The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1908-08-13
THEY'RE OFF" FOR
STATE OFFICES
A Rather Candid and Fair
Presentation of State
Politics.

Sioux Falls Press. Chairman w.
c. Cook of the republican state CEN
trail committee, has leased headquar-
ters in the Press-Forum block. this
city, and already has done much Of
the preliminary work Of the cam
paign. With the selection Of their
state chairman at Mitchell Tuesday,
the democrats are ready to begin at
once their contests for office.
So far as the national ticket is con-
cerned, the democrats are not MAX
ing confident claims. In 1904 Roose-
welt receive Y, ,083 votes to 21, ,969 for
Parker, in this state. While South
Dakotans generally would not be
drawn to so conservative a candi-
date as Parker. it still remains that
the democrats must secure the sup
port of at least 25,000 voters who
classified themselves as republicans
by their votes of four wears ago, if
they are to carry the state for
Bryan. The republicans predict a
majority Of not less than 35, 900 for
Taft. The democrats will have a
better organization this year than
for perhaps eight years and there is
hope at least that they will have
something of a campaign fund.
1t is because the democrats appear
| to believe that they have the best
chance of electing Andy" Lee to
the governors chair, that the chief
interests centers in this contest.
The democratic plan is to make Lee
governor and, if they control the
legislature, send him to the United
States senate. So, in reality. Lee
has two opponents. Crawford for
the senate and Vessey for governor.
The democrats do not deny that they
are undertaking rather difficult
feat in thus putting one man against
two. But they put their faith in the
prestige enjoyed by Lee as the only
democratic governor of the state,
in the fact that he IS of the same
nationality as about DO per cent Of
the voters, and in the acrimonious
contest within the republican party
in the June primary.
On the other hand. the republi-
cans cite the figures in support of
their denial of Lees strength as
vote-getter. In 1896, when South
Dakota fell under the spell of
Bryan and when populism, still
strong. fused with democracy, Lee
defeated Ringsrud for governor by
the narrow margin of 3l9. Lee re-
ceived Al, 1877 votes and Ringsrud 40,
1863 In 1898, Lee was opposed by
Kirk Phillips, who, as state treasu-
rer had received interest on the
state funds. The democrats raised
this issue as did the stalwarts againsts
Cassill In the recent primary cam
paign and it always has proved dam
aging argument. That year Lee re-
ceived 37,319 votes and Phillips 36,
994, Lees majority being 325. In
1900, Lee ran for congress and was
defeated by Burke by majority of
1878 and ran ahead of Moore, the
other democratic candidate. only
| 780 votes From these figures the
republicans argue that Lee s reputed
power as candidate is largely myth
ical. They say if he could win by
only an eyelash in such an upheayal
in this state as that Of 1896, he can
not even hope for victory in year
when $4,000 votes were cast in the
republicans primary. The total
democratic vote for Lee in the June
primary was but 1867, or little more
than one-tenth of the vote for the
republican candidates.
The democratic view is that this
primary vote for Lee is purely NOM
inal because he had no opposition.
And they further assert that some
of their party joined in the republi-
can primaries. The republicans
come back by saving that the very
fact that almost ten times as many
republican as democratic votes were
cast in the primary puts the burden
upon the democrats that the repub-
licans have only to keep what they
have, while the democrats must
muster more. They say further
that even if voters claimed by the
democrats took part in the repubE-
can primary. the democratic party
has no way of knowing that they