The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1914-04-16
RICHARDS ON
THE PRIMARY
DECLARES III WAS PERSONAL
CONTEST AND LEAVES NO
CLEAR ISSUE FOR THE
NOVEMBER ELECTION

Huron, S. DR.. o. Richards, in
dependent republican candidate for
governor, today, gave out tho follow
ing statement with reference to the
result of the recent primary election:
Il have no complaint to make as
to results of the primary, as to my
self. The t%reachery of certain pre-
tending friends in the minority pro-.
posal and the unkihd things Said Of
me by opponents are forgiven and for
gotten. s94g a.,
My interest in public questions
Will continue. l believe. however, that
progress in state government first
requires making the government leg
ally clean and responsive to the will
of the majority. Great, danger .epns
fronts us at this time ID Ne lc6nttdda
to organize our government by MIN
orlty rule, as a result of too many
political parties. Also if our method
OF organizing through parties does
not sift the wheat from the chaff In
men and measures. The end of legal
order is only attainablc through good
VIII, safety and equity in promoting
education and the interests. of all
kinds of labor.
II tried to present my platform
and candidacy in a spirit of good will
and truth, and refrained from an
pealing to prejudice against any in
dividual or property interest. My APP
peal to the public conscience and
mind of the republican electorate ar
oused about 10000 volunteers to
vote their convictions.
MY platform contained but two
planks: abolition of the spoils sys-
tcm,' II the dual system OF taxa
tlon,' based on a tax on income and a
tax on land, exempting all improves.
ments and personal property from
ulrect taxation, which is the logical
beginning of the real progressive
movement.
The spoils system in organization
OF the party and state government
must first be eliminated in order to
make it possible to start n merit sys-
TEN of public questions and effect real
progress in state government. A gov
lernment organized In corruption will
always breed corruption, no matter
who is elected.
No state leadership, within the
minority or majority, developed
strong enough to force an issue on
any public policy. Safe and able lead
ership is necessary to progress in POI
%litics. The primary campaign was
largely a personal one. Therefore. 1t
could result in but personal victory
to those whe were nominated. No
specific public policy was determined
upon for the benefit of the people.
Consequently, there will be no para
mount issue to settle between the
parties at the fall election, because
as we seed at the primary election,
we harvest Mt the fall election. Per-
sonal contests will never create issu-
les for public policies. The platforms
of the minority and the majority, In
the primaries, were scarcelyyreferred
to by anyiof the candidates, except az
II explained my platform. 1t was a per
JsplnRl contest. The spoils system won.
Intrigue and Misrepresentation d by
juggling with figures and facts, con
stituted the stock in trade of the ma
jority in defense of increase IN taxes,
as well as an excuse for the blunder-
ing acts of the tax commission. The
hordes of state appointees, including
the chairman OF the state tax com
mission, took an active part In the
political campaign in direct violation
OF good ethics and statutory law. The
correctness of compared official tax
figures, obtained from state and coun
ty auditors, which l published, was
freely denied by the speakers for the
majority. Claims were also made by
the speakers that the 1913 state tax
levy was adequate to pay ALL state
L QYnnnQno and h. 1onvo N c,,rrI.e FA~
1914. Yet no sooner was the primary
election over than the state admins
tration issued 100000 Of interest
bearing emergency warrants payable
April LIST, 1915.
The republican vote cast was very
light. Tie candidate for governor. was
nominated by less than one-third Of
the registered party vote. The major
lty proposal, much of which lie thoro-
ughly bad, became the regular repub-
Elican party platform. Planks 13 and
rs are cheap bids for votes. Planks II
and Is are positively reactionary, be.
cause they are not sound. Planks ~
and ~ are conflicting and imprac.
teal on their face, and expose q lack
of understanding of the fundamentals
in taxation. Political parties are main
tanned to promote sound public pol.
icies. The truth must not be suppress.
ed for the sake of organization in a
political way any more than in relig-
lous ways. Plank 49,, calling for the
repeal of the present primary law, be-
fore it had been tried, (while the ptin
ciples OF the same are being proposed
for adoption in other states) and
without having anything better. to TX.
fer. seems toftend toward chaos"
WEBSTER TO VOTE 0N