Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1908-04-30
INDICTMENT
CONDENSED
Charges That We're Formally Brought
Against Crawford Many Weeks Ago,
Eut Not Yet Answered by Him

Coe I. Crawford, in his speech ac
cepting the nomination for the terri
torial council at Harold, October 4.
1888. pledged himself to the following
platform resolution:
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 bib by the terms OF
which the Northern Pacific was re-
lieved of paying taxes on vast hold
ings of realty. The record of Mr..
Crawford's vote may be found ON
pages 160-61, council journal of pro-
ceedings. The vote was cast March
5, 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 land grant, voted
against the antitrust bill. as shown
by the council journal, pages 1855.
The same bill came before the South
Dakota senate in 1890 and Senator
kittredge voted for it and Mr.. Craw-
ford again voted against IL (See
page S14 of the senate Journal
IL riol
by unanimous vote, repealed the
gross-earnings law When the rail-
road company awoke to the situation
it FASTENED its lobbyists to BismarcR
and sought to have the law re-enact-
ed. 1t provided a free junketing trip
for such of the members as would
accept its Inequalities. Mr.. Crawford
took the trip. Soon thereafter MY
Crawford voted with the railroad
company, as planned by it's lobbyists,
to re-enact that unjust law. His vote
is recorded in the council journal or
March 5, 1889, pages 760-61.
The last year of Mr.. Crawford's
service as a member of the senate
beard of assessment was one or
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
moved and voted in several instances
for heavy reductions OF railroad
valuations, as clearly shown by the
record of the proceedings of the
board for 1896, pages 46 and AZ. With
in sixty days after retiring from this
public office Mr.. Crawford became
the state attorney for the Northwest
ern railroad.
In 1890 the lower branch of the
South Dakota legislature paA ed a
memorial to congress for consti-
tutional amendment to elect United
States senators by popular vote. 1t
was known as House Bill 38. The
same day March 81 that it passed
the house, it was presented to the
senate and was referred to the com
day it was reported back without
recommendation, and the report was
adopted upon the motion OF Coe L.
Crawford, and the bill was thus put
to sleep. (See senate journal, page.
S21) There was no other vote in
attempt was made by Mr.. Crawford
to have the same Used. This is the
memorial which Mr.. Crawford's
anonymous literature accuses Sem
ator Kittredge of voting against.
During the seven years following
the retirement of Mr.. Crawford from
the state board of assessment and
before the board to ask for reductions
in railroad assessments, or to prevent
material increase of such assess
ments. His position as former
of the board necessarily had
weight in considering railroad I.alua-
tions, for his own record as Hnm-
Der of the republican party and Nice
holder under it was in line win his
pleadings as railroad attorney and
lobbyist. And yet Mr.. Crawford
seeks to create the impression that
valuations for the purpose Of
taxation were determined by Senator
during all those years.
Coe |. Crawford voted against the
bill ito establish and maintain
Soldiers Home in the Territory Of
Dakota" The proceedings Nh re-
45O-54 of the council journal ofNSS9.
In 1885, Abe Van Osdell intro
duced q bill to require railroads to
nay taxes upon their lands the same
as ordinary persons were required to
pay. namely, upon their assessed
valuation. The bill was defeated and
It gave rise to general discussion.
law passed the lower
branch of the territorial legislature
only to meet the fate Of being alb
on its way to the upper
branch. This set the praries OF the
afire with agitation. and as
a result legislative conventions ad-
opted resolutions demanding equal
taxation. The convention which
Mr.. Crawford at Harold,
October 4, 1888, passed a similar reso-
luton. The legislature which con-
sened In 1889 unanimously repealed
The law on January "a Forty days
Pacific had provided great free
trip, Mr.. Crawford voted to
re-enact that vicious law His vote
Is recorded ON pages 760-61 of the
council journal.