The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1910-03-03
DICK RICHARDS
WINS VICTORY
IN PROGRESSIVE MEETING At
HURON.
HIS PLATFORM IS o P
AND HE WILL HAVE CHARGE OF
THE COMING CAMPAIGN. 70

From the Sioux City Journal we get
the following account of the conference
of the progressive faction at Huron on
Thursday.
After a gruelling battle of four hours,
in which personalities, bitter arraign-
.ment and startling charges were fired
back and forth by the friends and the
enemies of R. o. Richards, peace set
tied over the embattled lines of the d.
;vided interests of the progressive wing
.of the republican party of South Da-
;kota shortly before midnight, and by
an odd trick of fate Richards was made
chairman Of the campaign committee
for the coming primary in June, and
Gov. Wesley will be the republican
party leader on a platform which Is
the embodiment of the ideas of the
leaders Of both the Richards faction
and the faction led by E. l.. Sem in
the battle to forever down Richards
as an element in the political life Of
South Dakota.
~ Up to the very last moments in the
final session there was apparently no
hope for the embattled lines to draw
closer together. The old warehouses; Of
the party flung themselves into the
breach, knowing full wCll that unless
Richards was ~reconciled there would
be an open rupture, with that leader
out as a candidate for governor against
Vessey.
The battle started late in the after
noon in the committee rooms, where
the organization men and resolutions
compounders gathered il the Hobbies
of the headquarters, anne to a wordy
conflict on what should be presented
as a report to the conference body.
The battle resulted in the entering of
a minority report and a majority re-
port from each committee. Thomas
Thorson stood as the lone committee
man in the organization favor
ing the naming of Richards as the con-
trolling spirit of the campaign. The
four other committeeman stood out
for the selection of a state executive
committee from the delegates and the
selection by them of the state chair
man. On the presentation of the re-
ports to the conference shortly after
s o'clock the clash was precipitated.
n;Iynr vrn fha ErCf fn lion m
the floor after the two reports had
been submitted, and he fayed the ene-
mics of Richards with an unsparing
tongue.
Richards has taken the brunt Of the
battle in the years that have passed:
He has stood in the trenches armed
for the fray ard ready to bleed for
the cause. "Are. we," he asked, ito act
the part of ingrates now that he asks
only that he be named to succeed him.
self at the head Of the primary league
to steal frcm him the organization
which he founded? He has asked no
office at our hands for all his service.
He has fought for the progressive re-
I publican principles, and it is unfair
to sacrifice him to greed"
"If we debase our session here by
making it an o~fficeholders' lovefeast
and throw down the man who fought
for principle a protest will go up from
the state. Do not depose him. Let
him stay to win more battles for the
progressive cause"
On the very heels of the startling de-
tense from Mr.. Dillon, o. 8. Basford
asserted himself on the floor to decry
what he termed the dictates of a ty-
rant. He said Mr.. Richards had only
given the conference one question to
decide. and that was whether he was
to be the ruler of the progressives or
whether he would go to some other
faction in the party. He said that no
man could dictate to the progressives
of the state.
we must rid ourselves Of the domi-
nation Of n man." he cried at the
highest pitch of his voice.
I. A. Webb then leaped to his feet
and demanded il the remarks Of
Basford were intended as a direct slap
; in the face of Richards. Basford said
+. that he only presented his views in
the matter, and that the progressives
! were ready to cooperate with Richards,
and would bow to the will of the dele
gates chosen for the committee II he
was selected chairnen. George Rice
then took the floor in the champion
ship Of Richards. He denouced the
idea that Richards was setting him
self up to dominate the progressives.
e. L. Sem then received recogni-
ton to open up his Walls OF wrath
against Richards and the primary