Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1898-09-30
TIE MACHINE WORKED

THE MACHINE WORK ED
The Fusion Ticket Was Nlilled Through
As the Combination Wanted 1t.
a Weak Ticket the Result.
Talk about Combinations" or tina
chines," or ''rings," or anything that
borders on such obnoxious things, the
fusion convention at the court house
last Saturday was record breaker in
that respect
Everything seemed to be foreor-
dained sure enough.
G. NJ. Cleveland called the conven-
to order as chairman of the county
committee, aud Il. S. Ames as secre-
tary of the central committe, welded
the faber. They we're made the tempo
rary chairman end secretary respec
tively-though the latter was not del
egate Stated merely to show the gross
irregularity in which the convention
was conducted.)
The various committees we're ap-
pointed-and some not delegates we're
made members of the committees.
Rank indeed!
The committee on credentials found
that little over one half of the regu
lar delegates were present. Edge
mont's three wards we're entitled to 81
votes, and two delegates from one ward
were the only ones present. The ques-
tion of permitting the two delegates to
cast the full vote of Edgemont created
quite lively discussion but the "com-
bination" had majority and voted to
let the two men cast 81 votes-a thing
that would be denounced all over the
state if the republican party should
happen to do it. Nothing certainly
could be more unfair. No matter how
honorable and fair Edgemont's two
delegates were, it gave them power
to join with other large edelegations and
defeat OF elect any man they wanted
to-and they we're not slow to prove
that fact to some anxious candidates.
It would have been fully as fair prop.
osition to permit two men from a
single ward in Hot Springs to cast the
vote of the precincts of Edgemont that
were not represented. Each ward of
Edgemont is as distinct from the other
as ward of Hot Springs isfrom Edge
mont. So that it is little wonder that
there is whole lot of soreness upon
the part of those candidates who got
left by such methods.
After hearing other committee re-
ports, and making the temporary Or
ganization permanent the"machine" be-
gan to grind in dead earnest.
D. G. Bruce was re-nominated for
representative by acclamation, and
thanked the delegates for it.
Then the battle started in on sheriff,
and though it lasted a long while, the
result was overwhelming. The names
before the convention were G. 8. East
and True Parsons. The vote stood:
Eastman 81, Parsons 35-with q frac-
tioral vote for each. First blood for
democracy.
For treasurer the names Of ]. r.
Mower, A. L. Eckstein, and A. A.
Brown were presented. E. 8. Ames
announced that he was authorized to
withdraw Mr.. Eckstein's name. The
vote resulted: Mower 81, Brown II.
For auditor the names of H. E. Ba-
con and J. j. March were presented.
Mr.. Bacon said that if it was satisfac-
tory to the convention and there was
to be no opposition to him for register
Of deeds that he would withdraw from
this contest and be q candidate forreg-
lister of deeds-but they would not as
sure him Of it, and so he was voted for,
with this result: March 81, Bacon "a.
Then when it came to register of
deeds the country precincts began to re-
alize that they were getting it In the
neck pretty hard and Mr.. Wight sug-
gested that the candidates better be
diet.ibuted little more. The names
~.oted for were Edmund Petty and H.
E. Bacon, Petty receiving 38and Bacon
00-first blood for the country.
For clerk of courts O. B. Chesley
and s. M. Harris were named, the vote
being Harris GO, .Chesley 55-democra-
cy being victorious again the steenth
time.
Judge Cleveland was nominated by
scclamation for states attorney; Judge
Dudley for county judge; Mrs. Mattley
for county superintendent; Mark Rich
for assessor; E. 8. Cox for commissioner
from the Third district; N. Atchison
for coroner.
By this time the conuention had
thinned out, and the matter was
Ill being gone over again on the streets,
whore there were no bounds TO free
dom Of expression. We but put It
mildly when We say that there was Z
great deal of dissatisfaction expressed