their opinion to do so was TO
act in the capacity of and the role of
traitor to the best interests of the COM
munity. If such procedure constitutes
that of fairness and good judgment, then
the signers of the petition (of which
there are over 200) are not familiar with
the Interpretation Of fairness and good
judgment as those who refused TO sign
define it. Fortunately, however, the
signers have placed a vastly different in
depreciation upon what constitutes fair
ness and good Judgment, and were broad
minded enough to express their senti-
ments by the addition oftheir signatures.
The writer was refused the signatures
of but two parties, one of whom bore a
personal animosity toward several of
the signers who are his neighbors while
the other party gave as an excuse for
his refusal to sign that the game pre-
serve was great thing for Custer coun.
ty and that the ranchers inside the
preserve could dispose of their surplus
stock of hay and grain to the state to be
used in feeding the elk and buffalo. 1t
would indeed be gratifying to learn how
We are to have any surplus hay and