Semi-weekly register. (Brookings, Brookings Co., S.D.) 1894-1898, 1898-11-04


general solicitor of the Milwaukee
Railroad company and a corporation
lobbyist, who Is paid a good, round
salary every year for his services-suf-
ficient to enable most farmers and la
borers to live On the interest thereof
comfortably the rest Of their lives;
paid, / say, to serve the railroads and
other corporations. and see to 1t that
their taxes are made as light as possi-
BILE and that no laws pass that will
tighten the burdens Of the people as
against the corporations. This Is our
situation then; we as a party adopt.
for example, railroad plank. and at
the same time the machine, with Kit
tredge at its head. is given all Of the
power OF the party and all the strength
OF the corporations to thwart any and
all railroad legislation which would
tend to relieve the burdens of the peo-
pie. This was notably true In 1896,
when the republicans. at the Aberdeen
state convention, adopted strong rail-
road plank. Mr.. Kittredge, Alex John
son. Harry Hunter and others were in
attendance al lobbyists at the state
capital during the legislative session Of
1897, and every effort was directed
against the Palmer bill to neutralize
same by substitution and amendments.
Mr.. Kittredge at that time and ever
since has bent his energies and the
power conferred upon him to thwart
the expressed will Of the party. Mr..
Kittredge is in the position of an attor-
ney who takes both sides Of a case. No
honorable attorney will do so, and it
seems to us no self-respecting person
can occupy the two positions held at
the present time by Mr.. Kittredge.
Whether the first three persons named
on the ticket. who combined with him
to perpetuate his party rule, can justify
themselves before the people, we shall
not undertake to say. but will await
the verdict Of the intelligent and inde-
pendent voters OF this state.
No one for moment can hope that
he and his political associates will, IN
good faith, carry out the pledge of the
party for railroad legislation. They
did not do so In 1897. To the opposi-
tion is due the credit for such railroad
legislation as has been enacted. The
opposition conceived 1t, fought for 1t
and carried 1t through. When the re-
publican leaders saw that the Palmer
bill must inevitably pass. then, for the
purpose of making a sham record, and
not till then. did they support the bill.
For them to now claim that the credit
for such legislation belongs to the re-
publican party Is such rank hypocrisy
that out of charity We prefer to regard
the claim as a bit of kits" subtle
irony A machine so dishonest in its
claims is likely, in the same ratio. to
be dishonest in fulfilling its pledges.
ENEMY OF THE PARTY.
The machine is the enemy Of the par
ty, organized and existing to nullify the
expressed will Of the party on the state
issues now before the people. 1t is a
party within a party, using the repub-
lican party to further its base purposes
expressed will If the party on the state
gents" and traitors" those who will
not supinely become partners in their
guilty purposes. The rank and file of
the republican party are honest and
ready to deal Justly with the great cor
porations, but many or them are deter
mined to throw from their necks the
yoke of bondage placed there by A. B.
Kittredge and his machine. These great
questions must be settled equitably as
between the railroads and the people.
The people demand 1t, while the ma
chine opposes; the more the fight rs
prolonged the more intense will the
feelings of the people become and the
less likelihood will there be for a mod
crate legislation. For the interest Of
the state at large the sooner these
questions are settled the better it will
be. It will be better for the people,
better for the railroads and for the fu.
ture development of the state.
Some of my machine friends plead
that the machine be supported "this
time" "and then we WILL" they say,
call turn in and down it two years
from now" by this they confess that it
is a bad thing and should be turned
down. If 1t Is a good thing to turn
it down two years from now Is it not
better to turn it down now? It will
not be Idle during the next two years. |
It will use all its cunning. state and ma
tional patronage to fortify and
strengthen its position. So long as the
machine can make the party lash eff
fective and frighten timid republicans
with the bugaboo names of pop" Gin !
surgent" and "traitor" its reign is Sc
cure and our party dishonored. put to
abortive.
Mr.. Burke saw fit to denonnce those
who opposed his nomination because he
was a machine candidate. part Of the
machine itself and all that 1t implies. |
He made lis attack after receiving his
nomination. He thereby treated his |
opposition as political opponents and
relieved them of all party fealty to him
and to his associates. so far as he may |
have spoken for them. From a party |
standpoint he has left us Independent
to oppose or support as we may choose.
and for this we thank him. AS friend
and neighbor we wish him we'll, but as
"a cog in the machine we still believe
animation r.inous to future party |
success and the best interests Of the
state. John Sutherland.
TOO MUCH OF CORPORATIONS