Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1911-05-11


pushed and pulled into office many
more times than he ever sought it for
himself, and time and again consented
to nomination only because his cowork
ers urged him as the most available
timber.
1t was in the line of law that his
ambition lay, and his reputation at the
bar and among judges on the bench
sensitive regard for the honor and
ethics of the profession. He despised
pettifoggery, and in instances that
came under my own observation he
emphatically condemned unworthy
means of winning lawsuits, or methods
for taking undue advantage of liti-
giants. His success in his profession
was remarkable, scarcely any attor-
ney in the state being able to show so
large percentage of cases won. A
marked instance of his capabilities as
a lawyer was the report he prepared,
when United States senator, upon the
legal aspects of the chain of title to
the properties and franchises of the old
Panama canal organization, which it
was proposed the United States should
take over. This document was declared
by some of the most eminent legal
practitioners of the country TO be a
marvel of research and exposition.
In my own experience was an
instance of the reputation he had for
consummate fairness as a lawyer.
Not long after the Mergenthaler limo
type machines had been proven sue
cess the management of the Sioux Falls
Argus-Leader, an evening newspaper,
and l, as the publisher of the Press, a
morning newspaper, were each tigur-
ing on installing the machines. 1t was
suggested we might unite our plants.
one using the Office at night and the
other during the daytime, which was
agreed to, if our two attorneys could
draw satisfactory contract. After
consultation it was agreed that Mr..
Kittredge should be attorney for both
the rival parties. Under the contract
which he drew, these two hostile news
papers for considerable time were
published from the same plant without
the least friction, and time and again
we thanked the fair and capable attor-
ney for his skill.
In the whirling of partisan and fac
tional politics in South Dakota there
came campaign when | and my paper
were arrayed against 'the Kittredge
crowd" and / published stuff against
him then which now most heartily |
wish could be expunged. As usual
after the panic of 1893, the paper was
financially embarrassed, and / was
planning against the day when Kilt
fedge should swoop down and Gust me,
as feared he might be able to do. He
heard about some of my attempted
manipulations, and sent me word that
| needn't be scared, and that if |
needed some small help to let him
know. And one Saturday afternoon,
after | had exhausted every other
source to complete the payroll, ! bor-
rowed $3.50 from him rather than shut
up shop, which otherwise | would have
been compelled to do. When | went to
return the money he said:
"Cal, that's all right You don't
owe me anything. Just accept that as
my contribution toward maintaining
rafting good republican newspaper
in Sioux Falls, and booster for the
town.
That shows how big man he was
Later the political clouds between us
rolled away-not that had been
bribed by his aid, but because of the
clarifying which so many times occurs
in politics, after which those who have
been enemies are friends, and vice
versa.
1t was after / left Sioux Falls that
Gov. Herreid appointed Mr.. Kittredge
United States senator, to succeed SEN
ator Kyle, who had died. The succeed
ing republican state convention
endorsed him as the candidate for the
full term, which he served with such
splendid credit to himself and to his
station that it seemed he certainly
ought to be returned again. But the
fates decreed otherwise. And upon
such slender thread dopolitical things
sometimes hang that it is declared that
his defeat was, due to the loss of three
votes in single ward in Sioux Falls.
The delegates from this ward swung
the county convention against him,
and through the loss of Minnehaha he
lost at least two other counties which
would have given him majority in the
state convention, and an endorsement
by the state convention would have
resulted in his reelection. Apparently
beyond any question, if Mr.. Kittredge
had been at home during the campaign
that Sioux Falls ward would have not
been lost, and he would have triumphec