Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1908-03-06
FLYING BRICKS

political career of the eX-boss of South
Dakota. Senator kittredge. when he
has been compelled 10 buy his railroad
tickets for rides to all IChits where
his fences have fallen uy~N. Thanks
be TO Governor Crawford and the peo-
pies legislature of 1907!
l found the following ~.tty-3;a, COM
ment On kittredSe's spee"'- &c Mitch
ell quoted III a paper 4 re- re oIaer
day. 1t strikes lie as L.l1-e to The
very point: Is
w nave e the speech OF Senator
kittredSe delivered az Mitchell. and
we must CONFESS mat We were very
mucn disappointed. We had expected
u dignineu, constructive n statesman
like document, Dul found nothing but a
string OF sweeping uenlais 10 a career
OF bosSlSm BY, OIL and lor h corpora
tionS, too wei known TO be denied by
anybody. Stanolng before the par or
puDllc opinion, MI. klttredSe pieaus
gullIy to Iissiecled opportunities, ana
PROMISES, II elected 10 allotner term 10
the Senate, that he VIII give 10 us a
2-cent railroad rate in TINS state! 1hat
is craftsmanship Tor you! Our present
railroad commission mas fun power TO
establish a 2-cent rate, under all act
passed by the IaSt legislature. kltt-
redSe is too late. Even II he should
be sincere in his CONCESSIONS to be good,
MS pdSl record is against AiH- boS
he is not sincere. Under the primary
he is at bay, and his present cam
paign is noLnl:iS put u well organized
persecution as vile, foul and lli-smetilnS
as "a against the man, VINO, with
the people or this state. stripped him
of free passes, caueuses, mpa con-
trihulionS and all the rest OF lhe po-
litical parapnernaiia OF a corporation
boss. His Mitchell speech is a con-
teSsion OF defeat"
When the peoples legislature of 1907
passed a law abolishing the use of rail-
road passes ana telegraph n teie-
phone and express franks, the very not
bed of political corruption in its most
vulgar form was eliminated from South
Dakota politics. 1t saved our judges,
state ofnCialS, senators ana congress-
men from the overlnasterIng tefnpta-
ton OF accepting a bride. while II de-
prived all POLITICAL bosses OF their main
source OF ~corrupting the public. For
eXacting this law alone, Governor
Crawford n his state administration
should be carried on the shoulders OF
the public in triumph, iiguratively
! speaking. The following incident illus
trates lucidly the tremendous Import
ance of this act:
"A farmer in Kansas had a case
against the y, 7. & Santa Fe rail-
road, for the burning up OF his barn by
a spark from one of its engines. He
F. hppSdl GU III COuIl, lS July was III
paneled, and the opening statements
made, when court adjourned for the
night. AT the hotel in the evening, he
heard the attorneys discussing the fact
that the judge held q pass on that rail-
road. The attorneys for the company,
however, were explaining that this pass
was not given for the purpose of influ-
encinS the court; that it was just a
courtesy; that the court was too high
minded to be influence by such a thing.
| NJ 4 r O., no trtA~0I IN 4 4 a~l tho.
next morning when he went into the
court DOM, he sent up to the judge a
little envelope containing a 500 bill,
and little note. saying: With compli-
ments of the plaintiff The judge
opened it and was angered at once. He
raped vehefnently on the bench and
asked the plaintiff to rise and aid to
him: Sir, did you SEND me this
money! The old farmer said: I
wasn't trying to bride you. Did you
not read the note contained in the en-
velope with the money? 1t said that
was merely the compliments Of the
plaintiff. / thought you were a man too
honorable to be possibly influenced by
such things and l can see no harm in
expressing to you my respect and adj
niration in this manner The court
became very indignant and said: I
feel that l ought not to try your case.
That I ought to dismiss 1t or refer IT to
some other judge, and that / ought to
refer this matter to the grand jury.
1.-The old farmer said: lar Honor,
| hope you win not do that. / really
meant no harm. But, by the way, your
honor, don't you have in your pocket
The judge said, Yes, sir We'll.
suppose So Well. now. your honor,
didn't mean any harm. I just wanted
10 come into this court on equal terms
with the defendant. l wanted to show
you that I was just as good a fellow
as they are"
The most side-spiitting joke in this
whole campaign is the story which the
iiscredited stalwart politicians are cir
rulating over the state to the effect
that Governor Crawford and the last
state board of assessment favored the
Northwestern railroad company in the
way of taxes. / never had a better
laugh in n campaign for years gone
by, and / pass the joke around as it
will drive away all blues as by magic.
In 1906 the property of that road in
The city of Huron, where Governor
Crawford lives, was assessed at $13, 93l,
and in 1907 at $102,1 19.
And after having studied very care
fully and tabulated the figures from
the annual reports of the state auditor
Tor the last 10 years, ! find that the
railroads of South Dakota during this
axes to the tune of $3.50, 900 per year.
Or a round sum of S2;5Q0,00 for the last
10 years! No sooner had Governor
Crawford and his board of assessment
investigated this big railroad graft be-
lore they placed their properties on an
equal basis with all other taNablesbrop-
srty in the state. Do you wondef whv
The railroads are fighting Governor
Crawford in this campaign?
My persona! friend and fellow towns
nan. Professor Chas. E. Holmes. of
Sioux Falls, made a speech at a big
rally in Aberdeen. Brown county. that
must have been a '.corker." Well.
Holmes went after hittredge in a way
hat struck home He knows kittredge.
Holmes does, has known him intimately
,or many years. 1t came in a hot tor
,ent of truths. convictions and Just in
me eloquent. learned and polished
speaker. | am sure my readers will en-.
oy a quotation or two from this mas
.erly address. Here is one:
MI. kittredge advances nothing pos
I~ltive-nothing that is not under sus-
picion-nothing that is not prompted
of necessity to save himself from de-
ieat. He is long on professions OF
faith just now. He's for Roose-
5elt, a 2-cent fare. with an
.lause (the emergency has arisen for
he senator) freeslumber, tariff revision
and anything to get the coon. Why
1 he could get the farmers votes, he
would declare for n law to make hens
ay two eggs a day n COWS have
wins; but why in the world, after a
dozen years control of his state and
six years in the Senate. hasn't he ac-
,omplished some of his faith with
good works?
Who. now, will stand up and gain
say Professor Holmes in this sarcastic