The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1912-09-05
'S|LSBY DECLARES
PRESTON IS ACTING
WITHOUT FAIRNESS
Taft Man Comes Back
at Elector in Hot
Letter
QUOTES PoRTlA
PORTIA
That Preston Is Guilty
of Violation of Golden
Rule
The following open letter to MI. H.

| nave Deen somewhat amused al
your attempted reply to my question
II want to cast a straight republi.
can vote. ] desire that when so cast
it shall be counted just as l intend
it, and that vote to be cast under and
in harmony with our laws governing.
Can you tell me how to do it?"
Your answer is to vote for the
Bull Moose" electors. You knew
when you made reply that you were
begging the question. You knew that
you Bull Moosers" had suggested
issuing the %"little" ballot" because
YOU KNEW that unless you stood
%squarely for the, 9republican ticket,
and il elected. voted for William
Howard Taft, for president, the nom
inee of the republican party, you were
stulifying yourselves, and robbing
the republicans of this state of their
legal right, under IL laws, to vote
a straight republican ticket.
You and the men united with you
realized all this; and thought to
throw sop" to the republicans with
your proposed little ballot; that
had no standing in law, justice or
equity. You abandoned it only be-
cause the utter dishonesty of such a
proceeding was too apparent, and in
eliminating evidence that the "Hol-
Ter than Thou" party was engaged in.
Quotes Golden Rule.
You we're willing to be the bene-
ficiaries of stolen goods-as evid-
enced by the 'LaFollette-Roosevelt"
ticket you put through in the primar-
les. You are now anxious to reap
further benefits by filching from IA
great party it's birthright, and yet
have the temerity to say: mo sub
sequent action of any one makes Mr..
Taft's nomination less odious. If Mr..
Taft was the recipient of a tainted
nomination at Chicago, and the re-
of this state failed to
pledge him support at Huron, his
nomination is now no less tainted"
Are we to understand that because
some question the nomination of Mr..
Taft at Chicago, that "nO subsequent
you may take is governed by
the Golden Rule?
If he stole a nomination. does that
justify you in stealing from a great
party it's lawful rights?
There are many who believe that
the institution of some two hundred
fake contests. intended solely to mis-
lead the people into the belief that
Taft was stealing delegates, consti-
tutes about as grave an offense aga
inst decency and good morals as is
possible, and certainly a System"
never invoked before; but the great
Thou Shalt Not Steal did just that
and many other equally reprehensible
things that could be nomed. But If
your statement above italicised is
your golden rule, you will of course
approve it all, and it were worse
than useless to attempt to open your
eyes to the real meaning of that great
and immortal classic.
Roosevelt Out of Party.
Roosevelt has boldly declared that
"he has left the republican party
Dixon, his manager-until displaced
by Perkins, the unsavory organizer
of the Harvester Trust-stated en-
phatically that the new party, the
progressive party, had dissolved all
relations with the republican party"
and yet you tell me that if l want to
cast a straight republican vote,
must vote the Bull Moose" ticket.
Ye gods! Il.
Now / am not a lawyer; ] do not
represent the great Harvester Trust,
or any of the big corporations in this
state, and am probably very obtuse;
but if | we're nominated as al elector
on the republican ticket, and did not
intend voting ,for republican presi,
Dental nominees, if elected, / would
align myself squarely and fairly with
the candidates / intended supporting
and go before the people with
clean skirts, and ask their approval
In the present case you should be
the candidate of "the progressive
party" and of the Harvester trust.
What would you say, Mr.. Preston
if a set of electors chosen by the
proeressives, casting their votes fol
Eugene Debs? The very mildest tern
YOU would employ in denunciatior
would be that they were untrue te
their party. I should, and kno"
VOL, would; with several strong adj
ect:ves to clinch the statement. Ant
still you are claiming that you are {
republican, and do not intend te
vote for the nominees of the party.
In Portals Words.
i respectfully refer you to tn
| charge and verdict rendered by Por
tia in Shakespeare's great drama
THE Merchant of Venice Part o
which 1 quote:
TN which predicament. I say. tho
standest:
For it appears by manifest proceed
ing.
That indirectly, and directly too,
Thou hast contrived against the yer
life of
The defendant. and thou hast ir
The danger formerly by me rehears
Down, therefore, and beg mercy {
the Duke" (Republican party
I also again refer you to u Sa'
ior's statement. that Those VIII
are not for US, are against u.s." Ar
III know that you know that in assun
r ing your present position you are n
following the Golden Rule, and d