The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1908-05-01
THAT "SECRET COMPACT"

A friend who recently heard one of
Mr.. Crawford's speeches, writes as
follows:
Mr.. Crawford is again talking
about the secret compact but he
has 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
ago to produce the evidence which
he says is In existence, but he asks
the people to take his unsupported
statement notwithstanding Mr.. Per-
sons denial and challenge. 1t must
be apparent to all that Mr.. Crawford
does not intend to tell the truth about
this matter"
Perhaps the particular proof"
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 a number of years, Major John A.
Pickler declined another nomination
In order to stand for the senate.
Crawford was nominated to succeed
Picker, but both Picker and Craw-
ford We're 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 asst resort
he asked that his former private sec
rotary, l.. H Bailey, be appointed to
a land office position at Huron, and
the question was referred to Mr..
Crawford, who protested in the fol
lowing language:
Major Picker has received ume
ous and long continued honors from
the republican party. Before the ad-
mission of South Dakota into the
union, he occupied a good salaried 20
sitlon as special agent of the interior
department. From the beginning OF
statehood in 1883, continuously to the
4th OF March, 1897, he was one of the
congressman from this state. Mr..
Bailey was for four years the occu-
pant of II 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 a
step further, in which he disclosed
the arrangement in the state for the
disposition OF the federal patronage.
Here is another paragraph from the
same letter:
Mr.. klttredge, 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 DO
sltlon OF register and receiver of the
United States land office at Huron.
h gentlemen endorsed for these
places are 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 a personal favor to me and
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
made in the arrangement agreed up
on as to these land offices. for the pur-
pose OF making a place for Mr.. Bailey,
AS | reside in this county and
expect to remain here permanently,
and have been identified with the ar
rangement OF the land Office here, l
not think it will be fair to me at
all to interfere with them now
The two gentlemen named in Mr..
.rawford's letter as having been
upon were appointed, proving
that the compact between the persons
named (kittredge, Gamble, Elliott, |
Ringsrud and himself) was carried
gut in every particular.
Commenting on Mr.. Crawford's du- |
plicitv in seeking at this late day to
hold Kittredge wholly responsible for
the disposition of federal patronage.
as a matter OF fact, Mr.. Craw-
ford was a member of the Quintette
dispensed it, the Watertown
paper. in reproducing Mr.. Crawford's
letter, concluded its remarks as fol- |
$50, it appears from these signed
set forth by Mr.. Crawford.
hat the things which he has recently
oeen SO ~strenuOusly denouncing. were
put through at his special interces-
sion, although Major Picker has al |
ways held Mr.. Kittredge Responsible
or the defeat of Mr.. Bailey, and in
his contention he has been outwardly
supported by the present governor.
Who has presumably been laboring
the delusion that his written
protest against Bailey's promotion to
he place would never become known
o Major Picker and his friends. 1t
S simply a case of duplicity on the |
,art Of Mr.. Crawford, and will no
ioubt be a revelation to Major Pick
err"