The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1905-09-22

Be it enacted by the people of south
Dakota The legislature shall make
suitable provisions for carrying into
effect the provisions of thus section"
me total vote for governor cast in south
iakota at the general election in 1902
MaS n.sEl, i've per cent. of which
1.shsa 70 a petition for The initiative in
A'"1 "oe!a require 1920 names.
Primary Election Law Baked.
Before the legislature of 1895 convened
a petition Was left with the SECRETARY OF
STATE. at his Office in the city of Pierre,
CURING business hours. tor which his re-
cnint IN writing Was taken. which petition
contained Il iull text OF a primary elec.
.!oi Jaw which the petitioners requested
"a" i"SisIature to enact and submit to The
.t5'tof' oil The state for their approval at
ti't htNt general elccicn. This petition
VAS signed, by S,&2 qualified electors Of
the state of South Dakota with the resi-
uehGe. post Office address, and business
occupation o. each elector set opposite his
name with sufficient clearMcss for amy
i't'soM or ordinary intelligence to identity
nun. me proposed law. ii enacted. wou!d
laVe given TO The voters OF the state the
right 70 select candidates for public office
from United States senator down TO coun-
U officers by direct vote under the Ats
tFalian ballot, and would have swept
away the caucus aad convention system,
prevented the machine and corporations
from debating nominations and restored
10 IN" average voter his right of choice.
me machine and the public service cor
poFa,ions We're afraid of the proposed law
ana We're AFRAID TO trust to the Judgment
on a majority of the electors at tn" com
ing election. They know its enactment
meant q death blow 10 their long career
OF manipulation and dictation. SO they
sci about to violate the constitution and
suppress the constitutional right of petit
tlon and to ignore the orderly and legal de
iha'lu OF $3.50 OF their fellow citizens.
- I WlG mt . - ~ 10, .A.. 10 t+l> tlNas , t,
Ia" phtitloncd Tor waS wise or unWiSe. 1t
was a question OF the right OF The majority
TO record their Judgment upon it. That
flSHt was sldt upon.
Machine Proceeds Badly.
Eut the machine had met before the
the proposed law would result in its de-
struciion. Ii wisely ssumcd that il sub
initted, the majority Of the people OF the
state would adopt it. II therefore resolved
thai il should not be submitted.
II was given out when the legislature
was being organized that the measure
would not be submitted. The governor In
his Inaugural address, at the opening OF
th" session, before he had seen this pe;i-
ton, denounced the proposed enactment of
a primary election law and recommended
machine members OF each house spoke
sneeiin5ly and sarcastica!ly about the
~j"lition at the beginning of the session,
before il had h""n submitted to either
i'o5N. nat lie committees were btl'S
put w for III" purpose of preventing amy
action TO submit the proposed law TO the
people AID that II was doomed by the ma
chine, Was in the air Members Mere
heard 10 ask whether or moi ;h"y could be
punished Crilninally for Violating ts:ri!
u4ths if they refused 10 Vot" in favor OF
sumittinG Tire measure. Machine heWs--
papers took pains TO say that the law had
tailed to provide a punishment in such
ease.
When men pointed to the fact that ther"
was No way to compel the legislature 20
Submit the law 10 the people, as ;llcir
jns,i1cation for not doing so, they had
fallen into an atmosphere where reason
and honor 10 longer appeals.
Saved by Lack of Penalty.
If by some accident the law providing
punishment for the crime OF arson should
become void, would these men justify the
burning of dwelling houses because the
law had failed TO provide a penalty for
such offence? Probably not.
Yet the suggestion was made that it
would be ,olerablc for a member OF the
legislature to nullity and violate Il solemn
provision Of the constitution Of his state,
because the law has not fixed a penalty
Notwithstanding all the tremendous
power of the state machine. and its side
partner the corporation lobby, with the
rewards to weak men in the distribution
passes. the petition WAS approved by the
house and the proposed measure success
fully passed by that body.
IN the senate il met with the NEST con
~scieneeless, arbitrary and ~unscrupu!ous
treatment that ever diSgraced the fair
name OF the civilized state,
The machine, however, succeeded in in
definitely postponins action upon the peti-
ton and proposed bill as introduced III the
senate, by y majority Of three votes.
After the house had passed tn. measure
sentativcs of The railroad machine, who
presided over that body. arbitrarily re-
fused TO receive the house bin from its
mess, niger and refused to permit the house
bill to be considered by the senate III any
manner.
Feared Popular Action.
The question arises: Why was this
done WHY We're these men SC determined
to proven, the people OF this, stat" from
voting as to whether or rot that primary
election law. as proposed by those peti-
TONERS. should or should not become the
law OF this state?
men who suppressed that petition and the
machin. that dictated TO them, wert
afraid TO ;l1;st the matter to the decision
of the majority of our people, In othci
words, the reference of a question of this
KIND to the people is frought with SO much
danger that as guardians OF the Office
holders, and corporate interests. 1t was
the duty Of the legislature to he over mic.
and extremely technical in considering 8
plain constitutional petition and to assume
that nearly four thousand Illegal, fraud
ulrit and forged signatures We're writer
upon it. At the bottom was d distruSt OF
the people.
This brings us face to face with tho
question of whether or not after all, W.
are a free people in South Dakota.
Caucus Law a Subterfuge.
The machine knowing that it would b.
| called to account for SURPRISING the pcti
tion for the submitting of the proposet
primary law. has attempted to appcase thu
wrath OF the public by IN" enactment o
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