The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1913-07-24
'BYRNE POURS COLD
WATER ON MEETING
OFFS, D,%REPUBL|CANS
Sees No Occasion or
Authority for Sioux
Falls Conference.
FACTS MIS-STATED
Declares 1t Untrue That Re-
publicans Have No Party
Organization in State.

out the following statement in regard
to the mass meeting called for Sioux
Fails on the twenty-fifth instant:
No, 1 shall not attend the So
called republican mass meeting at
Sioux Falls. | was not consulted in
regard to the call, having known
nothing about it except what | was
in the papers, and know of no reason
for such a meeting as this purports
to be at this time.
Understand me. l say nothing
against those who may care to attend
this meeting. To fashion a call, even
after the pattern of the one in ques-
ton, is more amusing than reprehen-
slble. | would say nothing in criti-
clsm OF a meeting called frankly, in
good faith, to promote %favorite poll
cies or candidates. But why should
these men, who, with one or two
possible exceptions. opposed actively
the republican party in the last cleo
ton, now to call a meeting
in order that the policies of the
party may be definitely determ-
lned,' without even consulting those
elected by the party to responsible
positions, and by it entrusted with
party leadership? 1t can only be on
the theory that those, including the
central committeeman elected by the
people, have no authority, while self
constituted leaders have.
Charges Falsehood in Statement
Since my attention has been di-
rected to it, l have read the call with
some care and interest. While it is
quite s%killfully drawn, yet the pur-
pose is apparent, and it's statements,
and more especially its implications,
are false. 1t opens with a statement
that there is no authorized organiza-
ton of the republican party in the
state, which is absolutely false.
While it is true that the present
state central committee has no legal
authority to perform any of the acts
required by the new primary law to
be performed by a committee to be
named later, and while it may. or
may not be true that it has no legal
authority to do any legal act, yet it
is the representative organization of
the republican party. elected in the
regular way. All members of the
county committee in each of the coun
ties and each county member of the
state committee having been elected
by popular vote at a legal primary
election, it is unquestionably the
properly constituted, representative
organization of the republican party,
through which it's affairs are to be
transacted until the new committee
is organized under the Richards pri-
mary law Why, then, should these
men, who so earnestly sought to de-
feat the party at the last election,
call a meeting based on the state
ment that the party has no author
lied organization in the state? The
party having no authorized organ
ization,' these people propose to fur
nish it one. Such an one, when thus
furnished, will, l suppose, havelegal'
authority, and, because named by a
few high p~rivates and would-be lead
ers, will be more authorized than
the committee elected by the mem
bers of the party.
Republican Officials Not Consulted.
I'm a closely contested primary
election last June the republicans of
SHS q SGilldAodIC "
governor, candidates for congress,
offices, all of whom were elected by
the people of the state at the fall
election. 1t is unreasonable to assume
that by nominating and electing
these men the republicans of the
state entrusted them not only with
official responsibility, but to some
extent, at least, with party RESPONSE
bility as we'll? Yet so far as l know
not one of these thus selected by the
membership of the party were con-
suited in regard to calling this meet
ing for the express purpose of repudi-
ating the authority of the regular
party organization.
II am today in receipt of a letter
from III Ernest Jackson of Dallas,
dated a couple of weeks after the
call, inviting me as an individual to
attend the meeting. This same Jack
son has at various times lately been
quite active in attempting to con-
troll republican politics in the state,
his every effort being repudiated by
the people. In a closely contested pri-
mary l vas selected by a substantial
AAoJOAISy " II AlCAlOCIo VI Iuc It.
publican party as their standard
bearer for the highest office in the
state, and the question naturally oc-
cuse to me: What right has this man
Jackson, without consulting any one
clothed with authority by the mem
bership of the party, to call a meet
ing for the express purpose of re-
pudiating the regular party organiza-
ton of the state, and then, when he
has his little meeting cooked and
primed, ready to touch off. patroniz-
ingly invite me to come to see his
show?
81 also have copies of other letters
written by Jackson about the same
date, to different people in the state
inviting them to attend. From one of
these / quote the following: The
absolute success, in fact, the entity
of the republican party depends en-
tirely upon an early . meeting of
republicans at this time
Party Success in 1912.
SsTI,o nav rak,,vollv, o,s-D. ~. -