Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1915-01-13
RICHARDS PRIMARY
Law SLAUGHTERED
BY VOTE IN HOUSE
Fall of Peoples Choice Statute
Came Suddenly Result of
Attack BY RuhIman of
FauIk.
ONLY ONE VOTE OF mo"
Standpat Leaders Had Changed
Front on Measure Once So
Pleasing to Them-Vot-
ers Likely Pleased.
ONLY ONE VOTE OF "M0"

Pierre. S. D.. Jan. 9.-Although an
eruption had been predicted and ex-
pected. considerable stir was created
IN Legislative circles yesterday after
noon when Representative Il. +. Ruhl-
nan, of Faux county, presented Il ieso-
tuition in the house for the repeal of
the Richards primary law. The reso-
luton denounced TIL. measure in scalh-
ing terms and asked for the designa-
st1tute primary law.
In order to avoid giving undue Of
Tense to the statesman from Huron. the
critical references We're stricken from
the resolution and it was then Wiped
with only one dissenting vote. Pro
vldln2 merely for u committee to pre-
pare Il measure to be submitted to the
legislature as II substitute for the pres
emit primary law. Representative Blake.
or beaGle county. a personal adhcrent
of r. O. Richards. was the only dis
sentins vote to the resolution.
Once They Liked 1t.
When the Richards law was enacted
IN 1912, il rather appealed to the stand
pat crowd. Ii was a change. anyway.
They had been put to rout under the
former primary. consequently they con
WINGED themselves the new measure
must he Il distinct Improvement. The
new law wa highly commended in tha
;tandpat press and it's author would
have secured the nomination of t:lat
faction for governor at the state l,ro-
posal meeting in January. 1914. except
for the fact that Charles H. Burke re
fused to accept him for a running mate.
Anon its other freak features, the
Richards law heapeh legal humiliation
on the outs" by compelling them to
adopt the designation of minority
faction, Il poo, foundation on which to
c0nNllIcn tho hove nI.ar fta .cfntn fbof
we are the ones who will knock down
the peTsimmon." The absolute require
ment for two factions of a. party has
been a constant annoyance to those
who would feature their talents as
Harmonious
tanned from various sections Of the
state, through members of the legis-
%lature. it is claimed hat 80 per cent
of the voters of South Dakota favored
wiping the Richards law from the
statute books. The law was enacted,
In the first instance, by direct vote of
the people-who had little idea what
they We're adopting.
Those members OF the republican
state committee who met here Wednes-
day evening We're unanimous i'm urg.
ing the repeal of the measure at this
Legislature. leaving the courts to de.
termine che legality of such action. A
committee of five was named to work
with the house n senat committees
in drafting Il substitute measure. j. T.
Lockhart and 7. IS. Roberts. of Pierre;
c. b. Powers, of Chamber!ain: DR.
Lamb. of Mitchell. M II. l.. Macay
of Lyman county. are the members ol
the special committee.
There is a peculiar feature to house
Joint resolution No. /. introduced this
ate by Labrie, Of Sphinx county
The resolution memorializes congress
to restrict tine export of arms and am
muniticn. but the strange feature is
that The author of the resolution is q
full blood Frenchman and halls from
county with a large French settle
ment. In response to a personal in.
quiry. he admits that his sympathies
are with the allies. now in control OF
the seas. n declares that his reso.
luton Is inspired only on general mora
grounds.
House joint resolution No. 2. b,
Jacobs. of Brown county. also makes 8
special plea to congress for enforce
ment Of American neutrality and give,
commentator to the BartEold resolu.