The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1908-05-01
INDICTMENT"
CONDENSED
CHARGES That We're formally Brought
AGAINST Crawford Many Weeks Ago,
Eut Net Yet Answered by Him

Eut Net Yet Answered by him
Coe /. CrawfeNl. IN his speech ac
ceptins the nomination for the terri
tcrial council al Marrold. October 4.
1883, pledged i,smsclf to the following
platform resolutions
"Resolved, That all classes Of pro.
perty in the territory should bear
equal share OF taxation"
He went back on that pledge. went
back on the platform. and went back
on the convention which nominated
him, by voting for the iniquitous
gross earnings bill, by the terms of
which the Northern Pacific was re-
lieved of paying taxes on vast hold
ings of realty. The record Of MI.
Crawford's vote may be found ON
pages 160-61, council journal of pro
ceedings. The vote was cast March
s, 1889.
According to the official record Of
the proceedings Of the territorial
council of March z, 1889. Mr.. Craw-
ford, two days following his vote to
exempt from taxation every alternate
section of land embraced in the Nor
thern Pacific and grant. voted
against the antitrust bill. as shown
by the council journal, pages 1856.
The same bill came before the South
Dakota senate in 1890 and Senator
Kittredge voted for it and Mr.. Craw-
ford again voted against it. (See
page S14 of the senate Journal.)
In 1883, the territorial legislature,
by unanimous vote. repealed the
~gross-earnings law. When the rail-
road company awoke to the situation
it hastened it's lobbyists to Bismarck
and sought to have the law re-enact-
ed. 1t provided a free junketing trip
for such OF the members as would
took the trip. Soon thereafter MIR.
Crawford voted with the railroad
company, as planned by its lobbyists,
to re-enact that unjust law. His vote
is recorded in the council journal Of
March 5, 1889, pages 760-61.
se Ths last as a ye ngm 81 M IF t Ggav ssnats
beard Of assessment was n Of
especial subserviency to the interests
of the railroads. Mr.. Crawford was
present at the meetings of the board
only when railroad assessments were
under consideration, and then he
for heavy reductions Of railroad
valuations, as clearly shown by the
record of the proceedings OF the
board for 1896, pages 46 and Al. With
i'll sixty days after retiring from this
public Office Mr.. Crawford became
ern railroad.
IL 1890 the lower branch of the
South Dakota legislature passed a
memorial to congress for a constl-
tutional amendment to elect United
States senators by popular vote. 1t
same day March g that it passed
the house, it was presented to the
senate and was referred to the com
nlittee of the whole. The following
day it was reported back without
asop9sa ppon The and motion the lre 81 . was +
Crawford, and the bill was thus put
to sleep. (See senate journal, page
S21.) There was no other vote in
the senate on this memorial, and no
attempt was made by Mr.. Crawford
no naSa i'e s Which pASs Mr.. t craw L sTs
ator Kittredge of voting against.
During the years following
the retirement OF Mr. Crawford from
the state board of assessment and
equalization, he frequently appeared
in railroad assessments, or to prevent
material increase of such ASSESS
ments. His position as a former
member of the board necessarily had
weight in considering railroad valua-
lions, for his " record as a mem
holder under it was in line with his
pleadings as a railroad attorney and
lobbyist. And yet Mr.. Crawford
seeks to create the impression that
railroad valuations for the purpose of
taxation were determined by Senator
Coe I. Crawford voted against the
bill ito establish and maintain a
Soldiers Home in the Territory of
Dakota" The proceedings with re-
gard to this bill are found on pages
In 1885, Abe Van Osdell intro
duced a bill to require railroads to
nay taxes upon their lands the same
as ordinary persons We're required to
pay, namely, upon their assessed
valuation. The bill was defeated and
TWO ea years later a bill to repeal the
gross-earnings Law passed the lower
branch of the territorial legislature
Only to meet the fate of being alb
~st1acted on its way to the upper
branch. This set the prarleS Of the
Dakotas afre with agitation, and as
a result legislative conventions adj
opted resolutions demanding equal
taxation. The convention which
nominated MI. Crawford at Harold,
October 4. 1888, passed a similar reso-
luton. The legislature which con
vened in 1889 unanimously repealed
the law on January "a. Forty days
later. on March s., after the Northern
Pacific had provided a great free
junketing trip, Mr.. Crawford voted to
re-enact that vicious law. His vote
is recorded On pages 760-61 of the
council journal.