Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1910-06-02
WITH THE RAILROAD MACHINE
Boss Richards Acknowledges
That Wesley Is a Tool of the
Railroad Machine,


AS late as the 18th of last December,
II. o. Richards, who is now the cam
paign manager of Mr.. Vessey, and who
is flooding the state with letters boom
ing Mr.. Wesley as the the savior of the
people, as late as the 18th of last De-
cember, we say, this same Richards
was denouncing this same Vessey in
unsparing terms. In a letter written
to F. A. Killion, editor of the Lester
vile Ledger, Mr.. Richards declared
that Mr., Wesley had joined "the new
railroad machine" composed of Gamble,
Crawford and Elliott. ''Vessey is a
mere tool of these men who created
him." says Richards as late as last
December. Mr.. Richards also went on
ITO say that Vessey would be defeated if
he ran for the denomination, and that
the people would smash ''tbe new rail-
road machine" On the Oath of Febru-
airy Mr.. Richards made flying switch,
and he is now for Wesley, and is trying
to play battledore and shuttlecock with
the voters of the state. Whether he
will succeed in this very cheap and
manifest game will be disclosed by the
vote on the 7th of June
We trust that the voters of the state
who still believe in the sincerity of the
progressive leadership, will read with
care the letter written by Mr.. Richards
on the 18th of last December. 1t fol-
lows:
Huron, S. D., Dec. %, 1909.
Mr.. F. A. Killion,
Lesterville, S. D.
Dear Mr.. Killion:
would like to have conference with
the old standby friends of the progress
sive NOV, ment in Yankton county to
talk over matters pertaining to the
coming republican primaries at Yank-
ton, on Wednesday evening Jan. 5th, at
some convenient place. Would
like to meet with you and other loyal
friends, and to have you invite in any
one whom you think interested and
trustworthy.
have only written yourself,
and leave it to you and them to confer
and decide as to the hour and place of
meeting, and who else to invite in. l
have also arranged with our mutual
friend, Thomas Thorson, of Canton, to
come to Yankton the following day to
talk matters over.
would like to discuss with you be-
fore he comes the advisability of urg-
ing him as a compromise progressive
candidate for governor and force YES
sey to lay down at the interesting mo-
ment, later on, if he is really for har-
mony and progressive principles instead
of for office.
Governor Wesley will not, and dares
not openly cut loose from the Gamble,
Crawford and Elliott combination who
created him and which is now the new
railroad machine.
If Thorson's views and attitude are
flrm IN keeping the railroads out OF pol
itics, correcting the personal spoils sys-
tenn, holding state expenditures within
state revenues, and completing the pri-
mary law, am in favor of urging him
or any other suitable person as COM
promise candidate later on when it will
become apparent that Wesley cannot
win. To force two years of executive
incapacity on the progressive move
ment in attempting to continue Wesley
is certain defeat.
A new deal is necessary and can be
accomplished, under the primary law,
in an off year, with the ranks of both
the old factions badly broken, and nei-
Their have an issue or very much of an