Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1908-03-26
Thursday, March 70, 1908.

Listening to the speech of Cover
nor Crawford, one cannot but admire
the supreme audacity Of the man.
Treating OF the railroad question, he
said: "Now here is fact number
three, that during that time for ten
years from 1897 to 1907, not one
single law was passed in South
Dakota affecting, restricting, super
vising, limiting in the slightest
degree public service corporation.
Not one. Not one in that long
period of ten years passed through
the legislature of this state and
became law. / have made this
statement before every audience |
have addressed, that if you find one
single law that has affected a rail
road company, an express company,
a telegraph company or telephone
company, if you can find one, big or
little, will resign as governor OF
the state ana withdraw as candidate
for the Unitod States senate. This
sounds very fine, but coming from
Governor Crawford it is the veriest
kind of political buncombe. No
condition could arise under which
he would either resign Office or sur
render his ambitions. To those who
believe MIR. Crawford to be politi-
cal angel, this kind of talk may
appeal; but to those who are familiar
with the political history of the
state and OF the speaker himself, il
actually sounds humorous. 1t may
be fact THAT no such laws exist,
but to whose efforts is such a state
of affairs dueY To answer this, il
will be necessary to delve little
into the history of the period spoken
of and even 60 little beyond. Dur
ing the session of 1886, Day
county was represented in the senate
by j. F. Kelley; in the house by
Peter Holmquist and Jas. German,
none of whom were republicans. BY
one of those chances which occur il
happened that Mr.. Holmquist held
the balance OF power on the CON-
mittee on railroads with whom the
fate OF all railroad Legislation mainly
rests. AT that time stringent rail-
road measure was introduced and
one half OF the committee desired to
report favorably on the same; the
other half were against such action
and its fate rested with Mr.. Holm
quist and il was killed. Kelley and
German were deeply chagrined. At
that time Mr.. Crawford was attorney
general and was later: nominated
for the lower house OF congress. In
the campaign Of 1895 the republi-
cans lost the state by 200,andit may
here be said that at consultation
of the leading republicans of the
state, Mr.. Crawford was a strong
advocate of contesting the election
or as il was said at the time "try
and steal the state" In this he
was overruled by Mr.. Kittredge and
Others who took determined stand
against any such action. Dis
appointed in his ambitions, Mr..
Crawford retired to his home at
Pierre where he had his household
goods packed into car with the
intention OF moving to Deadwood to
follow the practice of law. About
this time, he received a telegram
asking him to make no move until a
representative of the Chicago and
Northwestern railway could reach
Pierre. He reached there, the
goods we're unpacked and Mr..
Crawford had accepted the position
of attorney and lobbyist tor the said
road on a fixed salary. This was in
December. 1895, his duties COM
mencing January, 1897, just at the
time the Legislature convened and
Il the time spoken Of in bis address
= the beginning Of ten years Of
non.railroad Legislation. This posi-
tion he held until he resigned TO-
make The race for governor. He
Md il bis speech that ''the rail-
ronds employ good attorneys. II
bnow, for was one." Here the
venffy Of the man stands out, for in
,()ntttisg what cannot be denied,
y jntim.tes that he was good one.
~ eerisiaIy vas. Any man who
"a 81 Ne US Of unlimited railroad
I. -. - LA ~ nsnortation check for