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HEMINGFORD. BOX BUTTE COUNTY, NEBRASKA. FRIDAY, NOV. 29, 1095
NO. 40
ill
')
J
J
W"
THE PEOPLE'S
Wishes Must B
I
THE BUSINESS MEN AND
CITIZENS OP HEMING-
JFORDKESOLVE ENMASSE
THAT THEY WILL STAND
STAUNCH AND TRUE
WITH THE PEOPLE, AND ,
FOR THE PEOPLE.IN RE- j
SISTING A FEW TIN-HORN '
POLITICIANS IN THEIR
MAD EFFORT TO PILE UP
TAXES ON THE PEOPLE
BY THE REMOVAL OF
THE COUNTY SEAT TO A
REMOTE CORNER OF THE i
COUNTY, FOR THE PUR
POSE OF SUPREME CON
TROL IN POLITICS AND
DICTATING THE DESTINY
OF THE PEOPLE AND
THEREBY GRINDING THE
PEOPLE UNDER THE IRON
HEEL OF A GIGANTIC
MONOPOLY WITHIN THE
BORDERS OF OUR COUN
TY, ORGANIZED FOR THE
BENEFIT OF THE FEW
AND AGAINST THE 'HON
EST CILLER OF THE SOIL
AND THE TRUE OWNERS
OF THE COUNTY.
Flushed with apparent success
hy the results of the recent coun
ty election and insanely imagin
ing that Alliance constitutes the
universe, a few of the would be
dictators of th,e business of Box
Eutte county have commenced to
agitate the removal of the county
seat to that place. Indications
are that they are proceeding un
der the impression that Heming
ford, and the citizenship of Hem
ngford are hibernating or are
absolutely dead, but if the meet
ing held at the court house Mon
day evening is an indication, our
friends at Alliance will find this
the most ferocious dead place
they have ever undertaken to ab
sorb. Hon. A. L. Sharrock of
"Edgemont circulated among our
citizens Monday and it was de
cided to call a meeting at half
past seven. Promptly on time
one hundred enthusiastic voters
were assembled in the court
room and wore called to order by
A. Sherwood who was elected
chairman, with I. E. Tash secre
tary. Mr. Sharrock addressed
the meeting and with a copy of
the resolutions, passed by tha
men in Alliance who are anxious
to increase the burden of tho al
ready over burdened tax-payers
of the county, as his text, stated.
the object of his visit and what
the people who bade mm are.
ready to do. He stated "that
surelv we need not bo ashamefL
of the business for which wo are.
assembled. That Alliance w&
trying to take an unfair advan
tage of existing circumstances
and force this question upon tho
county at a time
its citizens are temporarily ab
sent, and is only more firmly es
tablishing her already unenvia
ble reputation of "hoggishness"
by trying to gobble up every
thing in sight whether by fair
means or foul. He read the res
olution they had passed saying
that, , 'nothing but honorable
.Means would be pursued," and
Respected
said that a man who begins to
cry "honesty" boforo ho isaccus
ed of being dishonest is a good
-subject to bo carefully watched."
I (Evory man in the county knows
how "honest" Alliance is in all
their elections.) Mr. Sharrock
was followed by a dozen . men
anxious to bo hoard hi their zeal
for tho good of Homingford. as
well as every taxpayor in tho
county. Tho question , as to
whether or not tho petitions now
being circulated to call a special
election, should be opposed was
fully discussed pro and con
and the universal opinion that
no movo in that direction should
be taken prevailed. Tho proposi
tion was advanced that Alliance
was circulating tho story that
many of the leading men of Hom
ingford favored a removal of the
j county seat, but any such idea
must surely have molted into noth
ingness, when, chairman Sher
wood asked "how many in the
room iavored Hemingiord ana
would pull off their coats and work
until tho ast vote was cast"? and
a hundred men (evory ono in the
room) bounced to their feet, and
pounded the air as vociferously as
Judge Noleman did in tno celebra
ted mandamus case, against the
Alliance school board. It was then
decided that the chairman should
appoint twenty men who would
select an executive committee of
five and tho meeting took a recess
and smoked good cigars furnished
by A. S. Sharrock Who has a heart
in the right place. The executive
committee elected consists of: J.
K. Neal, E. A.Hall, H. B. Austin,
I. E. Tash. and John O'Jveofe. and
if tho Alliance "shysters" and
"potifoggers" oven imagine that
they are going to oven get a start
towards moving tho county cap
tal, we would adviso tnem to get
up early and work late, because
Homingford is "in it" and is there
to stny. Before adjourning the
resolution's which head this ar
ticle were adopted with a ' 'whoop"
that would have done credit to a
political convention although
there maybe personal differences,
political warfare, and religion
preferences in Hemingford and
vicinity, as always exists in every
community, there is one thing
suro and that is that on tho ques
tion now boforo us there is not
tho slightest division and as one
man wo will oppose and bitterly
opposo too, any attempt to in
crease the burdens of tho tax
payers in Box Butte County one
qent, or the effort of Alliance to
absorb us because thoy think
they havo the power to do so.
Logical Argument.
Tho meeting held at Alliance
i$y movo tho county seat from
lIemingford to Alliance is ouo of
nlm events which happens evory
so often in western counties when
ithe spirit of chango at all hazards
lis dominant amongst a few of tho
citizens of somo town thakwishes
to achieve notoriety at tho oxponso
of tho residents of tho county.
Tho removal of the recognized
county seat from ono place to an
other is always "an expensive ex
periment but this is not homo by
tho ones who raiso tho question.
In nine cases out 'of ton the ones
when many ofTniost interested in getting the war
started -are persons -who are not
property holdors themselves and
seldom are prompt taxpayers even
if they pay any at all. Look at
tho men engineering this fight,
scan their tax business and . seo if
the large majority of them are not
on the delinquent Uet for what
small taxes .they do pay. These
are the ones that ure;always in tho
van to movo a county Beat; with
nothing to lose . they will put up
bill of oxponfeek after bill of ox
poiiBO, for tiira taxpayers of tho
county to liquidate without a
thought of the hardships entailed
on the ones having houor enough
to pay thoir taxes but who are strug-'
gling against adverse fortune in
endeavoring to fight tho olomonts '
ond prevail on thorn to givo them
crops with which to sustain thorn-1
selves and their stock.
Tho oxpoiiso of this fight is o&o '
that at tluB time will bear heavily
on tho tax payer, with the pastcropj
failure and the lack of rain fall.
this fall and winter seems as if in'
stead of adding a bill of expense to
tho county and thus docroa'siug the
nurchasinc oowor of tho county's
I . w
warrants tho county commissioners tory of man ad wo find it record
oould find somo way to lesson tho ed from tho days of Adam down
taxes and add to tho county's credit, to almost tho beginning of tho
This removal outsido of a few 19th century, tho peoplo then
potifoggers in Alliance is one that upon tho earth wore subjected to
has no show of reason or right, tho tyranny of barbarous kings
Situated in the conter of tho county ' and potentates civilly and relig
as is Homingford. tho hardships .iously in fact, tho liberty of man
entailed on tho citizens of tho out- and moro especially tho poor
sido precincts to come toth county i peasant, was extremely limited.
scat is minimized whilst the removal
to Alliance would incroaBO it ten
fold as it is in the south east
corn-
or of the county. But this
is tho
least of tho thoughts ot Alliance
mon.
Tho statement
of tho Allianco
men not to issue bonds to build ai
expensivo courthouse is the biggest
buncombe over hoard of. It was
mado as a bait to got J. R. Phelan
in tho fight for with his level head
ed business ideas ho does not wish
to see the county swamped with
debts. But on tho othor hand
what a fine protection play is
mado whore the word "expense"
comes in. Tho length nnd'broadth
of the whole Jb subject to many
changes; what one man deeniB ex
pensive another man declares to bo
beggarly, and thus it would go on
ond tho outcome would bo on the
sumo lines as tho contest; Allianco
wants tho earth with a fence
around it und would plunge tho
county into debt for a fine court
house with an elastic expense bill
attached just to koep tho prestlgo
of tho town up "don't yor know."
Box Butte has a court house al
ready, no rent to pay, everything
free and the tax payors have not a
thought about rent of offices and
tho expenses that are entailed in
keeping up a building such as Al
lianco would give.
Taxpayers in Box Butte, tho
question simmers down to lower or
higher taxation. Tho expense of
tho election will bo nominal
compared to tho constant
drain on the pockets of taxpayers
to keep up tho business at Alliance.
Court house rents are always high,
bonds to build court houses have
to be paid and the farmoro who
are struggling to get along, do tho
paying. The city tax lists pub
lished every year show how taxes
aro paid by their inhabitants. Tho
farmer is the sinow of the county
and it is on him that tho burden
falls; he has to shoulder tho ox
pouhiyo outlay for elegantly furni&h
ed offices and the long train of dol
lar items that will follow tho
county boat to Alliance. As affairs
aro at present, Box Butte has all
tho nocosRary appurtenances for
running the business affairs of the
county at Huraiugfoid and the
county commissioners would do
well to look to it that
the present i
status of Homingford
for county :
seat should bo kept up.
- I
Tho removal of tho county neat
means the throwing nwav of our
$4,000 court house, 1,200 vault,
and costs of election, which would
amount to upwards of $6,000 bo-'
sides burdeniug the taxpayers
with bonda from which they
would uovec recover. Look at i
our.noighb9r, Jawe cotm'.ty. J
THE TYRANNY
Still in Practice!
TJie Brutal Kings
Are Among Us.
"STIE KIEIBreSX.
! In reading tho primitive his
All through thoso dark
agos
people rebelled against tho yoke
.of tyranny placed urjou their
shoulders, when it bocamo un
bearable, and tho consequonco
was that blood flowed freely and
entire cities wore swept from tho
faco of tho earth and tho dead
bodies of tho brutal kings laid at
tho foot of tho ruins of thoir
thronos that had crumbled and
fallen in ono day boforo tho con
quering arms of tho masso' yot a
new potentate simply repeated
tho whole tyranny and thus the
world rolled through centuries
of rebellion, ,blood and - carnage.
,' until, wo might say,
tho Ameri
can Republic was established
which heralded to the world an
assurance of tho greatest liberty
ovor accorded to man. For ovor
ono hundred years tho American
Government has flourished tho ad
miration of the whole world, in
cluding its conquered enemy,
Groat Britain.
All went well until 1861 when
our beloved country found itsolf
in the throes of a monstrous civil
war. Right there is where our
troubles of today began and al
though wo havo thought our
selves a happily united country
for thirty ono years, tho canker
worm of poverty, dissension,
centralization, combination and
retraction has been slowly but
surely eating holes in tho body
politic of our boasted liberties,
as wo find tho politician and pot
tiffoggers dictating to our courts
and tho peoplo, and are moro ty
rannical in using thoir power
than tho barbarous kings of cen
turies ago.
Tho city of Hemingford ever
sinco its birth five years ago' has
boon suffering through tho tyran
nical heol of politicians andcounty
schemers, who know no law or
will obey no law, exept the law
enacted by tho swoet will of thoir
manipulators. They havo not
only refused this city tho natural
courtesies it should havo; but they
have tried to ruin tho reputation
of our citizens for truth and ver
acity, by sending hundreds of ly
ing reports stating that our 'peo
ple woro dosorting thoir homes
and all moving to othor quarters,
to wreck tho present countv seat.
V
Thoy have tried to poison the
minds of our peoplo with discon
tent in trying to build up thoir
railroad hamlet at tho oxponso of
this city. They have filled our
streets with liars traitors and des
tructive spreading poison. Our
peaceably inclined city paid very
little attention, to tho abueo of tho
heartless. Wo havo mado no
claim to any of thoir industries
but now we call a halt.
Tho city of Hemingford has been
placed on its own marrow bonos
by all civil authorities and last
Monday night, it began active
work on this matter. Overbear
ing tyranny cannot boondurodfor
ovor and wo now propose to pro
tect our homos.
A dolegatlon of tho Allianco
"100" was in town Wednesday
attending a little party' boforo
Judgo Spacht. Ostensibly thoy
woro hero to settle n little gamo
of "froolovo" among themselves
and incidentally to show forth to
tho good peoplo of Homingford a
powerful inducement for tho re
moval of the county soat to Alli
anco. Johnson Contests.
On Wodnesday B. E. Johnson
commonced contest proceedings
against P. M. Phelps' right to
the clerkship of Box Butte coun
ty. Mr. Johnson contests on
grounds of Illegal voting and
fraudulent counting in Allianco.
From tho Dailios.
(Oinah Iloo )
At a large and enthusiastic meeting
of tlie taxpayers of llx Uutto county
at Hemingford tliey unanimously
agreed to stand Milld against the re
moval of tho oounty seat from Ileni
Ingford to Alliance, and denounced in
no uuccrtitln terms any proposition
the object of Which would add addi
tional tuxes to tho taxpayers of thin
county.
(Lincoln Journal.)
HEMINGFORD, Neb., tfov.25.
Rox Butte county will soon bo engag
ed In a county scat struggle, Alli
ance is circulating a petition to call a
special election.- The peoplo of Ilem
ingforoTheld a rousing meeting and de
termined to put up a wlanlug light to
retain the county soat, and in this
thoy cluim they will have the ussis
tance of the taxpayers of tho county,
who arc interested iu keeping taxation
down to tho minimum, regardless of
locality.
(World-HoraU.)
TTemingford, Nob. Nov, 25. A hot
county sent tight is on In this county
brought about by an effort of Alliance
to move the county capital. from tllia
place to Alliance. Petitions aro al
ready in circulation, and u large and
enthusiastic meeting was held tonight
to orgtnizc for tno fight.
Hon A. L. Sharrock. mayor otEdg
moot, and a representative of tho In
terstate Town Site, company, owner
of the Homingford tovn site, is on
tho ground, and a determined resis
tance will bo mado to the removal und
expense that would follow.
The general belief is that should the
chango be made tho county will of ne
cessity be bonded for county buildluga
and other necessary expenses Tho
vote will be taken somo time in Feb
ruary. An executive committee con
sisting of J. It. Neal, II, B. Austin,
I. E. Tash, J. O'Keefe, undE. A. Hall
was elected tonight to organize tho
county.
Alliance Lawyers and Politicians
vs.
The Tax-payers of Box Butte
County,
The last issue of the Allianco
Guide reveals the fact that her
"representative business men"
aro again preparing to mount tho
ringboned, spavined and short
winded old hobby horse of Coun
ty Soat removal. Ono would
think that tho small portion of
Allianco population who favor
tho renewed agitation of this
question, would havo learned by
past oxporlonco that tho majority
of tho peoplo of Box Butte Coun
ty aro entirely satisfied with
thoir present County Seat Hom
ingford. A contest was had, fair
on Hemingford's side, though
undeniable attempts at fraudu
lent practices, wore' made by AK
liance's partisans. It was decid
ed that Hemingford bo the coun
ty Beat of Box Butte couuty.
We do not deny that if Alliance
wore the County Seat it would
bo more convenient for a few Al
liance lawyers. But is the dosire
of tho majority of the people of
Box Butte County to be oet u3ldo
for tlio convenience of a few at
torneys and some politicians, to
whom an agitation of this kind
offers an opportunity for cheap
notoriety?
Homingford is In the center of
the county. Tho interests of tho
major part of tho people of tho
County demand that Homingford
remain tho County Soat. Tho
town of Hemingford has present
ed to tho County a flno Court
House. There is thus no expense
to tho county on that score. Tho
"representative business men"
passed a resolution declaring
that If tho county seat bo remov
ed to Alliance, it was not tho in
tention to issue bonds to build an
expouslvo Court House.
In tho first place wo would like
to inquire, by what authority thoso
"representative businoss men" pre
tend to guido tho destines of Box
Butte Countyto state what the
County will or will not do?
Furthermore, though their doc
Juration bo true, what difference
would it mulct to tho tax-payors of
tho county whether they pay taxen
to keep up tho interest on bonds
or pay rent for county offices,
which tho abandonment of tho
present Court House at Heming
ford would necessitate? The elec
tion whiah it is proposed to havo
would entail an expense o! up
wards of. a thousand dollars. Iu
these hard times the people should
think twice before bunfenlug them
bolvoa with this additional indebt
edness. But wo have no fear that
this matter will be moro than
"a tempest in a tea-pot." Tho
West has had enough of these
senseless county seat fights, where
by some unwisely ambitious town
seeks to put aside the wi!L of tho
people of the county for its per
sonal advantage.
Alliance has the rail road round
house and machine shops to which
it is justly entitled; Homingford
I has the county seat which by vir
i tuo of its location and choice of
. the peoplo, it should remain in un
i disputed possession of. There
should bo no animosi ty between
tho two towns. Lot us live in
peace and harmony allowing this
county seat matter to bo only a
memory of the past.
From the Crvford Tribune.
Tho Tfibano, in the interest of
fair play gives room in its columns
for the above sensible article from
tho Hemingford Herald. Allianco
has a set of business mon than
whom there is not in 'any town
in the northwest a moro pushing,
progressive and enterprising, and
tho Tribune bolioves that it will
never be recorded in the history of
Box Butte county that they were
so lost to that sense of manhood,
justice and fairness which hs3 here
tofore characterized all thoir efforts
to havo their town take front rank
amouug tho cities of Northwest
Nebraska, as to cast' their vote in
favor of taxing the peoplo of the
entire county in order that a few of
hor citizens might reap the paltry
benefit to be derived from rent of
rooms for county offices in case of
the removal of the county seat; and
it would be an everlasting blotch
upon tho as yet untarnished fame
of our sister city where her "rep
resentative businoss mon" to tole
rate it. 3?ar hotter would it be for
all of the few who are endeavoring
to stir up this county seat question
bo induced to concentrate their ef-
(Coof luded on tut v9.)
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