The Sisseton weekly standard. (Sisseton, Roberts County, S.D.) 1892-1929, 1905-02-17
AT PIERRE
Doinss Of the Legislatur,
Down at, the Capit.aI.

Pierre, Feb, l5-The primary
election law supporters are pernici-
pusiy active in pushing what IS known
as the Richards primary bill They
have a powerful lobby in the city,
and IL is intimatad that money will
be used II necessary TO Influence votes,
or an attempt made to use it, but 1t
is doubtful II any legislator can be
found in this house vcnal enough to
sell his vote cn tins question. Coe
l. Crawford, one of the chief pro-
moters Of the bill, delivered lecture
on the question at the opera house
Monday night.
In an address OF two hours Craw-
ford made a plea for the enactment
OF the primar. election la~ under the
provisions of the initiative petition.
lie started with an assertion that
the question is one as to whether the
people shall IN fact rule. He ridi-|
culed the crlLicisms which have been
made Of the petition and declared it
to be an honest expression of the
opinions OF the signers and that while
their request might be rejected ut
this time they would come again and
again until they would make their
voices heard and be granted their
rights.
Roberts cpunty had her quote Of
lobbyists here In the persuus Of Clerk
OF Courts Foss aud States Attorney
McNu!Ly.
The primary league Of South Da-
kota, like similar leagues and politi.
cal societies, was organlz I'd tor the
political ACKNOWLEDGMENT of a few
who have hitherto been usable t.
br eak into office.
The process IS comparatively sim
pie. A hired man or two with d
desk and a typewriter. liberal sup
ply ,of letter heads, permission to
use the names OF a dozen OF more Of
respectable business men who never
give the matter any further atten.
tion and an occasional address or
proclamation by some self styled re-
former are all that is necessary to I'M
bark a new league oi club or associa.
tion on the sea of politics.
After vast amount Of newspaper
pufiery calculated to impress the pub
Tic with the devotion OF the new or
ganization to the peoples service IL
appears presently that the league or
club has various superior candidates
for office or that 1t has evolved meas.
ures OF SURPRISING excellence which
the city or the state must enact into
law Or suffer the consequences of the
most serious nature.
Having established in the minds OF
the people the idea that the league
thus formed is wholly independent OF
political, partisan or selfish interests,
they next proceed with many evi
dences Of Discrimination and Of re.
lucLance to show their plans as su
perlor to those of all regular consLl-
tuted and responsible organizations
aud to urge their adoption in the in
terests Of reform and for the appar-
emily laudable purpose o! bringing
confusion upon self.seekers.
The primary people would do vel
10 follow the lead OF the Michigan
primary reformers and make hast
slowly. In their convention at AM
Arbor Friday tn. primary rcformer
OF the Michigan Political Sclenc
association picked glariag flaws u
existing primary election laws. Min
nesota and Wisconsin we're the topics
Speakers from Minneapolis argue
that su:h vast number Of cand
dates presented themselves unde
Minnesota's law that elections some
times actually went according to sue
triviallties as whether q candidate
. name was Swedish, IN which cas-
r Swedish sections OF the city vote
: '.solid" for him,
Any real estate dealer whose fat
+ and name appeared on many corn.
e slots for sale slgus" was said to I've
G sure winner at Minneapolis prima:ie
There was a how. de-Slo. rOw-dt