Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1911-01-15
GAME FIGHTER WINS OUT
Downs and Ups of George W. EBan,
south DaEOtR'S NeFvy
scrapper.

There is sportsman's instinct that stirs
men to enthusiasm when game fighter
wins a battle against odds. without much
regard to the cause for which he has been
fighting This instinct will find expression
over the reinstatement of George w. Egan
as a practiclnE attorney by the South Da-
kota supreme court. Whatever else he
may be, Egan is the best single-handed
fighter ever developed in South Dakota
politics
! Disbarred by the Minnehaha County Bar
! association early in his career in South |
! Dakota the young lawyer from Iowa was
| apparently down and out. Even though, |
hs Egan strenuously protested the dis
barment was due to a complication OF po-
htical, legal and business motives, nobody
believed that the handicap thus created
| could be overcome. Even his friends, and
they were not many at that time, expected
he would pack his traps and make a new
start elsewhere under more suspicious
conditions. But Egan didn't quit for a
minute. Having lost his fight before the
bar association, he took il to the supreme
| court. only TO lose again. Then he took
an appeal to the electorate Of Minnehaha
county by projecting his candidacy for
county attorney, an office for which he
stood. Egan said he wasn't particularly
interested in the office; he wanted the vim
dication. He pleaded his cate 50 el5quently
and effectively that the voters OF Mime
haha county actually elected him to the
office that he could not fill-elected him
by one Of the largest majorities ever given
in the county. Mr.. Egan made another
fight to be allowed to qualify, and lost 1t,
OF course. Still he wasn't ready TO gust
Unable 10 practice his profession, Egan
established a weekly newspaper in Sioux
Falls, mainly on nerve. With rare egotism
as nearly everybody thought. he an
nounced that the mission of his newspaper
would be the vindication Of Bgan, and as
a means to that end the promotion of his
independent candidacy for governor 1t
did not seem likely that anybody would
care to pay for or read such a purely per-
sonal organ, but many must have done
80, for Egan continued to hang on, pub
fishing a long serial story OF his, troubles
and eischarglng weekly broadsides at his
political and personal enemies, and the
courts, which he contended had denied him
justice. EEans newspaper regularly pre-
scented him as a candidate for governor,
but politicians smiled at the absurdity OF
the notion.
When tho primary campaign OF 1910
opened there seemed to be no place for
ERan The old factional lines in the re-
publican party were drawn anew, and fac
Vtional states were prepared. The faction
with which Egan was in sympathy was
supporting the governor OF the state then
serving his first term. Tho opposing fac
ton had a candidate Of its own, and had
no use for ESan in any event. In the cir
cumstances It was supposed Bgan would
not present his candidacy At the primary
as a republican, but might project an in
dependent candidacy In the fall. This was
another poor guess Egan entered the prt-
mary in composition with the other two
republican candidates, and the subsequent
proceedings amazed all onlookers.
EGan hired an automobile and proceeded
to give tho term "whirlwind campaign
new significance in South Dakota He
Travelled from town to town, holding open
air meetings and presenting his personal
and political campaign with fiery elo-
quence and enthusiasm that infected the
crowds The report began TO so the rounds
that "Egan was getting the voters" but
still the politicians refused to take him
seriously as a factor in the campaign.
When the primary returns began to roll
in, however, It was found there was basis
Tor the reports. Egan had got the voters,
tens of thousands OF them, from towns and
farms alike On the day following the
election It seemed sure that he had been
nominated. The Official returns showed
he had distSnced one OF the fractional can
didates, and had just fallen short OF beat
ing the other. 1t was generally admitted
that II the ''whrlwind campaign had COW
cred more territory Egan would have won
the nomination.
I Egan disappointed the Euessers again by
not taking an independent candidacy 20 the
polls. where, the surface Of things, he
might easily have held the balance or
power. Instead he preferred TO hold his
standing as a republican, and point to the
astounding primary vote as a popular re-
versal OF the supreme courts judgment in
the disbarment case. Evidently the su-
preme court itself was impressed with the
= Significance OF the demonstration. II per-
mdtted a reopening Of the old case. and fol-
lowing the withdrawal OF many offensive
utterances made by HSan during the heat
OF the campaign, 81 reversed itself and re-
stored ESans credentials as a practicinK
attorney.
The interesting question REGARDING the
extraordinary Egan is, What next?-sioux
CITY Journal