The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1908-03-05
Reasons Given Why Taft People sus.
peCt Treachsry On Part Of South
Dakota Insurgents
They Fought Taft Until After Mitchell
Rally and Quit Only When They
We're Beaten
Called Taft "The Imitation CandI-
date" and Said That ii Nominated
He Would be Defeated by Bryan

~ NNS go SS oHo
Of war has the fight Of his life on his
hands. 1t is well enough to say that
he is a sure winner" but enthusi-
asm should not carry the people into
the realm of fancy. The act is that
Secretary Taft is facing a grim and
determined fight, and that it behooves
all of his real friends to send to Chi
cage men who are ~steadfast and de-
voted supporters of Taft, n who will
not desert him the moment the first
ballot is cast.
That the real friends of Taft In
South Dakota are the stalwarts ought
now to be clear to everybody, and that
the delegation to Chicago should con-
sist of eight tried and true stalwart
friends Of Taft to avoid any possible
treachery should be equally clear. Let
no n deceive you about this matter
when it comes to selecting delegates
to the Huron convention.
It was on March 23, 1907, hat SEN
ator Kittredge in the ante room of
h white house, after a prolonged
conference with President Roosevelt,
declared himself for Taft, and said
that Taft would secure the delegation
from South Dakota
This announcement was enough to
rouse the hostility of the Crawford
people to Taft, and that hostility
lasted until the rising wave of Taft
sentiment drove it away. Now, the
very men who a few months G were
doing everything; they could to defeat
Taft are declaring that HI were the
original Taft men, and that the stall
warts are not in good faith! Let US
see about this.
AS soon as it was known that SEN
ator Kittredge and the stalwarts were
for Taft, the insurgents opened up
their fight upon him. They called him
AN imitation candidate" They said
he was a "re-actionary.'' They said
the Taft boomers were simply trying
to kill off Roosevelt. When it became
known that Roosevelt would not ac-
cept the nomination, they tried to
create a LaFollette boom, and failing
in this. they began to demand IAN
uninstructed delegtion." Being whip
ped all along the line. and showed off
che sidewalk, at the eleventh hour,
they meekly came into the Taft camp.
after h great rally at Mitchell, and
then brazenly put up the claim that
they were the only genuine and sim
IMPURE Taft men to be found in the
world!
In his paper, the Canton Leader,
Col. Linn said: There is no real Taft
sentiment in this state" The Sioux
Falls Press said: "The progressive
faction now demanding the renomina-
ton Of Mr.. Roosevelt could easilyturn
senator" The Flandreau Herald
said: 1.-The Herald did not pretend to
be giving away any political secrets
when it stated that the progressive
republicans everywhere would support
La Toilette" The White LAX Wave
said: IF 1T ever comes to a show
down 1t will be found that Senator
LaFollette is the choice for president
of more people in the northwest,
South Dakota included. than any 9th
er man, with the possible exception of
Mr.. Roosevelt" On Octiber 18th, last,
Judge John Nicholson, county judge
of Codington county, an insurgent
leader, suggested the organization of
Roosevelt-LaFollette clubs. II, for
one, believe" he said, that Senator
La Toilette on a square issue at the
polls can get two votes to the sec
retary's one, Notwithstanding Mr.. Mar
tins wishes to the contrary" On Oct.
23d, last, the Sioux Falls Press said:
THE progressives are not at all GER
tain that Taft COULD BE ELECTED
IF NOMINATED!" Nice talk this, for
a paper which now claims to be the
original Taft boomer. In the same
article, the Press quoted DR.. E. Ben
jamin Andrews as predicting that Bry-
an would defeat Taft, if the two We're
candidates. 1t declared that Taft was
of unknown and doubtful quantity"
This being the case" said the Press,
six months after Kittredge had de-
clared for Taft, "the progressive re-
publicans of the state are not in a
frame of mind to enthuse over the
Taft candidacy" Only eight days be-
fore the insurgents Topped to Taft,
the Aberdeen American, the paper
| which the Crawford machine is send
| ing out free to anybody who wants
it, declared that Taft could not be
nominated, and evidently hoped he
would not be, for o. November 18th,
| the same paper had said thai The
is nothing in his (Taft's) makeup
that will arouse enthusiasm, nothing
that will make men respond" The
same paper said: Every day the
chances of Taft appear duller and
duIler." Be it remembered that this
paper is sufficiently recognized as a
that it is being distributed free by
The evidence could be extended
without limit. but this is enough to
prove the case.
Now these same people who fought
| Taft as hard as they could until they
saw hat South Dakota was for Taft,
| ask the voters of, the state to trust
them. The people fear duplicity and
treachery, and they nave a right to
fear it. A man who is converted with
a club is not a good convert. The in
surgent heart is still anti-Taft. Let
a delegation of the real friends of
Of Taft be sent to Chicago.
akfUCH ADO AROJIT -