Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1908-05-29
Gilbert Thorson Representative from Mnnehaha County
Read Telegram from Kittredge Congratulating
Senate on Defeating Primary Petition, in
Defiance of the Constitution
"0H, TO HE'LL WITH THE bhW.''
This Was the Remark of Senator Robertson When Thorsor
Asked How They Could Legally Refuse to Sub
NIT the Primary to the People

Mr.. Rogde and Senator Ed. Northrup
and Henry Robertson, ali from Min
nehaha county. | was i'm that room
two hours and all that time they
were talking to me.
zone of them said, Gilbert, we un-
derstand you are going to vote to sub
nit the primary petition to the peo-
pie.
81 said l was and they asked me
my reason. l answered.:
"When the. primary petition first
came to Pierre, Peter S. Rogde here
told me that he had seen it and that
accol ding to the law and the consti-
tuition of the state, we had to submit
it TO the people
"Then Henry Robertson said:
ooh, to hell with the law and the
constitution. You stand by Senator
Kittredge and we will guarantee you
that you will get any office that you
want in Minnehaha county,
KITTREDGE'S MESSAGE.
81 said I did not believe Senator
Kittredge wanted us to kill the pri-
mary petition. This, by the way, was
after the senate had voted against the
petition.
zone of the senators pulled out a
telegram and handed it to me. / read
it and found it to be as follow
Washington, D. c.. Gentle
men: l congratulate you upon your
splendid victory in defeating the pri-
mary petition.
"A. B. Kittredge.'
zone of them said further, Now we
have two more kilograms in which
Kittredge asks us to kill the primary
petition in the house,
told them I did not believe it
was within their power to guarantee
me any office 1 wanted in Minnehaha
county.
"Then one of the senators said: We
have letter from Senator Kittredge
by which we can guarantee you any
office in Minnehaha county if you will
stand by us and help us to kill the
primary petition. If there is any break
in the Minnehaha delegation, the Pc
tition will pass the house
81 said l would not take any Office
under those considerations.
"WHAT DO YOU WANT?"
"Well tell us what you want then,
they said.
Il got up on my feet and said to
them:
81 am n young man. | am not rich
man but I've got little bit to live off
yet. I've got a nice family on the
Sioux river down in Minnehaha coun-
ty and ! would rather stay with them
every day in the week than to be out
here at Pierre. I have never wronged
knowingly any Of my constituents and
1 have never done anything here
against my conscience. Rather than
be your tool here 1 will go home and
stay home and fight you at every cau-
Gus and convention so long as 1 live.
l want to keep my conscience clear.
"With that left them and went up
to the state house. There l voted for
the primary petition and it passed the
house with three votes to spare. They
told me the bill would pass if there
was break in the Minnehaha county
delegation and guess they knew.
KITTREDGE ON ROOSEVELT.
81 might add that in the same ses-
sion of the legislature five different
resolutions to indorse the Roosevelt
administration and commend Roose-
velt for his fight for the railroad rate
bill, were defeated. / asked Peter j.
Rogde why they didn t want to endorse
Roosevelt. And he said to me:
II tell you, Gilbert, we have orders
from Senator Kittredge at Washington
not to endorse Roosevelt because they
don't want him for another term and
they are afraid if the people keep on
endorsing him they can't keep him
from being elected again.
GAS remember Rogde voted for
one of these resolutions in the house,
knowing the senate would kill it.
''I am willing to 60 before a notary
public and take oath to the truth OF
all of these statements"
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