The Dakota chief. (Gann Valley, Buffalo County, S.D.) 18??-1913, 1908-03-05
HOW C0e |. Crawford Broke His SOL
elm Pledge in 1889 and Voted
for N. P. Deal
Changed His Vote In the Same SeS-
sion, Breaking Ills Promise, and
Glylng Weak Explanation
How the Northern Pacific, with CraW-
fOfd'S Help, Avoided Payment
Of Just Taxation


can not be denied-for it is fact of
record-thatS the first thing Coe 1.
Crawford did in his political career
was to make solemn pledge to vote
for the repeal of the gross earnings
tax law, that he was elected to Office
on this platform, that he went to the
legislature at Bismarck, that he broke
the pledge and voted with the rail-
roads, thus giving thousands of dollars
of the peoples money to the North
ern Pacific road. and that thereafter
he became a paid attorney of the rail-
roads in reward for his perfidy. The
story is an interesting one, and every
word of 1t can be proven by the rec
ord.
In 1883. Coe 1. Crawford was NOM
mated for the territorial council in
the Pierre district. He was young
man who was just starting on his poll
tical career. He was man of promise
and a good talker then as now. Sew
eral years before gross earnings tax
law had been passed by the territorial
legislature. 1t was law which i'm
posed a tax of two per cent on the
gross earnings OF all railroads in lieu
of all other taxes. The law was passed
on the insistence OF the Northern Pa
cific road which owned thousands of
square miles OF land in the northern
part of the territory, and under this
infamous law, the road escaped tax
alton entirely on all tkis land. 1t is
said that the company expended
100000 in those free and easy days
to get The law passed.
The people soon began to realize
that the law was robbing them, and
began to clamor for it's repeal. Form
er Senator Pettigrew was one of those
who fought for its repeal in the legis-
lature of 1885. The repeal bill passed
one house, but was killed in the other.
THE road bought UP members like
cabbages in open market" said Mr..
Pettigrew in speaking of this fight.
By 1888, the people were desper-
ate. and the fight was made on this
issue. The Farmers Alliance became
strong, and 1t was unit in demand
ing the repeal of this measure. In
Mr.. Crawfords district the sentiment
was strong, and the convention which
nominated Mr.. Crawford adopted this
resolution
Resolved that ali classes of pro-
perty I'm the territory should bear
equal share of taxation"
The convention was held at Har-
rold, Oct 4. 1888. We have the COM
plete report of the convention be-
fore us as we write. Mr.. Crawford ac-
eepted the nomination on this plat
form, and pledged himself to vote for
the repeal of this gross earnings tax
law. which was the only tax discrinl-
ination then known.
Read on, friends, this story of per-
fidy and aishonor, for it has to do with
the character of the man who has
been a pledge breaker ever since, the
man who promised to make good ap-
pointments and who made bad ones,
the man who promised economy, and
gave waste, the man who pledged
South Dakota stone fora the capitol
end who is building it o. of foreign
stone, quarried and trimmed by for
square deal and helped defeat the in
terest bill, the man who talked against
railroads as a candidate, and who
has favored them as governor, the
man who signed a patronage deal.
worked under 1t, secured appoint
ments under it, and who now repudi-
ates it, Remember that il was his
first appearance as statesman, but
that the character he displayed then
is unchanged today. The facts we give
are from official records.
MIR. Crawford went to Bismarck. the
capital of the territory. He was flush
ed with his first political victory The
second measure and the first bill in
troduced in the council was to repeal
this infamous law. Every member of
the council (the territorial senate)
voted for repeal. 1t then went over
to the house and there it was also |
repealed by unanimous vote. So far |
so COED; but READ ON.
The railroads then got busy. The |
Northern Pacific invited all the mem |
bers of the legislature to go on a |
junketing trip to Helena, Mont, AT |
THE EXPENSE OF THE ROAD. A |
number of the members refused to go: |
Mr.. Crawford went. The newspapers
of that time tell about the high old /
time which was enjoyed on North /
ern Pacific money.
When the party returned from
Helena, council bill No. 140 was in
troduced. This was a bill to RE-EN-
ACT, word for word, the law which
had been repealed by unanimous vote. |
The farmers of the territory were |
shocked. They protested, but in vain |
The bill to re-"nact the gross earn |
ingS law passed the territorial SEN |
ate by vote of / to S. Coe |. Craw-
ford voted for its re-cnactmcnt CSee |
page 76e of Council Journal) Friends
labored with him not to commit this
perhdy, but he evidently had his rea-
sons and so voted in the same session |
TO re-rnact the, law which he had pre-
viously voted to repeal. 1t was the
same law. without the change of a