The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1908-05-21
ny Of Attempted Land Grating BY Coe. /.
Crawford is Laid Bare.
Evidence Indicates That Crawford Is Also Guilty
Of Subornation Of Perjury.
He Induced Young Men to Violate the Homestead
Laws Of the United States.
POLICIES.

ROOSEVELT POLICIES.
The people of the whole country un,
derstand what has come to be known
rs the nRoosevelt Policies, /" one Of the
most conspicuous Of which, aside from
the railway rate legislation, has been
= determination to put a stop to the
stealing of the public domain, the pur.
pose being the preserving of the re
naming public lands for honest home
seekers and home-builders. Many land
grafters have been placed behind prison
bars, though some, through the influence
Of wealth or political considerations,
have managed to escape conviction,
either by preventing indictments or by
fixing juries or bribing witnesses.
CRAwFoRD's LAND GRABBING
SCHEME.
A case that has attracted much motor
iety involves no less a person thar the
present governor of South Dakota, Mr..
Crawford. The facts in his case are
fully set forth in a speech by Con
gresham Mann of Illinois, published
in the Congressional Record of March
18, 1907.
On July 1, 1901, Mr.. Crawford took
the following oath:
81, Goe I; Crawford. of Huron. 5, p,
(homestead) application is honestly
and in good faith made for the purpose
Of actual os settlement tie ssnee and d. c anv a1hen
shas I wis Rlffrfa aieheu IF e sad honestly s ,en1
a ments Of ef fi am as w To .e att time rsaq re.i-
Hence and cultivation necessary to &C
quire title to the land applied for:
perssn, evaporation or syndicate in
making UGH entry, nor in collusion
s Sinate a e I pses4 them ,s-o the beneft of 81 sy fhe
Land entered, or any part thereof; that
I do not apply to enter the same for
that 1 have not directly or Indirectly
made. and will not make. any agree
ner, with any person. corporation or
syndicate Whatsoever by which he
title which I might acquire from the
tnure, in whole or in part. to the bene-
fit of any person except myself
will any n believe that Mr.. Craw-
ford ever intended to remove from
Huron to the land entered as a home
stead in Walworth county?
At that time Nj. Crawford was the
salaried attorney and lobbyist of the
Northwestern railroad in this state. He
was living with his family in Huron.
To comply with the requirements of
law. sshonestly and in good faith as
to settlement and residence he had
to move upon this land within six
months and with his family live there
on out among those whom he after
wards called undesirable neighbors.'
Voters of South Dakota, when he,
with up1ifted hand, solemnly swore be-
fore God that he would do this, did he
intend to do so? Was he honest, or
did he, with perjury in his heart, in
tend to defraud the governments
BUT WORSE YET.
But, eliminating this phase of the
question and leaving it entirely with
Mr.. Crawford and his conscience, the
worst feature of Mr.. Crawford IS whole
land transaction in this case lies in
The fact that he deliberately induced
CCItdll yOul1S nlCA \OllC VI IN "Ao
\ minor) to violate the spirit of the
acquire title to adjacent lands. Mr..
Crawford knew the contents of a home
steader's oath in fling on government
land. He had lived in South Dakota
many years, had himself taken the
path, and was we'll aware of the pro-
visions of the land laws to prevent
ero,,l E H. l;ro1 fhnco yro1nr. n q n
Gle on these lands, and each HAD to al
lege, upon oath, that he took the same,
not for the benefit of Mr.. Crawford
or any one else, but for actual settle
ment.
Read the following afidavits of two
Of these Young men remember that
they were friends of Mr.. Crawford,
lived at Huron, and. despite Mr.. Craw-
ford,s pleading with them when the
Crawford case was under investigation,
rs shown by the report of Special
Agent McEniry, they refused to com
nit further perjury to saw Mr.. Craw-
ford from disgrace), and then say who
Is guilty of a miserable Plot:
THOMAS H. THoMPsoN's AFFI-
DAVIT.
County of Beadle. state of South Da-
Thomas n. Thompson. being first
y / am % years OF age, having
been born June p. 1882; am clerking
i mems clothing store In this city
/ n the fall Of 1903 Julian Blount. who
or. in Huron, 6. D., came to
ne and asked me If / did not wish 70
20 with him and take up a claim !
ssled him "Where.'' and he rep1edI
in Waiwortfl county" He told me
,onld make 500 for my tgh and naSe
Ill my expenses paid; that II / Iook sns
Slain Mr.. Coe /. Crawford woulo PIN