Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1883-06-14
THE HURON CONVENTION.

| the False Statements of "a Newspaper Cor.
respondent.
Under date of June 9Th the Yankton
correspondent of the st. Paul Pioneer
Press wrote communication to that
paper in which he made many misstate-
ments relative to the call for the Huron
convention, charging, among other
things, that Rev. Joshua Hines, of Yer.
million, member Of the executive COM
mittee. had not authorized the call. The
following letters, two of which are ad.
dressed to the st. Paul Pioneer. Press,
give the other side of the case:
FROM REV. JOSHUA HINES.
Vermilliop, Dak., June 18th, lSS3-Edi-
tor Pioneer Press, st. Paul.-Dear Sir:
notice in communication in your pa
per of the 9th of June, from your special
correspondent at Yankton, whose name
is johnson, as am informed, several
serious misstatements in regard to the
call for the Huron convention to which
my name was signed. Among others he
states that protested" against the
call; that my name was signed to the
same without my authority, and that the
persons who prepared the call were "led
by personal ambition, or otherwise, to
sign the names of other men without the
least semblance of authority"
In all these statements your correspon-
dent has not told the truth. and it is
right that his employers and the public
should be Informed of this.
| l am member of the executive com.
mittee appointed by the Canton conven.
ton.
At the first meeting of that committee
field, its chairman, was author
lied by unanimous vote of the com.
mittee to call another convention at
Huron at such time as he might desig.
nate, and to draft and Issue the neces-
sary call for such convention, and to use
for this purpose the names of the com.
mittee.
This was done to obviate the incon-
venience and expense and l may say i'm.
possibility of getting meeting of the
different members of the committee from
widely separated parts of the territory,
and further for the wise purpose of en-.
abling the chairman to act promptly in
the case of an emergency which might
demand such action at time when il
would be impossible to summon the com
mittee, or to reach them by writing IN
J time for the necessary action.
Such an emergency did arise. The legis
lature had adjourned after having passed
bill calling constitutional convention
Tor southern Dakota, and the governor
; had declined to sign the same and the
people of south Dakota were left power
less.
In the emergency Mr.. Whitfield, ir
! the exercise of the powers conferred up.
! on him, decided to call the convention
l In this action he was entirely approved
: by the Rev. Joseph Ward, o member o
the committee, and other prominent
leading gentlemen from various parts oil
, the territory. The call was accordingly
7 consulted about and framed by the Rev
! Wilmot Whitfield and the Rev. JOSEPH
/ Ward, gentlemen whose names anC
r character are honored throughout Dako
, ia and who are the last men who should
be charged in this reckless manner by
. an anonymous writer with being "led b,
personal ambition and signing the names
e of other men without the least semblanc
of authority"
Gen. Campbelrs only agency in tn
]. matter vas at the request of these gen
t tlemen to reduce to writing the call, q
: agreed to by them, and to attend to it
!, publication for them IN their absence
i. they being called away the next day t.
' other parts of the country. The chair
man, Mr.. Whitfield, directed the sigma
. lures of the committee to be appende,
to the call, az he had perfect right an,
}. authority to do.
8 have not protested against the call
on the contrary heartily and fully ap
prove of the call and its objects and Q
n the course OF these gentlemen.
. 1t Is tue at first reading it and seeiu
that they had lett out some importan
9 issues of the Canton convention, and es
II pecially prohibition, did object, an
a l also objected to the effectiveness {
= the call, on the ground that it would b
q mass convention and not delegat
convention, the latter in my judgmer
. being the true way. At the time of IN
!. conversation with your correspondent,
had no knowledge Of any agency of Gel
Campbell III the issuing Of this call, an
l. made no such charges against HIM Z
q your correspondent has insinuated. O
q the contrary the sole informatio
y that bad on this subject was commun
I. Gated to me by your correspondent hin
y self, and the charges which he insinuat.
Q as having been made by me, were reall
u made by HIM to me- not by me to him.
y After full conversation with NJ
y Whitfield / changed my mind aud will
e drew all my previous objections.
OF The charges made by your correspon.