Saturday news. (Watertown, S.D.) 19??-19??, 1915-03-18
Shall the People Rule il this State
OF Shall the Party Bosses Dictate!

Or Shall the Party Bosses Dictate!
Ccondinusd from page oneo
istMutionsy Provided that no more than I'VE per centumg OF the qualified
ELECTORS Of the state shall be required u invoke either the initiative I'll the
lature Of 2 member hereof The right = propose any measure The veto
power Of the executive shall not be exercised IS to measures referred 70 the
people 4 n The enactIng clause q all laws approved BY vote Of the electors
% the state shall be: ne # enacted by tnv people Of South Dahota' /. \ \
Adopted at General Election in 1872
AT the November election in 1912 there was submitted 70 the people under
t ae initiative provision. e primary Law. known known g. the Richards ha Primary Law.
The people adopted this law by about $4,000 majority II became the law Of
the state. AT the general election id 1914 another primary law. known as
the cofey Law, was submitted to q vote Of the people for the purpose of re.
pealng the Richards Primary Law. This lcofeyJ bill was defeated BY about
last two general elections. the recent legislature deliberately repealed the
primary law enacted BY the people. This action was insatgated BY the poll
TO retain the spois system. The legislature. " q trick, attached the emer-
gency clause ITO their measure, thereby denying the people 9 vote on the
The Potential Facts
Without going into the merits II dement's of either primary law, the po
higher power than that given q them 81 the constitutions d the people. II
such an act viii be countenanced. BY the Supreme Court o. this state. then
line oont,nHop psIps onx ras a'a ws p csmas' = to- restore yu at j. ~ an nat. 81 tba
government to the people, because it has all been nsnrped BY the officials
The Motive Behind the Scheme.
Having been on the ground and having witnessed this unlawful attack
motive behind the act and to state the facts. With the exception of 4 few
members ii each house. mostly democrats. there seemed to prevail 9 hendish
visit to Pierre early IN January. ] talked with the lieutenant governor and
primary law should be amended. but all were agreed that it needed amend.
nent. At that tim. no one talked about repeal Of the Law. Later. however,
the Richards law. It is really amusing to note how short sighted they really
were for the reason that the law which they did finally enact was discarded
by the people in 1912 and again in 1912 large maiorbies. Nevertheless
It IS thrust down your throat again and the question is asked, What are you
going to- do about H2
The Machine Got Busy
In their eagerness to repeal the Richards law the machine stopped at
nothing to accomplish their purpose. Appropriations, general and special
were held up; members of the house were coerced into voting with the admin
isration. to repeal the law which the people had enacted, on pain Of losing an
appropriation for an institution which was situated in the county which such
members represented. The machine made no pretensea at all. They were
brazen il theirsthreats and succeeded, only aHerindulging in such malicious
practices, II eireuHnsenting the constitution and the rights IT the people. BY
lacking on the emergency clause to prevent the question being submitted to al
vote Of the people. II was this emergency clause feature which wa most
istrenuously fought by the defenders q the peoples rights they emphaticaNy
objected tohavng the referendum privilege denied, especially as IL affected
Ia law enacted BY the people. II was clearly shown that no emergency e1l
listed. as by the very terms Of the bill which, they sought tosenact the. laWJ
could not so into operation before January 1, 1916. while il the bill passed
without the emergency clause, t would automatically become q law N July
Il, 1915; but most Of the members of the legislature were defiant They were
bent on carrying out the orders Of the machine and to hell with the const-
tuition were the words they used:
Backed by the Attorney General
Senator Mclean, of Day county, showed mi a letter which he had receiv1
Led from the attorney general in which he, the attorney general vouchsafed
1.-THE right OF the legislature to commit this crime upon the people. Thus, the
de about IT? a constitutional power which tn people reserves q them
selves has been wantonIy stamped under foot and political chcanery pre-
walls instead. The initiative and referendum is rendered absolutely worth
less and thy politicians nd spolsmen aye enacted iaW nnoer when tneyl
can manipulate things in their own way. in matters Of party government we
have refrigerated about 10 years and are at the mercy OF the state machine
with their spoIs. unless You do something about IT.
There are two ways by which you can rebuke these lawRss servants:
1st. By restoring the primary law II i amended torn, which you can dol
Fat the next general election by voting YES End. BY defeating for office
lany man who had a hand in the brazena act of usurping your constitutional
rights. if he Isl again q candidate.
@ The Roll Call.
Below will be found the roll call and you can determine for yourself who
were the true and faithful servants of the people;
In the senate, the following are those who voted against the peoples
rights and for the repeal:
#&G. S. Amsdens y. McMaster. a
Thos. H Bnkel. ]. w. Peckhan.
Il. VI. Erickson. Fred b. Stiles.
u. j Kuhns. Glen M. Waters.
%. I. Iundly. #@ u Es Ziebach.
q. G. Miller. N. Pin Beebe.
Donald Mclean. w. Fl Brooks.
David Peterson. G.B Howell
u. Il. stephens. Isaac Lincoln.
W. i. yanDemark. Andrew Maryicks