The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1906-04-05
TURN ON THE LIGHT
Editors Brookings Register.


Editors Brookings Register.
Gentlemen: | will ask for little
space in your excellent paper, that L
may present a few things that | am
not able to harmonic until | have a
little light shed in upon my pathway.
In the fall Of 1901 about 5000 respect
able citizens, voters Of South Dakota,
arranged and signed petition asking
the incoming Legislature to submit the
primary election law to the voters OF
the state for their sanction or rejection.
The constitution Of this state gives the
voters the right of petition. | have
always been a Republican and believe
this was Republican doctrine. The
legislature convened January /, 1905
and the people supposed it was Re
publican legislature, and as such were
defenders Of republican institutions.
The primary petition was passed upon
by the attorney general and was de-
clared legal in form and manner OF
presentation, and the secretary OF state
submitted the petition to this sup
posed republican set OF lawmakers.
Republicans have always prlded them
selves on being great and reliable de-
tenders of the constitution and have
insisted that persons who did not re-
spect the constitution were lamar
chists." However, in this instance
the voters were absolutely denied their
lust rights, and it is said, and with
very good authority, that the immacu-
late Republican whose republicanism
is of such pronounced purity that he
does not Join a Roosevelt Republican
Club to establish his orthodoxy on
that question, in his inaugural ad-
dress, went out of his way to prepare
the legislature for the crime so boldly
committed.
What am anxious to know is il this
crime, so deliberately committed, was
committed by Republicans? If so |
shall be compelled to change my
opinion of and admiration for ma
chine" Republicans, as the crime,
committed by the twenty-fOur state
senator's, according to the Aberdeen
Machine Oracle, must also include
the leading machine" bosses OF the
state. The Aberdeen machine paper
includes them all from the "boss" at
Washington, the governor and chair
man of so called Republican state
central committee.
Now will the Republicans approve
of this awful crime against the con-
stitution and the rights of the people
by voting to keep these instigators
and abettors in control Of the party at
the coming state convention? If they
do they will only license those men
to perpetrate further misdeeds and
afford them an opportunity to glory
in their shame.
Again | am told, and this comes
with proof, that has never been de-
MED, that the chairman of the state
central committee, with perhaps other
good, honest Republicans, collected a
campaign fund of something like
$50, 900 or $4,000 to carry on the cam
paign for Mr.. Elrod and the Republi-
can ticket. 1t has been claimed that
about $1,000 was spent, 81 800 in
Roberts county to defeat the insur-
gents in that county, and 81 600 to
Mr.. o. c. Berg, incurred by him,
after Mr.. Crane and others had prom.
ised him the governorship, and he
having complied with their require
ments, they suddenly dropped him,
and he died within sixty days, broken
hearted. Before his death he de.
manded 81 900 for his expenses. The
amount was promised him by these
honest, upright Republicans, but ur
to the day of his death nothing had
been paid, so says Gen. Conklin in
his report of the high-handed crimes
committed by these honest Republi'
cans. 1t is said, and by unques.
toned authority, that when the chair
man OF the state central committee
was asked by members OF the same
committee the fate of the remainder
of the amount Of the campaign fund
that the chairman stated he did not
know, that he had burned the books
Is this good Republican practicei
And yet this same chairman, at Sioux
Falls few weeks ago asked for ar
auditing committee to audit his ac.
counts, which he himself had burned
up, he himself to be one of the com
mittee? Will the good people oi
South Dakota give their approval tC
such bold, unblushing, criminal
deeds, by voting for continuation in
power of such men? Republicans oi
South Dakota, can you for one mo-
ment overlook these crimes and ex.
cuse the criminals?
Now in conclusion, Charlie Allen,
the editor OF the Press and postmaster
of Brookings, who has been a demo.
crat, a populist, and now claims to be
q Republican, has never said one
word against said crimes or the
criminals, but upholds them, by hob.
nobbing with and defending the gull.
ty ones. Ii he is a good, pure, honest
and loyal Republican why does he
l-~or at;ll IN ooko that LroDn