The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1912-05-16
OFFICIAL COUNTY PAPER
BRANsoN, PROGRESSIVE.

HS the olOux CIty tribune says,
the two factions OF the republican
party in South Dakota have finish
ed their fight and the party is com
mitted to the principles which make
for good government. That is primar-
lily the reason why factional lines
have almost disappeared In the pre-
Sent primary election contest in this
state. 1t is the reason why Lit. Gov.
Byrne, whom the Tribune is support
ing, is asking for the votes OF former
stalwarts as we'll as for the votes Of
former insurgents. Yet the Sioux
City paper chides Mr.. Branson of this
city because he does moi go out with
a battle axe and commit assaults up
on the former stalwarts of this dis
trict in his campaign for congress-.
1t Is only in a newspaper office
that 1t is a political possibility to
prescribe factions in the contest over
one office and eliminate them from
the contests for other offices. The
only way factional lines were eve
drawn IN this state was by means OF
a ticket all along the line"
The Tribune is unfortunate in be-
ing published outside of the state and
therefore likely to suffer from lack
OF information. 1t does not know that
Mr.. Branson was one of four men who
organized Dawson county for the in
surgents as far back as 1905 and that
he has ever since helped them to
fight their battles. 1t does not know
that Mr.. Branson really began his
fight in the 1905 legislature, where,
as chairman of the committee on APP
preparations, he refused to allow the
Northwestern railroad to put through
a 100000 steal under the guise of
capitol improvements and thereby
Was formally and in SO many words
given notice by the leader of the or
ganization that from thence forth
he would be as a. stranger to them,
II does not know that Mr.. Branson
put his heel upon a scheme to dump
a very respectable sun of graft into
the lap of one of the powerful lead
ers of the state at that time. 1t does
not know that the opposition went
so far as to offer Mr.. Branson n bride
of 100000 If he would but accede
to the program that had been mapped
out. II Mr.. Branson were in any de-
gree a trimmer, the fact would have
developed at that time when the gov.
eminent of the state and the party
machinery were all in the hands OF
the old organization, against which
he planted himself squarely and un-
hesitatingly in that contest. None
know better than those who
have been against Mr.. Branson tina
he can fight, that he "an fight hard
and that he carries no white flags in
80 h{e, ,,rn1ra - 1vN,t NJ tnV L ~ wv nnn Snh n
knows Mr.. Dranson and his record
knows hat he is incorruptible, that
he is fearless and that he is a genuine
friend of POPULAR government. Fur
thermore, he is known to be eminent
~ fair and charitable and hat is
why he is not now disposed to take
after the former stalwarts of the dis
trict with a club, just because he was
against them in the long fight in this
state.
The Tribune, however, not know.
ing fully the political history of the
state and being particularly unfamil-
lar with Mr.. Branson's record because
he Is not the kind to shout about
himself from the ho%usetops. attempts
to say that Mr.. Dillon is the progress
sive candidate in the First district.
But the Tribune does not explain
why Mr.. Dillon spoke against and
worked against and voted against
the anti-discrimination law. the most
important antitrust legislation ever
passed by South Dakota and adopted
for the purpose Of putting an end to
the practice by great %monopolies OF
underselling independents in order
to destroy them and then advancing
their prices to extortionate figures.