The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1908-04-30

4T 4NOO0E W. WOnQOI t1l6JW lucy W&nk
no invidious comparison, v e of
the present!
THAT .sEcRET COMPACT
A friend who recently heard n Of
MI. Crawford's speeches, writes q
follows:
Mr.. Crawford is again talking
about the secret compact, but he
q not produced the proof which he
says his friend, Gamble, has found at
Washington. He was challenged by
r. s. Person more than two months
he says Is in existence, but he asks
the people to take his unsupported
statement Notwithstanding MI. Per-
sons denial and challenge. It must
be apparent to all that Mr.. Crawford
does not intend to tell the truth about
this matter"
Perhaps the particular ..proofp
which Mr.. Gamble has run across is
in the form of a letter from Mr..
Crawford, extracts from which were
printed in the WATERFOWL Daily Pub
lie Opinion not SO very long Ago..
In 1896. after serving in congress
for q number Of years. Major John A.
Picker declined another nomination
In order to stand for the senate.
Crawford was nominated to succeed
Picker, but both Picker and Craw-
ford were defeated. Picker then
sought the Office Of commissioner Of
pensions. but, failing in this. he want
ed to be appointed commissioner of
Indian affairs. In this he was like
wise disappointed. AS a last resort
he asked that his former private sec
rotary. LII Bailey, be appointed to
q land Office position at Huron, and
the question was referred to MI.
Crawford, who protested in the fol
lowing language:
Major Picker has received numer-
U n long continued honors from
The republican party. Before the adj
mission Of South Dakota into the
sition as special agent Of the Interior
department. From the beginning Of
statehood in 1889, continuously to the
4th Of March, 1897, he was one OF the
congressman from this state. MI.
Bailey vas for four years the occu-
pant Of one of the land Offices at
Pierre, and he had a good clerkship
at Washington during the last con
gress and up to recently"
But Mr.. Crawford didn't stop with
this much of a protest. He went q
step further, in which he disclosed
SAS AAASSA4OAN La NV oO0S0 E4C1 Liz
disposition of the federal patronage.
Here is another paragraph from the
same letter:
Mr.. Kittredge, national committee
man; Mr.. Gamble, who was a candi-
date along with me last year for CON
gress; Mr. Elliott, chairman Of the
state central committee; Mr.. Rings
rud, republican candidate for govern
or last year, and myself, all Jointly
endorsed two gentlemen for the POI
sition OF register and receiver Of the
United States land office at Huron.
places r G. A. Blake. editor of the
washington Times, at Washington,
and John Westdahl Of Huron. They
were agreed upon by the above named
parties as q personal favor to me and
for the purpose OF harmonizing, as
far as possible, two factions in Beadle
county"
But Mr.. Crawford continued a little
further, showing other reasons for
carrying out the understanding:
Il protest against any change being
on as, to these land ofices. for the pur-
pose of making a place for Mr.. Bailey.
: AS I reside in this county and
expect to remain here permanently.
and have been identified with the ar.
rangement of the land Office here, l
do not think 1t will be fair to me at
all to interfere with them now"
The two gentlemen named in Mr..
Crawford's IeLLer as having been
agreed upon were appointed, proving
that the compact between the persons
named (Kittredge, Gamble, Elliott,
Ringsrud and himself) was carried
out in every particular.
Commenting on Mr.. C%rawford's du-
plicity in seeking at this late day to
hold Kittredge wholly responsible for
the disposition of federal patronage.
when as q matter of fact, MI. Craw-
ford was q member of the quintette
which dispensed it, the Watertown
paper, in reproducing Mr.. Crawford's
letter, concluded its remarks as fol-
lows:
$50, it appears from these signed
statements set forth by Mr.. Crawford.
that the things which he has recently
been so strenuously denouncing, were
put through at his special interces-
sion. although Major Picker has al
ways held Mr.. Kittredge responsible
for the defeat Of Mr.. Bailey. and in.
this contention he has been outwardlv
supported by the present governor.
who has presumably been laboring
under the delusion that his written
protest against Bailey's promotion to
the place would never become known
to Major Picker and his friends. It
Is simply a case OF rduplicity on the
part of Mr.. Crawford, and will no
doubt be q revelation to Major Pick
Ter"