The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1913-12-11

The present primary law was franz
ed to meet conditions which were as
sumed to be inherent in the party !
rather than incidental to the old fac
tional descriptions of 1906-'0S-'1n,
and to cnre patent defects in the law
which it superseded. Under the "di-
vine primary act which it was trea-
son to oppose in former times, the
vital principle OF representation was
ignoder and it was customary for a
handful of interested politicians To
nominate a ticket which it was also
treason" TO oppose.
There are some good features in
lthe present law; there were few in
its immediate predecessor; and a dis
tinguished and active politician in
the northern part of the state, a man
who has held an important state Of
flee, is now an orthodox progress
sive" in good standing with the cult
originally known as '.insurgents',
and a supporter OF Gov. Byrne for re-
nomination, recently declared it to
be his 'honest opinion that the old
honest caucus law ESQ called, was
the best primary legislation the state
has ever had" But "a condition, not Il
theory confronts us. The present law
is an improvement on it's immediate
predecessor and If internal party con
ditions are to be eternal and continue
Internal, perhaps il is good enough.
In fact. wouldn't any law, or no law,
be good enough" for a party that
has behaved as republicans have be
haved in recent years in state and
f%hation?
/ 'uNlz,a T.. 50. 1..,l =. .,a.I 1A,:.@ -.
the part of the great mass of republi-
cans in the state, to repudiate- the
leadership of the extremists in both
factions; but possibly the situation
is resolving itself into some such con-
dition as confronted the party at Chi
cago last year when a great majority
of the delegates, while eager to cliln-
innate both Taft and Roosevelt, ycl
found themselves impotent, as they
Thought. to perform the act necessary
to effect the successful consummation
OF heir desires.
1t is possible tina the party in
? South Dakota win permit itself. in its
determination to unload Crawford,
to be drawn into Il struggle similar
to that into which Tart plunged the
: national party last year? If Taft had
" Z SIStS III MO u " ~
nomination, and had announced in
. s%easonable time that he would not be
a candidate, there would have been
no Roosevelt hat thrown into the
ring. and the party would have nom
mated "A candidate at Chicago who
would have had a united party back
of him in November. What happened
everybody knows, but many very in
II f011iDauf nnrSnnZ. dn mt Cppn tn haNl
| grasped clearly the fact that the pri-
mary cause of Roosevelt's entry into
the race for the republican nomina-
ton was the determination of the
masses to eliminate Taft as their
party leader. They turned to Roose-
welt because they believed him to be
the one man who could rally the OPP
position and defeat the combination
) bent upon putting Taft over History
may repeat itself in a smaller a
this year in South Dakota.
When Mr.. Burke eliminated him
self from the political situation last
September, it was up to Mr.. Crawford
to emulate his example. In that case
both men would have shown equal.
sense OF the fitness of things and
come to the aid of the party in
stead of asking for further honors
from 1t. AS it is, Crawford, like Taft
in 1912, has persisted in his selfish
demand and the natural consequence
is the inquiry for Il man Ito beat
/ Crawford" just as last year there was
the inquiry for months prior to
Roosevelt's entry, for a mar ito beat
Taft" Instead of being engaged in
pulling chestnuts II of the fire for
Mr.. Crawford or any other Chronic"
, republicans should be free to prose-
cute their inquiry for a man of Sen
atorial stature who can be depended
) on to represent them faithfully and
we'll in the United States Senate.
If the present mussed up state of
) affairs continues much longer it will
not be inconceivable that the recent
warning by the Vermillion Republic
lean may prove prophetic. But is there
lno way to stop this mad race to Ger
tain destruction? Must the republi-
cans of South Dakota go the whole
Journey with Crawford as the nation
al party did last year under the Taft
leadership? IL the factionists are not
to be permitted to lead the party to
destruction, o halt to their mac am
bition must be called quickly. There
is yet time for sober reflection to
devise a way of escape from a SEN
seless conflict which is enormously
supposed to be inevitable under the
Orchards abortion" as somebody
has been unkind enough to christcn
the present law
When the proposal committee meet
in January at Pierre, the salvation
of the party will be IN their keeping
to a large extent and they will have
plenary power under the law to act
for the good of the whole body of re-
publicans instead of in the interest of
the few irreconcilable factionists. Az
ter they organize let each committee
appoint a carefully selected "har-
mony committee to meet in joint
conference for the purpose of work
ing out a plan of procedure by which
the self-destruction of the party may
be averted. The c%onferees could de-
wise some method which would meet
the approval of a majority of reason
able men in both proposal commits
tees, by which the party could be
spared the necessity of a knock-down-
and -drag-out fight in March. All of
tho audidatpc for minor placeS on