Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1897-11-18
Olncial Newspaper Of Onion County, So. Oak.
Ofncial Newspaper Of City Of Elk Point. So. Oak.

Oncial Newspaper Of Onion County, 50. Oak.
Omcial Newspaper Of Cay Of Elk Point. So. Oak.
THE RESULT IN SOUTH DAKOTA.
LH. L. Loscks in Dakota Rurolit.)
The republicans may we'll feel elated
oyer the result OF the election in South
Oak ota. With the fearful record the
party had made in the past, with the
scandals still developing in connection
with republican state officials, with u
populist majority n year ago, it r
tainly looked as though the republic
cans would be badly defeated in the
judicial elections this year. Instead
Of which they score a significant VIC
tory. There must be a reason for this.
What IL II? 1t will not do to remain
silent for fear Of offending some one.
There Is something wrong when a
victorious party, a new party just given
the reius Of government, is reversed at
the first opportunity. The blame is
not with the pOpuiist governor. Every
q comedies that he is making a good
Official. 1t Is not with the railroad
commissioners; they have made and
are making q splendid record. The
treachery Of the attorney general has
not been sufficient to offset the good
work Of the governor and railroad
commissioners. The populists in the
last legislature, for a minority party,
made q creditable record.
Why then this great e at this
time? We say great reverse, for as far
- we have seen the returns the repub-
ifcans made gains in every county in
the state except Deuel. and Codington,
and there were special reasons In these
two counties for the exception. In our
judgment n reason for the revers il
that the management OF the party in
the state has fallen into thoroughly in
competent hands. The last state cam
psign was bungled from start to finish.
II It had not been for Senator Petit
grew and his friends, who we're forced
because Of Chairman Estabrook's blum
dertng to make a separate campaign
Of their own, we would not have car
ried the state last year.
Gen. Blunderbuss is still state chair
man; 10 still in control. True, he has
done nothing, absolutely nothing, dur
Ing the campaign just passed. With
one United States senator (Pettigrew)
two congressman, n governor and
three railroad commissioners, surely
something of a campaign might have
been made. Instead the campaign
went by default. The splendid cam.
patgn cry against government by in
junction." which could have been
brought home to the voters of this state
In = peculiarly effective manner because
OF Judge Carland's 8 Injunction, was lost
on the prairies. Another one and we be-
lieve thu major one is that a large
number Of earnest ref0rmers in this, as
we'll - every other stale, are thorough
~ disheartened and discouraged by the
semi-fusion OF a year ago. They see
very plainly now that it was n great
conspiracy to destroy the peoples
party. They realize that if the incu-
bus Ia not thrown of there is no future
for the party; that it will inevitably
be swallowed up by thu democratic
party. They did not leave the repub.
lican party to become democrats. They
are not going TO play the Jonah act
just yet. Discouraged and dishearten.
ed, they took no part in the campaign,
except perhaps the perfunctory one Of
voting.
We have pointed out for years that
this would be the result Of fusion. W.
q now point to the record ana say,
I'VE told you So"
II the peoples party in this state is
TO live, II 1t Is to 60 on making }
verts, II 1t is to fulfill its destiny, it
must at once wake up and reorganize.
H.