The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1908-05-15
BOTH SIDES SEE VICTORY
SOUTH DAKOTA CAMPAIGN GROWS
WARMER EACH DAY.
END is STILL A MONTH AWAY
Contest Between kittredge and craw.
ford for the Senatorship overshad.
ows Everything Ese-How Leaders
Size up the Situation.

Size up the Situation.
Sioux Falls, S. D., May 9.-Four
weeks from next Tuesday--June 8
will be held the primaries which will
determine the present contest between
the insurgent and stalwart republican
factions of South Dakota for control
of the state and supremacy in state
affairs and in the election of the next
United States senator from South Da-
kota.
Quite naturally the fight between
Senator Kittredge and GOV. COe l.
Crawford, the leaders of the opposing
factions, for the United States senator
ship, continues to overshadow all
| other issues of the present contest.
| The two men and their partisans are
wagng such a fight as has seldom
| been waged in South Dakota in the
past. and small army of speakers is
actively at work visiting all parts of
the state and arousing the voters to
the Importance of the present fight.
| Notwithstanding their defeat at the
hands of the insurgents two years ago,
and at the primaries in March of the
present year, the stalwarts yet express
confidence in winning victory in the
June primaries. They declare that
there has been a surprising change in
sentiment throughout the state during
the past few weeks and that the insur
gents have been greatly weakened by
this change and the strength of the
stalwarts correspondingly increased.
The stalwarts further declare that
| in the caucuses two years ago the in
surgents had the active support of 80
per cent. Of the democrats of South
Dakota, who, temporarily abandoning
their own candidates, cast their
strength to the insurgent republicans
with the object of widening the breach
between the two republican factions,
1t is pointed out by the stalwarts that
this year the democrats will support
complete ticket of their own, and
that as result of this the votes of
thousands of democrats which went to
the insurgent republicans two years
ago will this year be withdrawn and
cast for democratic candidates.
1t is further pointed out by the stall
warts that an analysis Of the vote
cast at the March primaries in the
twenty-four counties in which there
were contests between the insurgents
and stalwarts shows conclusively that
the stalwarts have bright prospects of
winning an overwhelming victory in
the June primaries. The result, they
say, was practically an even division
of the total popular vote in territory
which was claimed by the insurgents
to be overwhelmingly against the stall
warts.
The stalwarts are perfecting their
organization in practically every vot-
| ing precinct in the state with the OBJ
| ject of strengthening the cause of
their faction and getting out the full
stalwart vote on June 8. With a full
vote they declare they cannot lose.
RidicuIe StaIwart Claims.
The insurgents ridicule the claims
of the stalwarts and emphatically de-
clare that the insurgent victory in
March will be followed by an even
greater insurgent victory in June. The
view of the more enthusiastic insur-
gents is best expressed by o. S. Bas-
ford, state commissioner of insurance,
and some years ago chairman of the
republican state central committee,
From what source or quarters the
stalwarts derive any hope of carrying
the state at the June primaries is a
mystery to me-" said Commissioner
Basford. From the line of the North
western railroad running from the
Minnesota line to Gettysburg south to
the state of Nebraska there are not
over five counties from which they can |
hope to secure even small majorities. |
There is not a county from BrookingS
along the line of the Northwestern |
until Pennington is reached in the |
Black Hills in which Kittredge can
hope for majority.
at is probable that eX-Congressman
Burke (stalwart candidate for the |
nomination to his old place in con.
gress) will get majority in Hughes
(his home) county, but Crawford and |
the progressive state ticket will also
carry that county. All other counties
on the line, BroOkngs, Kingsbury, |
Beadle, Hyde and Stanley, will be
safely progressive.
From that line of counties to the |
south the only county where the stall
warts have even a fighting show are
the counties of Lake, Minnehaha, Nc
Cook, Dawson and Douglas, and yet 1t
would be wild estimate to presume
that the aggregate stalwart majority
of those five counties would exceed |
700 votes.
Giving to the stalwarts every re-
publican vote there is in the six dis
tinctive Black Hills counties and yet
they would be badly beaten. On the
line first mentioned, which includes
Codington, Clark, Sphinx Faulk and
Potter, the only county in which they
(tha Sta1wartS) can hone for a small |