Correspondence

1 page

H.L. Loucks writes about his misgivings of Richard O. Richards and his views on taxation and temperance. Loucks does not trust Richards and is hesitant to write an article for him that Richards would want published in local newspapers.

TRANSCRIPT

Nov. 14th.

Friend Pettigrew,

Since writing you I have read “Alf. Burkholder” in the A-L. I know that you are not a very close reader of that great educational journal, but I want you to read that article; all of it.

Of course Alf. writes just what he is paid for, and Richards pays that bill. I have had two letters from him lately wanting me to write an article for the dailies on the late judicial decision, but as intimated to you in my last, I had grave doubts of Richards. I will not blindly follow. I am very glad now that I hesitated, much as I would like to give expression to my opinion of the judicial decision.

His position, by any means. Exemption of personal property and improvements is all right, but he should stop there for the present.

But just why he should at this time inject a new idea into the temperance question is beyond my comprehension.

He cannot hope to compete with Egan for the saloon vote, and if he goes into the republican as his late advice suggested, it would easily place him third.

But then comes up another contradiction in which he favors a fusion organization. That would sound like an independent movement.

There is very little in his platform as outlined in that article that appeals to me. He is not a safe leader.

I warned him that injection of new matter in his initiated Bill would endanger the whole proposition, and urged him to make two Bills if he wished to save his primary law, but he would not listen to me.

I think that I will delay writing him until I hear from him.

Sincerely yours,

H.L. Loucks