The Madison Daily Leader

GEO. ROSKIE
Former Madison Citizen Gives Straight Story of Meetings

Brookings, May 31.-Under the head of 'Made a Hit at Elkton,' the Argus-Leader of the 25th devotes about 4 columns of its valuable (?) space to an article on Elrod's speech at Elkton the day before; and also takes occasion to make a series of gross misstatements about the Vessey meeting held at that place the week previous. I want to state if the only basis the fellow who sits behind a pine topped table down in the Argus-Leader office and writes his "specials" from all over the state, has for his articles as meetings like the one at Elkton he ought to get out of Sioux Falls and run right down to Willie Hearst and get a job his size; for real, lurid, sizzling imagination he has got any of the Hearst editorial gang pushed right off the aeroplane of nigh-flying mental gymnastics.

I was at the Elkton meeting of Governor Vessey and sat on the stage with the other candidates and had a good opportunity to count the crowd and to estimate their vocations, and wish to state that the house was filled and extra benches provided in the rear; the audience was a good representative crowd and comprised beside business men and townspeople many farmers of my acquaintance who had driven in to hear the speech.

I was also at the Elkton meeting of Mr. Elrod and sat in the crowd and talked with several men of my acquaintance; pretty nearly the entire state and county ticket accompanied Elrod into the hall, but neither Mr. Elrod nor any of the candidates went upon the stage, they stayed right down on the floor with the "common people," and being quite numerous they helped very materially to swell the "vast concourse of people."

I undertake to state that Elrod did not have half the people in his audience, cutting out the candidates, that Governor Vessey had; as to a great number of farmers rushing up to Elrod after his speech and wringing his hand as the Argus-Leader stated they did, there was not half a dozen farmers in the crowd; and his 'touching remarks to the "Old Soldiers,' wherein he worked himself up to the verge of tears, fell upon the ears of but one solitary old veteran, and he was such a hardened old insurgent that they never fazed him.

As I stated before, if the Argus-Leader has no more foundation for its home-made 'Specials' than there was in the Elkton article, then the Elrod boom in this campaign is veritably and literally founded on "hot air," and the people of this state have in the Argus Leader "specials" been treated to as monumental a dose of "bull-con" as was ever handed out to a long-suffering and unsuspecting public.

Very truly yours,
-Geo. W. Roskie.