The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1908-05-21
PLEA OF GUlLTfHbf||
ATTORNEY ERICSSON
Regent Erickson Virtually Pleads
Guilty to Indictment
Against Crawford
To the Argus-Leader

To the Argus-Leader:-
In this mornings Press, Mr.. Err
icson pleads guilty to the charges I
Contained IN the indictment against
role of pleading for mercy for Fla
client when asked by the court (the
yiters) Have you any legal eause To
show why the Judgment OF the court
should not be passed upon you?', by
saying, that others did The same.
not on trial. The pubic will take
care of their cases whsn they come
before it. He does not cite a sinuie
instance where Of ..ne others had
pledged himself as did his s~elfcon.
1essed client.
Nj; Ericsson is 2 good man. He
ist.ation: Nevertheless he is liable
to mistakes the same as other men.
He says, Frank A. Morris. late sur
yeyor general" changed his vote and
cites page 931 OF the House journal
as authority This is the record: ..Ab-
nett. Lillibridge. Norris" While /
do not think this misstatement was
Intentional it is strange that Mr.. Er.
icson should have said just before
his charge against General Morris:
"Of the two members from CraW.
ford's district Lillibridge Of Sully did
not vote, being excused"
Morris absence is noted in the
same printed line. / was a seatmate
of General Morris during both SEES
sions of 1887 and 1889 and I know
him n / know that he would have
had his right hand cut off before he
of the Northern Pacific from taxa
ton.
Mr.. Crawford's explanation for
changing his vote for a law unconsti-
tutional, unfair, nefaricus, because
the board of trade of Pierre asked it
against his express instructions CON
tanned in the Harold platform on
which he vas elected; second, it was
at Lest but the expression of a very
few of his district men, and thirds
because he gave a false a when
sion I have from my district on the
subject"
The board of trade Of Pierre! A
great source upon which to justify a
vote against ones judgment, espe-
cially when that vote conferred up
a privilege that was unlawfgul.
Mr.. Ericsson complains of mud
singing Who inaugurated it? Who
started in to build upon possible ru-
ms caused by indiscriminate and in
- 4 Va co ~ AS ANtoG
never had recorded (saye to change
it) but one vote on the side of the
people and against corporations?
Who has said that one man (and he
his opponent) has controlled for the
corporations aHthe state legislatures
from 1897 to 1907? Anyone but
| Crawford? Who has entered a plea
| OF guilty and asked for reward upon
his hare statement of sanctification
but Crawford? Who has said that
when others did what he has done
for years it was against the masses
but that his doing it was blameless?
No one but Crawford. Is this hy-
pocrisy?
l challenge an instance where Sen
ato7 Kittredge has used mud to ce-
ment his case. His addresses have
fed. He has employed o of the
"muck-rake" tactics of the sanctifed
one. His friends have simply UNI
masked the slanderer who has posed
as a perfect man. He is proven when
naked to be tatooed from head to
foot and the voters realize this.
The stalwarts have cas- to thank
Mr.. Ericsson for his plea OF guilty..
Crawford's silence has been SO con
lie confession. Will the public re-
tire a good man to make room LOT
one whose extenuation for guilt Is
that Others were likewise guilty..
The same plea was doubtless antlcl.
pated in the s.land grab" case, But
the governor escaped that although
a clergyman without a political pun
is now serving time for a IKE o..
tense. The issue is hypocrisy, against
trustWorthiness. The Verdlct VIII
be rendered June s. 1908; :
"A Legislator of 'S9.