Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1908-03-26

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Legislation is good one-for the
railroads. The populists were ia
control of the Legislature of 1897
1898 and had the power as shown
above to pass railroad measure ia
the session of 1895 1896, but all
Legislators look alike to railroad
lobbyist. On Saturday a gentle
man who occupied the position of
clerk of the committee on railroads
during the session of 1901 was
asked 'are you going up to hear the
speech" and answered mo, had |
not heard Mr.. Crawford so often
plead tn cause of the Northwestern
road before the committee, | would
take more stock in him, but when an
endeayor was made to lower the
passenger rate from three cents per
mile, he eloquently aid emphatically
declared that instead Of lowering it
it should be raised TO four cents as
railroad travel at three cents was
not compensatory. Therefore | do
not take any stock in his assertions,
at present"
Now this is not written in heat
nor in passion, but as long as Mr.
Crawford takes the stand that he
does and poses before the people as
the apostle of railroad reform, it is
but just that the people be informed
of the truth of the matter. 1t is
due to his efforts as a lobbyist more
than to any other cause that rail
road reform has not been accomp-
lished long ago, nor is it accomp-
lished now. Why it has not, can
only be answered by Mr.. Crawford
himself With clear working
majority in the legislature it was
possible for the insurgents to pass
any measure they so desired. The
efforts of Mr.. Crawford to place the
blame upon handful Of stalwarts
in the legislature are pitiful and
beneath the dignity of a Governor
OF great state. At the opening of
the last legislature, the stalwarts
were openly tainted with their
helplessness and in the files of the
Webster World of January or Feb
ruary, 1907, will be found state
ment that the stalwarts cut about
as much figure in the legislature as
cipher with the rim kicked off.
And now we have the spectacle of
governor playing the baby act by
saying it was the stalwarts. Nor is
this all. Has Mr.. Crawford actually
severed his relations with the North.
western road or with A. G Johnson's
no matter how he may use his name
in his speeches9 IL is an open fact
that whenever there is gathering
of insurgent leaders at Huron, there
will be found Johnson's private
car and that this road is heavy
contributor to the Crawford cam
paign fund is undisguised. When
the rate bill was under considera-
alton during the last legislature a
bunch OF railway magnates came to
Pierre from Chicago and were late
one night gathered in the Owl res
taurant evidently awaiting some
one. About midnight Gov. Craw-
ford rushed in and up to their table
and in loud whisper said: Gentle
men, everything is coming our way
all right" An insurgent member
OF the house sitting at nearby
table heard this and while the
remark may have been innocent, it
was a noticeable fact that this man
left Pierre stalwart and is today
fighting Crawford. Now there is
not one fact in this article which is
not susceptible OF the strongest
proof; not one item which can be
denied. Governor Crawford goes
before the people asking for their
suffrage with an address made up of
half truths, a species of deception
which is the hardest to combat.
When a speaker reads of list Of
stalwart members Of the legislature,
combines with it the names of few
democrats, the total comprising a
minority of the house and asks you
to believe that this minority was
responsible for the defeat of any
measure, what are you to believer
II is nothing but political pettifogg.
ing and an insult to thinking hear |