The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1914-04-23
BULL o o MEETING
Continued from Page Two)

Only by a sudden turn in the trend
Of the affairs of the convention was
the determination reached not to name
state or congressional candidates. E.
L. Sem, of Deadwood, the center of
the fight in the convention and leader
of the opposition to the plans of the
provisional committee, demanded a
roll call on the question of making
nominations, and by "a credentials
vote of all the accredited delegates
based on the republican vote in 1912
won by the margin of 10,017 to 8,871.
With this showing of strength by the
Sem delegates the meeting closed
with the vote to limit the tenure of
office of the executive and central
committees to the holding of the next
convention.
G.. c. Van Metre, of Murdo, vas
named chairman of the party execu-
tive committee, and l.. H. Jones, of
Huron, secretary. The other mem
bers are John Sutherland of Pierre,
Joseph Janousek of Yankton, M. G..
Carlisle of ~Brookings, w. F. Corrigan
of Aberdeen, Oscar Olson of Lennon,
s.. A. Nash of Sioux Falls, George w.
Wright Of Huron and j. M. Miller of
Colome.
The naming of the executive com
mittee by the committee on organiaza.
ton drew the first fire of Mr.. Sem,
With the reading of the report he was
on his feet, denouncing the selection
as machine politics and ammunition
for the opposition Of both the old party
organizations. "This is the rawest
thing l ever saw" said Sem. "Some
of us have come clear across the state
and to have this put over has put the
progressive party into the hole. With
any political acumen the convention
would reject this action"
The attack drew a rejoipder from
Chairman Van Metre, who declared
that the executive committee had been
named only upon consultation with
representative delegates. ut is only
a STEP" he said, "as we have no legal
standing in South Dakota and cannot
gain a place upon the primary ballot
for two years, at least"
Dn.aI,t;nn. odaptaI h, Tho copuAr
ton called attention to the Panama
canal tolls policy of the progressive
party, condemned democratic extrava.
gance in congress; supported equal
suffrage and the national prohibition
amendment and declared for a dis
tinct party organization. 1t specift
cally denounced the republican and
democratic senatorial nominees as out
of sympathy with progressive ideals
BY the original draft Of the resolu
lions senatorial candidates were de
nounced as handy errand boys for the
corporations, but upon the plea of Mr.
Sem this was eliminated. A portion
of the resolutions characterized Presi
dent Wilson's course On the canal tolls
as cowardly also was removed from
the adopted report.
In the debate on the question o.
nominating candidates at the present
session Mr.. Sem declared that the
small attendance at the convention
was not entitled to the right of thi!
function and that only disaster would
result.
o. s. Basford, who led the fight To-
nominations at this time. declared tina
Senator Crawford could be persuaded
to enter the race for senator in view
of the precedent set by Col. Roosevelt
at Chicago two years ago.
The appearance Of Herbert KNOB
Smith, former commissioner Of col
porations, on the evening program
was q minor event compared with tn