Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1905-02-23
PRIMARY ELECTIONS
Reports of Committee on Rules With
Findings by Majority.
Also Hlinority Report by Warren
Young.

rules reported mat they had under
consideration
A certain purported petition for the
enactment and submission of an act
to provide for party nominations and
the election of national delegates and
party committees, and respectfully
reports:
That, approaching that the adop-
ton of the amendment to the consti-
tuition in relation to the iniatitive was
urged by its advocates as a safeguard
to the liberties of the people when
threatened by the misuse of power in
the hands of a corrupt Legislature,
and fully approaching that it is the
duty of each member of this legisla-
ture to observe with equal respect
each and every portion of the consti-
tuition and statutes, without regard to
individual opinion as to the wisdom of
the same, and believing that an equal
and like duty devolves upon the peo
pie who ordained and established the
constitution and the laws, and believ-
ing that when a small minority de-
mands the benefit of said constitu-
tional provisions and of the statutes
enacted in accordance with the same.
an equal duty rests upon such minor
ity to invoke this legislature with the
same fidelity to and observance of
the law governing their procedure,
your committee proceeded to the first
and great inquiry which suggested it.
self, which was that of ascertaining
whether such minority of electors has
invoked the initiative in accordance
with law, and whether fraud or lille
gality was practiced or occurred in,
the making of said epetision or in the
procurement of signatures thereto.
Your committee finds that the said
purported petition plainly bears upon
Its face the marks of mutilation and
manipulation, and shows that of ne
cessity it is in an entirely different
form than when signed by the pur-
ported petitioners. That the particu-
lars upon which these facts appear
are as follows: The first page is
clean and freshly written page and
In sharp contrast with the succeeding
pages of names thereto attached, and
which succeeding pages bear the
marks of handling. Again, the said
first page states that it is the original
form and caption used at the head of
each and every list of petitioners at
tached. 1t contains the following
words. Original form and caption
embodying proposed law used at the
head of each and every list of petit
TONERS thereto attached" Inspection
of this first page demonstrates that
it is false on its face and that it could
not have been attached to each and
every list of petitioners and further
demonstrates that it was attached to
the list of names after the same had
been signed. Your committee fur
ther finds in this regard that the said
first page is neither verified nor au-
thenticated, nor signed by any per-
son or persons. That it has been lille
gally fraudulently and falsely at
tached to said list of signatures of
names contained in said purported
petition is entirely certain, but by
whom your committee has been I'M
able to ascertain
Your committee finds, third, that
page two of the original purported
petition has also been fraudulently
Illegally and falsely inserted therein
/. by someone to this committee I'M
known. 1t also is clean and freshly
written page, in sharp contrast to the
succeeding pages of names thereto at
tached which bear the marks of
handling. This second interpolated
page contains these words: Ito the
Legislature of the State of South Da-
kota and the Honorable Secretary of
State of South Dakota The under
signed electors of the State of South
Dakota petition for the enactment and
submission to the vote of the people
of South Dakota, as provided by sec
ton of article 3 of the constitution
and article 3 of chapter 2 of the Po-
litical Code of the following proposed
law Inspection of this page dem
onstrates its absolute falsity and
shows conclusively to the most preju-
diced mind that this page, with the
foregoing words thereon could not
have been attached to the lists con-
tanning the names of signers at the
time the signatures were affixed
thereto
Your committee finds that page
Of said original purported petition
and the following pages of this sec
ton, preceding the various lists of,
names, have been fraudulently, ille-
ga1ly and falsely inserted in said pc
tition. These pages contain a copy
of a proposed law relating to primary
elections. They are in typewriting.
with frequent interlineations in ink.
An inspection of said petition demon
sstrates that page 8 and the following
pages preceding the lists of names
could not have been attached to these
lists of names at the time the sigma
lures to the same We're procured.
This conclusion is rendered absolute
sly imperative by a comparison with
and examination of certain copies of a
II proposed law attached at the end Of