Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1907-12-06

The LEADER takes pleasure in pre-
senting Governor Crawford's an
as candidate for the
United States senate to succeed Sem
ator Kittredge, which should meet
the hearty approval of all who believe
in government Of the people:
II shall appeal direct to the voters
and accept their decision under the
new primary election law held next
June. If the majority of the votes cast
at the republican primaries held
throughout the state under that law
favors the reelection of Senator Kit
tredge, that will end the matter SO far
as / am concerned. If, on the other
hand. that majority is expressed in my
favor, the members of the legislature
nominated throughout the state at the
republican primaries will be thereby
instructed to vote for and In good
faith to support me as their party can
didate for this high office, at the fol-
lowing session of the legislature; the
obligation to respect the popular vote
being as binding in this case as it is
in the cases Of presidential electors. l
am sure the republicans of the state
will expect public pledge from Sena-
tor Kittredge that he will accept the
decision of the majority at the pri-
maries as binding upon them.
"The real issue in the coming con-
test is not personal. 1t goes far be-
yond the mere. claims of candidates
and involves a difference OF attitude
and conviction concerning certain
principles and certain political meth
DDS and practices.
Neither Senator Kittredge nor my
self has an inherent right to the Of
flee of United States senator or any
other office. Those who insist that L
shall be a candidate are not satisfied
with the attitude of Senator Kittredge
and his partisans toward the reform
measures that have been involved in
political contentious in this state fol
several years. In the sharply defined
issues that have arisen between the
people and corporations, they believe
that the senator and his special politi.
cal friends and lieutenants have been
on the side Of the corporations. They
are not satisfied with the position tax.
en- by the senator and his followers
upon the measures urged by President
Roosevelt, granting power to the In
ter-State Commerce commission to liz
maximum rates for railway corpora
tions in cases where the existing rates
are shown to be excessive and provid'
ing that the orders Of the commission
become effective at once and remain
in force until reversed upon appeal tc
the courts; and upon other measures
urged BY. the president for the super
vision and control of great corpora
tions and trusts engaged in interstate
commerce.
PEOPLE NOT SATISFIED.
"They are not satisfied with the sen
ator's action in opposing the propose
that the physical valuation of the rail
way properties be ascertained by the
government for use in determining the
reasonableness of rates charged BY
them. They hold the senator and his
lieutenants responsible for the abuse
of the power which they acquired in
the party organization and which they
made subseryient to the public service
corporations doing business in the
state.
"They believe that if Senator Kit
tredge is reelected and with his ole
|lieutenants placed In control of the
republican party. we shall go back te
the old political methods; the railway
influence will again dominate the leg
islature and party conventions; the
reform laws passed last winter will be
destroyed by repeal or amendment.
sThey do not believe that the sena
tor is in sympathy with the aroused
sentiment of the people which ha'
checked the political power OF corpor
ations by means of primary election
laws, anti-pass laws, laws making Sc
cret lobbying for corporations and spe
cial interests crime; requiring cam
paign committees and candidates Il
| make public statement of campaign
expenses: prohibiting corporation
from making contributions for politi
cal purposes; destroying the power o
the boss and dfvorcing railway com
panies from politics. Can 1T be sue
cessfully maintained that they hav
no substantial ground for these objec
tions to Mr.. Kittredge as candidate
A brief reference to the record Is no
out of place here. 1t discloses
81. That on April 18th, 1897, sc
cret compact was entered into betwee
National Committeeman Mark Ham
and Mr.. Kittredge, attorney for th
Milwaukee Railroad company, and a
r. IobpSOp tho Uonar21 aponf 0e Tn