Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1908-04-02

off along the different lines 1t is
no secret that land went booming as
a consequence. Think this over
Mr.. Landowner, and | think you
will agree with me that farm land in
South Dakota would be worth from
three to five dollars more per acre
under the old free pass system. To
be sure the railroad would not have
profted quite as much, but it would
have been fair compe tition. The
governor iD his address at Webster
on the 2lst tries to excuse the
repudiated promises of passenger
and freight rate reduction by laying
it on the few stalwarts present at the
10th session of the legislature. 1t
certainly makes me smile when we
think of how the insurgents joked
us as to our small number not
being able to do any thing. This
accusation of the governor would
seem all right as joke between
common citizens, but to come from
a big governor, it borders on ridi-
culousness and he might know we
would not stand for such misrep-
resentation. He puts considerable
stress on the stalwart votes killing
senate bill No. IA. The senate bill
he referred to was a coupon book
scheme of 500, 1000, 2000 mile
limit for two cents per mile while
local rates were to be two and one
half cents. The best authority we
could consult in the house said the
bill would he unconstitutional, as no
two rates could be established on
the same bill. Mr.. Price, of Yank-
ton, an insurgent, who is said to be
the father of the reform movement,
voted with us with other insurgents
against the bill, believing it to be a
trick to kill rate reduction. The
insurgents who voted for this bill
voted against the fiat rate % cent
bill, WHICH without question would
have given us reduction in go days
and no one could have served an
injunction on it either. The gov
ernor never mentioned this bill. 1t
was on the vote on this rate measure
that the sincere insurgent members
commenced to spy the coon in the
railroad woodpile. 1t was too plain
and as Mr.. Price, of Yankton, an
insurgent, to whom all parties
looked for fair advice and counsel,
said, "a man would be blind and
fool who couldn't read between the
lines" Ii was evident that Mr..
Crawford did not reduction,
neither did the railroads, and now
Mr.. Voter did you get it? The
governor intimates in his remarks
that next term the insurgents will
fix the rates all right, l presume he
means for the railroads again. This
reminds me OF representative by
the name of Olson, who sat just in
front of the Day county members.
He was an insurgent of the pro-
nounced type and had quite a fol-
lowing, as he seemed to be quite
sincere in his reform efforts. In
the beginning of the session he
poked considerable fun at the stall
warts, / told him / was as much Of
reformer as he was, but didn't
believe a railroad administration
would reform against its own inter-
ests. He poohpooed the idea and
said this is not a railroad admin
stration. just asked him to let me
know when he came to the same
conclusion l held, and after they
turned down the a cent fiat rate bill
he came to me and said "you are
right about the railroad business
and we meaning his colleagues) have
had enough of this kind of reform"
Also another insurgent by the name
Of Scott told me he was through
with them. He said the other morn
ing the governor was sent for by
telephone to come down to the Owl
restaurant and meet three railroad
officials from Chicago. He said
when the governor arrived he pushed
his head between theirs and said
Everything is coming our way all
right" A number Of the insurgent
members had an awakening. met
a number of the insurgents Of the
house as stalwart delegates at
/ Hf.x~Loll