The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1908-04-16

Hon. r, s. Person, auditor IL the
treasury department st Washington,
who has come to South Dakota ON leave
Of absence to assist the Kittredge cam.
paign, was interviewed at Huron by the
Hnronite on Monday, April 8, on the
eve Of the state convention. After
speaking Of matters relating to national
affairs, and particularly the practical
assurance that Secretary VIM. II. Taft
will be the republican nominee, Mr..
Person is quoted as saying, in part:
81 look for the easy nomination OF
Secretary Taft at Chicago and Of course
I favor the reelection of Senator Kit.
redge. he was the first senator and
practically the first public man Of ma
tional prominence to declare openly for
Taft for president. He made this decla-
ration just about a year ago Immediate
" after a visit to the White House
whittier he went to urge upon Mr..
Roosevelt another term as president.
There is no doubt now about where the
real friends of the administration stand
on the matter Of the presidential 6
c%ession, is therei Well, it must be APP
parent that Senator Kittredge enjoyed
the confidence Of some people high in
authority, long in advance Of any OF
those distinguished gentlemen who are
trying to make it appear that the sen.
ator is not in harmony with the presi-
dent. The facts wholly discredit the
the representation of the opposition
who will be accorded the empty honor
Of casting the vote # South Dakota for
Mr.. Taft at Chicago in June. The real
victory belongs to Senator Kittredge.
"For several years I have been 80 sit
uated that there has been forced upon
me a knowledge of the record, attitude
and relations of many public men. !
have observed all sorts and conditions
of politics-for the variety in Washing
ton is great-and I declare without hest
tatioa or e~quivocation, that as public
servants Senator Kittredge and Repre-
sentatives Burke and Martin, have made
records for efficiency and conscientious
devotion to duty that reflect the high
est credit to themselves, their party and
the state. Few states have had the good
fortune to be so ably represented in
Washington and the smell of graft or
anything partaking of shady transac-
lions was on their garments.
They were always Industrious, always
attentive to business and always sober.
Any South Dakotan having business at
Washington always knew where to find
them and could rely on their keeping
their appointments and performing new
er less and usually more than they
promised. They are supporters Of the
Roosevelt administration without being
mere cuckoos. They have initiated
legislation as we'll ase being boosters
of every meritorious proposition before
congress in their several terms of SER
vice. They not only did things but
they did them right. As President
Roosevelt has so aptly said of Senator
Kittredge, SO it might be said with
| equal thuth about Burke and Martin.
These are men we depend on to do
things and they know how to do Them
1 don't believe the good people of this
state are going to listen with patience
much longer to the Trades of abuse
against faithful public servants simply
to create prejudice in the popular mind
to serve a wholly personal and selfish
end.
Gone Of the most amazing misrepre-
sensations made concerning these three
men while they were attending faithful
ly to duty in Washington was that they
were not supporters Of the Roosevelt
administration. Their records are an
open book and show how utterly without
foundation such statement was.
I shall spend some time il Sioux
Falls and hope to be able to get out
into the state occasionally. In so far as
my duSlCc III pOIltlCdl matters snail be
followed, I propose that the truth re-
garding our candidates and their re.
cords shall be told and under no cir
cumstances to condone intentional mis-
representation of our opponents. The
truth is good enough for us. Our meth
DDS of campaigning are not predicted
on the belief that the decalogue is
absolete Of that the golden rule has no
place in politics. The square deal not
only is a good motto, but it is a good
standard for a rule of conduct as well.
Neither campaign managers nor public
speakers nave any moral right to make
misrepresentation, either by falsehood
or active concealment Of the whole
truth, to mislead voters. Success gained
by such practice surely must be short
lived and when the people recover from
the deception by which they were mis-
led, the last state of their b~etrayers win
be worse than the first.