The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1905-09-22

the electors of the state shall be:
, he IT enacted re by ,he people Of South
suitable provisions for carrying into
erect the provisions of tins section.
ahe total vote for governor cast In South
signed to a petition for the initiative IN
isoA would require 5,020 names.
Primary Election Law Baked.
Before the legislature OF 1905 convened
state, at his office in the city of Pierre,
during business hours, for which his re-
contained a full text Of a primary cleo
ton law, which the petitioners requested
me legislature to enact and submit to the
the next general election. This petition
was signed by S,Ss2 qualified electors OF
the state of South Dakota with the resi-
dence. post office address, and business
occupation of each elector set opposite his
name with sufficient clearness for any
person Of ordinary, intelligence to identify
nave given to the voters of the state the
right to select candidates for public office
from United States senator down to coun-
ty officers by direct vote under the Aus
traltan ballot, and would nave swept
away the caucus and convention system,
prevented the machine and corporations
from debating nominations and restored
to the average voter his right of choice.
The machine and the public service cor
PoldSAoLS were AFRAID OF tle PROPOSED law
and were afraid to trust to the judgment
Of a majority Of the electors at the com
ing election. They know its enactment
meant a death blow to their long career
of manipulation and dictation. So they
set about to violate the constitution and
suppress the constitutional right of petit
mand of $3.50 Of their fellow citizens.
IT was not a question as to whether the
law petitioned for was wise or unwise. 1t
was a question of the right of the majority
to record their judgment upon it. That
right was spat Upon.
Machine Proceeds Badly.
But the machine had met before the
legislature convened and had decided that
struction: 1t wisely assumed that If sub
mitted, the majority Of the people of the
state would adopt it. 1t therefore resolved
that 1T should not be submitted.
1t 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
the session, before he had seen this petit
ton, denounced the proposed enactment Of
a good caucus law" Some prominent
machine member of each house spoke
nattttnng y and and saIeastically about the
before 1t had been submitted to either
body. That the committees were being
put up for the purpose of preventing any
people and that II was doomed by the ma
chine, was in the air." Members were
heard to ask whether or not they could be
punished crininally for violating their
oaths If they refused to vote in favor of
sumitting the measure. Machine news
papers took pains to say tina the law had
failed to provide a punishment in such
case.
When men pointed to the fact that there
submit the law to the people, as their
justification for not doing SO, they had
fallen into an atmosphere where reason
and honor no 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
such offence? Probably not.
Yet the suggestion was made that 1t
legislature to nullify and violate a solemn
provision of the constitution of his state.
because the law has not fixed a penalty
for his offense.
power of the state machine, and its side
partner the corporation lobby, with the
of Championships, committee places and
passes, the petition was approved by the
house and the proposed measure success
fully passed by that body.
In the senate it met with the most con-
treatment thai ever disgraced the fair
name of the civilized state.
The machine. however. succeeded in in
definitely postponing action upon the petit
ton and proposed bin as introduced in the
senate, by a majority of three votes.
After the house had passed the measure,
1t was sent to the senate. but the repre-
sentatiyes Of the railroad machine, who
presided over that body, arbitrarily re-
fused to receive the house bill from its
messenger and refused to permit the house
bill to be considered by the senate in any
manner.
Feared Popular Action.
The question arises: Why was this
done? Why were these men SO determined
voting as to whether or not that primary
election law, as proposed by those petit
toners, should or should not become the
The plain unvarnished truth is that the
men who suppressed that petition and the
machine that dictated to them. were
of the majority of our people. In other
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, it was
the duty of the legislature to be over nice
and extremely technical in considering a
that nearly TOUR thousand illegal, fraud
ulent and forged signatures were written
upon 1t. AT the bottom was a distrust Of
the people.
This brings us face to face with the
question of whether or not after all, we
are a free people in South Dakota.
Caucus Law a Subterfuge.
The machine knowing that it would be
called to account for suppressing the petit
ton for the submitting of the proposed
primary law, has attempted to appease the
wrath of the public by the enactment of
what they cali an honest caucus law"
BY its enactment they nave confessed
that there was a demand for reform in the.
matter. 500
This honest caucus law" however, was
apparently drafted and enacted for the
purpose Of making more secure the hold
of the machine upon the rank and file Of
political parties.
The first section in the new law betrays
Its purpose, where it declare1 that all,
party nominations shall he made in the
manner provided by the act, and that
nominations by petition shall not be filed
previous to the making of party nomina-
a party, or ticket, nominated by petition
shall contain the name or part of the
the provisions Of this act"
(See section 1, chapter 1W. laws. 1861 -.