Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1908-03-06
BRICKS

$500 - NNS AA9N
political career of the ex-boss of South
Dakota, Senator Kittredge, when he
has been compelled to buy his railroad
tickets for rides to all points where
his fences have fallen down. Thanks
be TO Governor Crawford and the peo-
pies legislature Of 1907.
/ found the following editorial COM
ment on Kittredge's speech at Mitch
ell quoted in a paper 1 read the other
day. IL strikes me as being to the
very point:
I'VE have read III speech of Senator
kittredge delivered at Mitchell. and
we must confess that we were very
much disappointed. We had expected
a dignifled, constructive and statesman
like document, but found nothing but a
string of sweeping denials to a career
OF bossism by, of and for the corpora
tions, too we'll known to be denied by
anybody. Standing before the bar of
public opinion, Mr.. Kittredge pleads
guilty TO neglected opportunities, n
promises, IL elected to another term to
the Senate, that he Will give TO us q
2-cent railroad rate in this state! That
Is craftsmanship for you! Our present
railroad commission has full power to
tablis q 2-cent rate, under an act
passed by the last Legislature. Kilt
redge is too late. Even If he oul
be sincere in his confessions to be good,
his past record is against him. But
he is not sincere. Under the primary
he is at bay, and his present cam
paign is nothing but q well organized
persecution as vile, foul and ill-smelling
as Hades against the a who, with
the people of this state, stripped him
OF free passes, caucuses, campaign on
trihutions and all the rest of the po-
lNflrnl no nc nhnFn l. ~ n ion
boss. His Mitchell speech is a IN
fessioE OF defeat"
When the peoples legislature of 1907
passed a law abolishing the use OF rail-
road passes and telegraph and tele-
phone and express franks, the very hot
bed OF political corruption in it's most
vulgar form was eliminated from South
Dakota politics. 1t saved our judges,
state officials, senators and congress-
men from the overmastering tempta-
ton of accepting a bride, while it de-
prived all political bosses of their main
source Of ~corrupting the public. For
eXacting this law alone. Governor
Crawford and his state administration
should be carried on the shoulders of
the public in triumph, figuratively
speaking. The following incident illus
trateS luCidly the tremendous import
ance Of this act:
"A farmer in Kansas had a case
against the A.. r. IL Santa Fe rail-
road, for the burning up of his barn by
a spark from II of its engines. He
appeared in court, the jury was en-
paneled, and the opening statements
made, when court adjourned for the
night. At the hotel in the evening, he
heard the attorneys discussing the fact
that the judge held a pass on that rail-
ROAD The attorneys for the company,
however, We're explaining hat this pass
was not given for the purpose of infu-
encing the court: that ii was just q
courtesy; that the court was too high
minded to be influence by such a thing.
The old farmer listened to IT, and the
next morning when he went into the
court room, he sent up to the judge a
little envelope containing a 800 bill,
and little note, saying: With compli-
ments Of the plaintiff The judge
opened IL n was angered at once. He
raped vehemently on the bench and
asked the plaintiff to rise and said to
him: Sir, did you send me his
money? The old farmer aid L
wasn't trying to bride you. Did you
not read the note contained in the en-
velope with the money? 1t said that
was merely the compliments of the
plaintiff. l thought you were a man too
honorable to be possibly influenced by
such things and / can see no harm in
expressing TO you my respect and adj
miration in his manner. The court
became very indignant and said: L
feel that | ought not to try your case.
That l ought to dismiss it or refer 1t to
some other judge, and that | ought to
refer this matter to the grand jury
The old farmer said: Your Honor,
! hope you will not do that. l really
meant no harm. But, by the way. your
honor. don't you nave in your pocket
"a pass from the defendant company
The judge said, Yes. sir Well,
] uppos So We'll. now. you honor,
/ didn't mean any harm. i just wanted
TO come into this cour on equal terms
with the defendant. / wanted to show
you hat / vas just as good a fellow
as they are"
The most side-splitting joke in this
whole campaign is the story which the
discredited stalwart politicians are cir
culating over the state to the effect
that Governor Crawford and the last
state board OF assessment favored the
Northwestern railroad company in the
way of taxes. / never had a better
laugh in any campaign for years gone
by, and / pass the joke around as ii
will drive away all blues as by magic.
In 1906 the property of that road in
the city of Huron, where Governor
Ora Wford lives, was assessed at Sl3, 1851,
and IN 1907 at $102, 119.
And after having studied very care
fully and tabulated the figures from
the annual reports of the state auditor
for the last 10 years, / find that the
railroads of South Dakota during this
period have escaped a total sum OF
taxes to the tune of $3.50. 900 per year.
or a round sum of 81, 500, 600 for the last
10 years No sooner had Governor
Crawford and his board Of assessment
Investigated this big railroad graft be-
fore they placed their properties on an
equal basis with all other taxable prop
erty In the state. Do you wonder why
the railroads are fighting Governor
Crawford in this campaign?
My personal friend and fellow towns
man, Professor Chas. f.. Holmes. of
Sioux Falls. made a speech at a big
rally in Aberdeen, Brown county, that
must hay been a "corker." Well,
Holmes went after Kittredge In a way
that struck home. He knows Kittredge.
Holmes does, has known him intimately
for many years. 1t came I'm a hot tor
rent of truths. convictions and just in
dignation gushing from the heart of
the eloquent, learned and polished
speaker. / ain sure my readers Will en-
JOY a quotation or two from this mas
terly address. Here is one
Mr.. Kittredge advances nothing pos
~ftive-nothing that Is not under sus-
picion--nothing that is no prompted