The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1896-02-29
PETTIGREW BADLY SCALDED
And by republican Newspaper at
That. An Interesting Airing Of
the q q p.c nirtv T,ir,,n

Inc News publlshcs today, largely as
cnrio, an address issHcd by United
| States Senator r. f. Pettigrew "To the
Republicans Of South Dakota" The adj
! dress Is circulated in the form OF a
four-page folder and bears Washington
1 post m0rk. 1t is doubtful il the politi-
Cal history of any state will disclose a
similar production or any thing ap-
proachlng it: it is doubtful il the an
other man III the United States senate
would have resortea tc such contempt.
ible piees of demagogy, at least in a
time of profound peace" Its language
| is the lure Of the fowler; it raises extra
neous issues ana attacks mer Of straw
TO distract public attention from the
| designs Of its author. Heretofore Mr..
| Petligrew has been rather unfortunate
/ silly at times-in his uttcrances 'by
word Of mouth; this winter llr has been
unfortunate in the productions of his
pen. 1t would be well for him and we'll
for his party if his energies were con-
fined to the discharge of the duties Of
the Office to which the people of the
state have twice elected him, despite
but let it pass.
At the outset the senator modestly re-
marks that his name Las been "men-
toned" in connection with the
selection of delegates 10 the national
Republican convention at st. Louis.
The statemenl is correct, but TO be exact
the senator should have added that his
name has ileen mentioned" in that
connection by no one half SO often as by
himself. The fact is during the past
month he has written thousands of let
ters TO the Faithful i'll this state in-
forming them that he desired to 20 to
st. Louis as delegate, but why or
wherefore he did not deign to say. any
more than he explained why he wanted
the state convention held not earlier
than the tenth OF May. 1t is sufficient,
of course, that he merely desired it; ex-
planation to groundlings would be out
of place. The way Iii which his cOm-
mands were oheyed by the committee
by vote of four to one-shows that the
people OF the state are not yet reduced to
a strait where they feel obliged to do the
bidding of their servant in ctfice.
In his remarkable address the senator
is a somewhat more condesccnding. He
explains that he is in favor of the free
and unlimited coinage OF silver" and
wants to go TO st Louis to fix a platform
for the national party in accord nee
with his views. Shorn of verbiHge and
clothed IN honest, straightforward Ian
gnagr, this is exactly what his declaFa-
tion amounts to. Tc attempt to put it
in q different light would be adding hy-
pocracy to-call it quixotism.
Neither would the declaration be so
significant If it simply implied an open
handed fight for plank in favor of the
free and unlimited coinage Of silver
a proposition which the Republicans Of
South Dakota have never endorsed, al
though thousands of good Republicans
in this state and elsewhere firmly adhere
to it. Ii Nr. Pcttigrew's case, Judging
by his record in congress. it means the
4 snhordination of everything else-of
candidates, OF protection, OF public econ
omY-tO fight for free silver. 1t was SO
in the case Of the federal election bill
again in the case of the emergency bond
bill which sought to save the country
millions of dollars, again in the emer.
gency tariff bill which carried with ii
a protective duty on wool; it has been sc
in every instance where Jones and Stew
; art of Nevada and PETER of Kansas have
pointed out path running IN differ.
ent direction from the route mapped Out
by the Republican leader-the wisdom
of the Republican party. Free silver
, has been the fetch, the God, that has
claimed allegiance before all else-be
J fore party, friends OF national credit. L
, is safe to say 1t would be the same a
7 st. Louis, because there Is no better way
, te judge the future than by the past. i
is safe to say also that not a corporal's
guard of free silver Republicans in tn,
state are willing to follow Mr.. Pettigrev
to such extremes or to endorse his ALI
ance with the free silver Democrats 0
the south or the PETERS, Stewards ant
Tillmans, who represent nothing ant
are responsible to nobody. To CLAIM
that Mr.. Pettigrew would follow a differ
. ent course at St. Louis is to claim tha
o leopard may change his spots. No faul
, is found with him because he believes il
a tho free and unlimited coinage Of silver
but censure does cling to him becaus
he eleyates the theory to a position
o higher than party, higher almost thar
: personal Integrity.
Mr.. Pettigrew says he cares little O
nothing for candidates. Probably thi
statement is true. He says he has no
written letter for or against any part
!. cular candidate to any person In til
: state. This also may be true, aIthoug
not in accordance with common repor
But the gentleman will scarcely den
: that he has not once but Il score of time
: declared verbally that lie favored Dayi
of Minnesota and that South Dakot
would cast its vote for Davis. Afte
some weeks it became apparent thu
- whatever Davis sentiment there was i
= the state evaporated when Mr.. Pettigre,
: = left for Washingtanin November, where
= = upon negotiations we're opened with til
Allison managers and declaratio
= made that was very gratifying to tn
!, gentleman's ambition. Truly Mr.. PETIT
!, grew cares little for candidates; it cel
: tainly is very easy for him to turn froi
one to another and still another.
: will not deny, however. that ne does car
for at least one candidate -McKinleH-
in the sense that he would walk his fet
!, to the stumps rather than permit Nj
: ;, kinley to get one vote from the state {
y South Dakota. In fact, next to free al
=