The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1906-05-03

are passes not bestowed upon minis
tiers of the gospel, travelling men,
merchants, farmers and others who
contribute to the maintenance of the
government? Why TT passes fur
nished to candidates and delegates
to state conventions that are fright"
according to the machine" code of
morals, (based on expediency), and
refused to others? Why in every in
stance is it that the bosses and the
railway companies cooperate in the
preparation of states and platforms?
Why is it when the Legislature is in
session that an unlimited number of
passes is distributed to the members
making the laws? There can be but
one answer. 1t is not to preserve the
rights of these corporations, but to
secure privileges to which they are
not lawfully entitled, to influence the
conduct of candidates and delegates
to the conventions and members of
the Legislature and administrative
officers. At whose expense are these
special privileges to corporations OBJ
tained9 The peoples.
DANGERS Of BOSS-CORPORATE RULE.
So long as the great right of self
government is preserved in accord
ance with the intention of the found
ers of the Republic, each citizen free
ly and voluntarily taking his part,
actuated by patriotic motives-so long
as officers W their first allegiance to
the people and their state just so
long the Republic is in no serious dan
ger, and the various problems, indus
trial and political. will be fairly and
properly solved and adjusted; but
once let the tribunal of public opinion
become corrupted by that Delilah of
modern times, the Boss-C Corporate in
huence. and this Samson among ma
tons will be shorn of its strength. Let
the right of suffrage be lightly regard
ed Or a purchasable commodity. and
American citizenship instead of being
an honorable distinction will be a fiji
subject of jibes and jeers. Instead of
being government of the people, it
will be a country of warning factions
-t the uncurbed arroganceand tyranny
of wealth on the one hand. its victims
on the other. the latter struggling tc
resume that heritage parted with
through neglect or for a mess of pot,
tage.
Disruption of the party is far from
our purpose. On the contrary, we de,
sire to preserve its health and strength
by eliminating the cancer gnawing at
its vitals. The Machine" saws il
should receive the support of the party
because the Republican party had d
majority Of fifty thousand in this state
last election. This majority, however
is not due to the existence of this para
site, the Machine" but NorwITH,
STANDING it. That part of the party now
opposing the Machine. did its share
in securing this The prin-
ciples of the Republican party and
the magnificent leadership of its pres
ident Were the sources of the party's
success and majority.
MACHINE AVOIDS THE ISSUES.
What methods do the advocates and
press of the Machine" pursue in the
present campaign? Will they frankly
discuss the real issues or do they con,
tinue in their attempts to divert pub,
lie attention from them and deceive
the people into Il false sense of secur,
ity? Do they deny the existence OF
a "Machine?' No. They evade by
saying IF the "Insurgents' are sue,
~cessful they will establish another
machine equally as vicious as the
present one They ignore the fact that
the rank and file of the party not only
seek to abolish the present Machine
but to render future ones impossible by
passing a law abolishing the iniquit,
Gus convention system and enabling
the electors to make their nominations
direct by a primary system; that they
propose also to adopt as a principle
in the Republican platform IA pledge
for the enactment of il law abolishing
the pass system similar to the one
now in existence in Wisconsin,; hat
they propose in the coming conven-
ton that no restrictions shall be