Saturday news. (Watertown, S.D.) 19??-19??, 1912-02-08
Representative
Cha.. H. Burke

Aberdeen Daily News The News
believes the republican voters Of the
second congressional district Wa.
return majority for Representative
Charles H. Burke, at the June pri-
maries, proportionately as large as
that given ham by the state at large
in the primaries of June, 1910. MIR.
Burke's qualifications for the position
he has filled SO acceptably for the
past twelve years are so generally
known that the only question regard
ing his nomination is the size of his
majority.
Western states, until recent years,
have not used good business judg-
ment in the selection of their repre-
sentatives in congress. A business
man who has an efficient and industri-
Gus employe does not dismiss him for
trivial cause. or none at all, when
ever new applicant for the place,
full CT speCious promises to perform
the duties of the position more capa-
bly,, asks for the place. The bust
ness man realizes that experience
counts fer h, and acquaintance
ship counts for much and does not
readily dispense with the services of
man who has made good" for a
new and untried employee.
Many western states, in selecting
their senators and representatives,
however, worked on a different the
ory. They have changed representa-
tivcs frequently. At one time, in Ne
hraska, ii was the custom to elect a
man to congress, and if he made a
fairly good representative, to give
him a second term as a sort of reward
of merit. But the Nebraskans were
as firmly opposed to third term for
a congressman as William Jennings
Rryan is oUpCsCd to a third term for
Theodore Roosevelt. The eastern
tatCs knew better than to follow the
nracti"p Of the west. When they
found 4 good man, they kept him in
congress year after year, term after
'erm,, for twenty, twenty-five, thirty
wears The business of congress is
Conducted H'""et entirely by commit
tees. Committee assignments are
based on seniority of membership. A
Few congressman is given the most
undesirable and least influential com
mittce places, and has to work his
way up. The older members have the
Ch0iCe plums, the p,aCCS where they
are hest situated TO serve the inter
csts Of their constituents. OF recent
years, however, tho newer states
have taken a hint from the practice
Of the older states and as a cOnse-
Qucnce, it is comparatively rare oc-
currenCe that senator or represen-
tative who gives reasonably good SER
vice, and looks after the interests of
his constituents with reasonable de-
gree of diligence, is defeated for re-
election.
South Dakota has been an eXcep-
ton to most states in the manner
in which it hos continued to return
its representatives to congress. In
1905, it is true. the voters tried the
experiment formerly so common in
ether western states and retired Re
nresentatives Burke and Martin fer
two new men, untried in national
legislation. but thev fastened to turn
| back to their former tried and true
servants at the first opportunity.
Representative Burke. by reason of
his long service, and of his fine abil-
| itcg. has reached an enviable place
| in the council CT the lawmakers Of
| The nation. In the last congress, Mr.
Burke was chairman OF the commit
| tee on Indian affairs. one of the very
| imnoTtant house committees, ami es,
pecially important to South Dakota
IN the present congress, with its dem
ccratic majority, Mr.. Burke is the
ranking republican member of the
| committee.
The News hasn't the faintest sus.
picion that the voters of the second
district have any intention Of repeat,
ing the folly the state at large was
guilty of only six years ago.