The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1912-09-05
DECLARES
PRESTON IS ACTING
WITHOUT FAIRNESS
Taft Man Comes Back
at ElectOr in Hot
Letter
P0RTIA
Says That Preston Is Guilty
of Violation of Golden
Rule
QUOTES PORTIA

llcan today by Gen. Geo. A. Siisby'
nave peen somewhat amused al
your attempted reply to my question:
II want to cast a straight republi-
can vote. i desire that when so cast
it shall be counted just as | intend
it, and thai 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 metropolitan ticket,
and if 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 our laws, to vote
a straight republican ticket.
You and the men united with you
realized all this; and thought to
throw sop" to tho 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 hat the "Hol-
Ter than Thou" party vas engaged in.
Quotes Golden Rule.
You were 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 a
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. Ii Mr..
Taft was the recipient of a tainted
nomination at Chicago, and the re-
publicans 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 mo subsequent
action 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 hat great
and immortal classic.
Roosevelt Out of Party.
Roosevelt has boldly declared that
che 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 want to
cast a straight republican vote, !
must vote the Bull Moose ticket.
Ye gods!
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 / were nominated as an 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 I intended supporting
and go before the people with
clean skirts. and ask their approval
In the present case you should be
the candidate of 1.-The progressive
party and of the Harvester rust.
What would you say, Mr.. Preston
if a set of electors chosen. by the
progressives, casting their votes fol
Eugene Debs? The cry mildest tern
YOU would employ in denunciatiol
would be that they were untrue u
their party. / should. and know
you would; with several strong adj
~ectives to clinch the statement. An'
still YOU are claiming that you are
republican, and do not intend t.
vote for the nominees of the party.
In Portals Words.
Respectfully refer you to tn
charge and verdict rendered by Por
tia in Sh~akespeare's great drama
1.-The Merchant of Venice" Part o
which l quote:
"In 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 il
v CURED
The danger formerly by me rehear'
r ed
v Down, therefore. and beg mercy
o the Duke" Republican party
o I also again refer you to our Sa
e ior's statement, that "Those VIII
are not for us, are against u.s." Al
1 know that you know that in assu1
r ing your present position you are n
following the Golden Rule, and d