A FAILURE!
The Alliance Papers
try to Mislead.
All Wo Want is Fairness on all
Sides; the Truth and the
Result will be Sat-
factory.
"Stop Tlili'T' IniM llron th li.v-Honl r All
Tlilovr Kit Miu-r the IIi'kIiiiiIiik
orTliiic, lint hi 'I'lils In.
otiiiirit It Won't !.
To THE VOTEItS OP BOX Bl'TTE
COl'NTY:
The Alliance papers are out
again in their usual mode of mis
representation and trying in
every way conceivable to poison
tiie minds of the resident elec
tors of Box Butte county, and
casting slurs at our county board
and keeping just as far from the
truth as in their power lies.
Let us review some of the his
tory of this campaign and see
where honesty is lound. Tea
petition was circulated by Alli
ance and no remonstrance was
over offered until it appeared
that fraud was being perpetrated.
The petition was tiled by the Al
liance gang, and until it was tiled
we had no opportunity to inves
tigate its validity. The petition
had Veen sent by Mr. Hampton
and others to procure signatures
in Custer, S. D. There appeared
on the petition names c f parties
who lived in Sheridan county;
minors had signed it: dead men
had come from their graces to
help them out, and good, true
resident electors of Box Butte
county had given them their sig
natures. All theso facis were
gleaned from the petition in less
than four hours after it had been
tiled. We asked the board to give
us a fair show to investigate the
petition, as we were of the opin
ion it was not such a paper as
should have been tiled for the
gigantic purpose for which it was
intended. This privilege the
Alliance gang llat-footedly de
nied us, and said to the commis
sioners nothing but "lorthwith"
would go with them. They did
not say 10, 20, 30, (50 or 90 days
Avill we give you, but "forthwith
you must call the election. Don't
give the people of Hemingford
and the farmers any show, but
forthwith and nothing but forth
with will go with us." While
they asked for "forthwith" we
asked the hoard to postpone fur
ther action until they could bo
satistied that the petition was
signed by resident electors
equal in number to three-fifths
of the votes cast at the last gen
eral election, and not throw the
county into a useless expense.
This they did, and set the final
hearing on the petition at their
next regular meeting, which oc
curs in June, as there would then
be no expense to the county of
an extra session of the board.
Now was Jlmt not fair? The
Alliance gang said "no, it was
not," and started mandamus pro
ceedings before Judge Westover
at Rushville, and in their petition
look up their old war cry of
"forthwith" and asked the. judge
to forthwith call the board to
gether and order them fortwith
call an election. But the
felt there was "something rotten
in Denmark," sit down and think
theso things are for staid and
thoughtful consideration. After
this matter over calmly and see this imagine, if possible, Alliance
if we have not been asking only j victorious in this lightwhat
what is due us as free American ' would occur? At present, during
r
to
judge said i
do a thing
"No, boys, I can't
for you; but I will
order the board to meet on the
30th day of March and consider
the petition, but not call an elec
tion without they are satisfied it
is signed by three-fifths of the
resident electors of Box Butte
county." Now. while the judge
interfered with the order of tho
board we found no objection to
his orders, and consequently our
rooster went up. and right, lie
did, for the old word "forthwith"
was again defeated.
Now those of you who have
of the brutal kings.
is to "accord to all
citizens; mm see it Alliance lias the county seat tight, the mer
not been adopting the methods chants art rubbinir the fur tho
Our motto right way. After tho election,
men thoiill when there is not hinir lit, stnkn
rights as free born American cit- j they partictlarly desire your help
zens. I to attain, what a change will oo-
Now the committee that ex- cur! Alliance is a railroad town,
amined the voluminous petition and for tho personal nirirrandi.o-
, - . cjo
ment of a few of her citizens this
for about four hours found and
named One Hundred and Thirty
three of tho petitioners question
able, at least, and so made their
affidavit. This committee did
not. nor does it now
wore entirely correct
name they objected to; neither
have these 133 names been st rick-!
en from the petition, nor will
they be if they are found to bo
RESIDENT ELECTORS. Now the
Alliance papers tiro trying to
mislead tho farmers by telling
you these names wcte stricken
off. They still appear, and will
until it is certain that they are
not bona tide qualified elestors.
This is the history of the case
up to date, and wo challenge the
Alliance papers to take up one
single article of this statement
and deny it.
The Alliance papers in their
article headed "Don't Sign a Re
monstrance" knew that their case
was one that was carried to a
culmination by the quick action
of gas, an article of which the
Alliance boomers ha ye a plenti
ful supply always on hand, but
in the light of reason the claws
back of the fur are showing and
the papers have to cover all the
tracks and make herculean at
tempts to whip the signers of
their petition into lino and keep
them there. Tho bubble has
burst, aud the talk about a peti
tion carrying 1,000 names instead
of the 815 in the old petition is
tight has
only campaign talk. Tho peti
tion to be acted upon is tiled with
tho commissioners; the court has
acted upon that petition aud the
specious talk that there 150 or
200 more people who have be
come Alliance converts since the
fight began is pure fiction, but it
is a slock in trade that tho Alli
ance ring have m a large degree.
In reviewing the case since the
inception of the county seat fight,
wo see the prophecies made some
timo ago rapidly taking shape.
By a comparison of the taxation
of Box Betto and Dawes couties
it is found that in the former
county the land taxes are 7 to
9 per quarter section, while in
the latter thoy are from 14 to
22 per quarter section. These
lands are exactly similar, the
improvements are the same, the'
residents are brothers in human
ity, yet this difference in taxa
tion! Where does tho large dis
crepancy come in? Just the
county lino. Dawes county had
a county seat fight; bonds for a
court house and county buildings
amounting to 110,000 wero voted
by the people. The holding of
a majority of tho votes gave tho
officials an idea that they had tho
resources of tho United States
back of them, and expenditures
were lavish. In a short timo
30,000 funding bonds wero voted
and high tax is the result.
Farmers of Box Butte county,
ponder over this statement.
Think of the actions of tho Alli
ance people in times past. Are
thoy such as would mako tho
farmers have confidence in tho
management of county affairs?
Have you been used by tho men
in charge of this election fight as
though you were men possessing
tho right to livo and prosper?
Has not tho whole of their work
been such as to keep your nose
on tho grindstone whilst thoy
were living in luxury? Think of
tho mortgages in tho hands of
tho bankers of Alliance held over
your heads as a whip. All of
been inaugurated, aud
for what! the imaginary standing
the namo of countj seat town
would irivo it at least that is
say they ' what they say at present. After
in every ' tho election the inline rf n cmintv
seal town would appear its a
misnomer without a court house
that could be seen aud appreci
ated by visitors. It could boused
as an inducement for residents,
aud its glory and expensive or
namentation would bo a matter
of emulation. Now who would
have to pay for this? The farm
ers, of course, who always pay
their taxes, whilst the city men
will take a stay of from three to
five years. Of course they ridi
cule this idea now, pleading
their honesty of purpose and
scouting the idea of bonds, and
make all kinds of promises (in
the newspapers) about procuring
offices at 300 per year suitable
for county uses. Thio is good as
for as it goes, but the same class
of "before election" talk was used
in Dawes county, and Alliance
people are no better than Chad
ron people; and with a three
fifths majority of the qualified
electors on their side to what
vagaries ol expenditure would
not the ring go? Dawes county
high taxes would bo prevalent in
Box Butte county, and farmers
would have to pay from G to 10
per year added taxes for tho ben
efit of the ring of politicians in
Alliance. This great outlay of
money would be for court house
purposes, and does not include
the expense of a special election
and tho litigation which the Alli
ance people promise to throw on
tho county in case of tho defeat
of tho petition.
Some of tho leading lights in
tho county seat light at Alliance
hao, since the contest began,
and the non-payment of taxes by
them has been mado public, vis
ited the county treasurer and
paid four or livo years' delin
quent taxes, just to mako the
farmers think they have the
good of tho county at heart. If
this fight had not come up they
would still bo standing tho county
off for this money. These are tho
men who are asking you to place
tho county seat of Box Bntto
county under their dominion.
The question simmers down to a
simple statement, viz: The county
seat :it Ilemhmford as at present,
nominal taxes and tho affuirn of the
county conducted in an economic
miiuuer; the county scut removed to
Alliance and the absence of any con
veniences for the transaction of busi
ness makiui! a big expenditure, and
the farmers taxed as they are in Dawes
county. Funnels, whero are your In
terests? Merchants, how do the high
taxes strike you? Money that would
come into your tills prt into buildings
in Alliance, the county credit broken
aud a be:ivy debt hanging on you. If
the Alliance ring moves tho county
seat by your efforts, they will have the
collar around your necks aud Dawes
county's financial dlfliculties will come
to Box Butte county as sure as the sun
shines.
These facts are fr the voters of Uox
Hutte county to ponder. Make your
decision, aud then Riga the remon
strance against the petition gotten up
by the Alliance ring, who, by false.
alluring promises, obtained the signa
tures appearing on the petition.
Respectfully submitted,
Executive Committee.