The Dakota chief. (Gann Valley, Buffalo County, S.D.) 18??-1913, 1908-03-05
HOW Coo !, Crawford Broke His Sol.
elm Pledge in 1889 and Voted
for n. P. Deal
Changed His Vote in the Same Ses.
sion, Breaking His Promise, and
Giving Weak Explanation
How the Northern Pacific, with CraW'
fOfd'S Help, Avoided Payment
of Just Taxation


can not be denied-for 1t is fact of
record--thate the first thing Coe l.
Crawford did in his political career
was to make a solemn pledge to vote
for the repeal of the gross earnings
tax law, that he was elected to Office
on this platform, that he went to the
legislature at Bismarck, that he broke
the pledge and voted with the rail-
roads, thus giving thousands of dollars
of the peoples money to the North
ern Pacific road. and that thereafter
he became a paid attorney of the rail-
roads in reward for his perfidy. The
story is an interesting one, and every
word of it can be proven by the rec
ord.
In 1888, Coe L. Crawford was NOM
mated for the territorial council in
the Pierre district. He was a young
man who was just starting on his poll
tical career. He was man of promise
and good talker then as now. Sew
eral years before a gross earnings tax
law had been passed by the territorial
legislature. 1t was a law which i'm
posed a tax of two per cent on the
gross earnings of all railroads in lieu
of all other taxes. The law was passed
on the insistence of the Northern Pa
cific road which owned thousands of
square miles of land in the northern
part of the, territory, and under this
Infamous law, the road. escaped tax
alton entirely on all this land. 1t is
hot 10
$780, ,0o0 in those free and easy days
to get the law passed.
The people soon began to realize
that the law was robbing them, and
began to clamor for its repeal. Form
er Senator Pettigrew was one of those
who fought for its repeal in the legis-
lature of 1885. The repeal bill passed
one house but was killed in the other.
THE road bought up members like
cabbages in open market" said Mr..
Pettigrew in speaking of this fight.
BY 1888, the people were desper-
ate, and the fight was made on this
issue The Farmers Alliance became
strong, and 1t was a unit in demand
ing the repeal of this measure. In
Mr.. Crawford's district the sentiment
was strong, and the convention which
nominated Mr.. Crawford adopted this
resolution
Resolved that all classes OF pro-
perty I'm the territory should bear
equal share of taxation"
The convention was held at Har-
rold, Oct. 4. 1888. We have the COM
plete report Of the convention be-
fore us as we write. Mr.. Crawford ac-
cepted the nomination on this plat
form, and pledged himself TO vote for
the repeal of this gross earnings tax
law, which was the only tax discrim-
ination then known.
Read on. friends, this story of per-
fidy and dishonor, for it has to do with
the character of the man who has
been a pledge breaker ever since. the
man who promised TO make good ap-
pointments and who made bad ones,
the man who promised economy, and
gave waste, the man who pledged
South Dakota stone for the capitol
and who is building it out of foreign
stone, quarried and trimmed by for
eign labor, the man who promised
square deal and helped defeat the in
terest bill, the man who talked against
railroads as a candidate, and who
has favored them as governor, the
man who signed "a patronage deal,
worked under Ii, secured appoint
ments under il, and who now repudi-
ates IL. Remember that ii was his
first appearance as a statesman, but
that the character he displayed then
Is unchanged today. The facts we give
are from official records.
Mr.. Crawford went to Bismarck, the
capital of the territory. He was flush
ed with his first political victory The
second measure and the first bill in
troduced in the council was to repeal
this infamous law. Every member of
the council (the territorial senate)
voted for repeal. 1t then went over
20 the house and there IL was also
repealed by unanimous vote So far
SO COED: but READ ON.
The railroads then got busy. The
Northern Pacific invited all the MEM
bers of the legislature to go on a
junketing trip to Helena, Mont AT
THE EXPENSE OF TF e ROAD A
number OF the members refused to GO;
Mr.. Crawford went. Tie newspapers
OF that time tell about the high old
time which was enjoyed on North
ern Pacific money.
When the party returned from
Helena, council bill No. 140 was In
troduced. This was bill to RE-EN-
ACT. word for word. the law which