Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1908-05-22

this evening to discuss the issues OF
which | am a candidate for the office
of States Attorney of Lincoln county
and in this connection / will first re-
ply to the claim Of the Canton cores
pondent of the Canton items in the
Argus Leader of this date, which is
evidently the ground on which my
opponent claims a second term, This
item is as follows: sc. B. Kennedy,
candidate for States Attorney will
speak at the court oOm this evening.
There is some curiosity on the part OF
many to hear what he has to say. He
makes his campaign solely on the
temperance issue. His opponent, A.
e. Carlson, has served but n term,
and in the opinion of the majority OF
the voters is entitled to reelection.
Mr.. Kennedy has brushed aside all
precedent among the legal fraternity,
as to running against a brother law
YER seeking a second term, and he
will have to make a mighty good
showing if he is not at the distant
pole when votes are counted
About two weeks ago a similar item
appeared in the Argus Leader in
which l was charged with violating
ethics, because / had become a candi-
date against Mr.. Carlson for this Of
fee. This correspondent is the pres
ent city attorney, A. r. Jameson,
and hereafter in this address | will
refer to him as Legal Ethics. | in
terviewed him with reference to
whether or not it was the intention
to carry the discussion OF the issues
involved in the contest for states at
torney into the Argus Leader, a pa
per outside the county. He assured
me that it was not, and no further
reference in those items would be
made, and that | could depend upon
it. Relying upon this assurance L did
not reply to his former statements,
he having violated this assurance, |
will no longer respect it. This viola
tion clearly shows his idea of legal
ethics. In touching legal ethics he
has taken a hold of hot stuff and be-
fore he gets through he will burn his
fingers and howl with pain.
Ethics, as defined by Webster, are
''rules of practice in reference to a
single class of human actions" If
the rules of action Of the legal frater-
nifty are similar to those practiced by
Legal Ethics and the states attorney,
the sooner these rules are changed
the sooner the legal fraternity will
command the respect of the people.
My candidacy is a protest against
the practices Of Legal Ethics, and the
states attorney, and also of the vari-
GUS Isaacs in the county. This is
not the first time the republicans of
the state of South Dakota have re-
fused to renominate a lawyer for a
second term whose duty it was to APP
ply the law during his first term, and
he so far forgot that duty and the re-
spect he owed the office, as to appear
publicly in an intoxicated condition,
and to attempt to perform his Official
ullOlCH llllC IL Iltb
ever the people will sanction such
weakness and contempt of even the
p%roprieties, the public interests are
certainly in danger. For twenty-five
years a contest has been going on in
the county of Lincoln for the prohibit
ton of beverage sales. Each year an
election has taken place and every
time but nee the people of Canton
and Lincoln county have voted no IL
cense. The only argument which
has been made by the opponents of
no license vas that prohibition does
not and cannot be made to prohibit.
In meeting this argument based on
the experience of Canton and Lincoln
county the reason plainly appears
that the cause of failure has always
been because the officers elected to
enforce the laws were personally op-
posed to them OF were themselves
drinking men, and never was this
more true than at the present time.
The states attorney and the city at
torney are both in the habit of be-
coming intoxicated and appearing in
public in such condition. Both fire.
quent Isaac's drug store which vio-
lates the law continually, until the
the term, ~Isaac's, has become we'll
known in Canton and Lincoln county
as a place where liquors a be pro-
cured in violation of law. I have a
supreme contempt for a man claiming
to conduct a drug store and honorable
business in which honorable men are
engaged, and then violate the law in
contempt of the votes Of the people
and do it not only on week days but
on the Sabbath also. To call such a
place a saloon is a SANDER on the sa-
loon. The saloon pays its license and
sells openly as provided by law, but
the Isaac while claiming to be a re-
putable business and to be an honor
able man clandestineiy and sneaking-
ly violates the law. The hole in the
wall and the boot logger are honor
able compared with such a man.
These parties lay no claim to respec-
liability and honor, but the Isaac
while claiming everything that is
honorable does the same business as
the hole in the wall and the boot leg
ror Tho ctatoS ottnrroy apH tho