The Wagner post. (Wagner, Charles Mix County, S.D.) 1912-current, 1912-05-24
Inside Report OF the Mitchell
Meeting-PettigreW Ex-
posed As Party
Enemy.
CALL SENT OUT
Aim OF Johnson Democrats Il
To Free Party From Bosses
Az Explained By One OF
Them.
Special Correspondence to The Sioux
City Tribune.

Special Correspondence to The Sioux
City Tribune.
The dispatches to the outside papers
covering the meeting of the democratic
state committee held at Mitchell on the
second day of May did not tell the in
side story Of the situation in the ranks
OF that party.
The meeting resulted In the complete
and flnal separation OF the young. pro-
gressive democrats Of the state from
the old leadership under Pettigrew.
wickhem, Bowler and Lee. Heretofore,
and for years Pettigrew has been
served by the young democracy. head
cd by Ed Johnson, and others, who
have responded to his every call with
fortitude and loyalty seldom
equailed. but these young democrats
have determined TO- mobilize their
racy which shall mean something bet
ter than subserviency to q few out-of-
date leaders who have managed and
still desire to manage party affairs for
their personal ends. Lex was the Idol
Of his young element In former years
because they believed him sincere. but
within the last three months he has
been first for Bryan, then for Wilson
and now, a. a result Of q midnight
trade with Pettigrew, has become q
Clark candidate for delegate. His
vacillating attitude appears to have
lost him the confidence and respect of
those who were his former friends and
surrender to the dictation Of Pettigrew.
brought about through his ~unaccount-
able conversion to the Wickhem-Bow-
Ter faction, and agitated by his ambi-
tion 70 become United States senator
n Pettigrew Is chosen q member OF the
Clark cabinet, "a placed him firmly
Psttiurew Called the Meeting.
The committee was called together on
paid for the 18th hour kilograms sent
out by Chairman Lyons. Pettigrew had
neglected to make arrangements TO get
D set straight Clark delegates filed,
presuming that he could command
either block OF delegates previously Sc
manded that a preferential primary OF
the democrats be called TO settle the is
sue between Wilson and Clark. This.
however, was q makeshift to save Lee
the humiliation of Topping. for 1t Is
well known that before h committee
meeting was called Pett.grew a the
pledge OF Lee to flop to Clark IL the
committee failed or refused to fur
nisn the former governor a means Of
escape from the fatal mistake of de-
clartng for Wilson before he had heard
from the boss.
On the floor during the committee
meeting Pettigrew placed himself and
the power OF the Hearst political ma
chine with Its money, literature and
speakers on the auction block by de-
claring twice that he would support
the delegates who would Will
son for Clark. It is doubtful II a more
brasen piece OF political merchandise
Ing was ever before witnessed. It was
not done with the expectation that the
, Wilson men would come to him, for
Pettigrew himself was responsible for
tho inception Of the Wilson movement
In South Dakota. He wrote letters to
J many of his old cupporers. after his
visit to Wilson last November extoll-
Ing the virtues Of h New Jersey gov
ernor. and expressing qualification that
his old friends In South Dakota had
taken up Wilson's cause. Later he
suffered q change of heart at the call
OF Hearst. His discovery Of Wilson'S
alleged unf1tness wal an after thought
Tor 70 does little credit to his intelli-
gence to say that he was not familiar
with Wilson's writings and speeches
tention to support Wilson. No sooncl
had he taken his Job with the Hearst
machine h he began q campaign In
/ South Dakota for an uninstructed dele
cation to Baltimore. AZ the Pierre
conference his strikers worked consist
may be explained by the fact that
Pettigrew for the asst eight years has
been Hcarst's walking delegate. An un.
Instructed delegation from South Da-
kota might therefore mean Clark. II
Hearst desired It. or Hearst himself
n that were wanted. but 1t would be al
all times q trading delegation to b<
sn>A Hnr patfi0raw ana thn Hearst mo