Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1912-10-31
STRIKE, BUT HEAR |
E. S. Johnson Unmasks Pettigrew
and Lee---All Now See Them in
the Bright Light.

tlhSOiIs ~ ~. wv. AO.---I1. L.. lLtc
opposes part of the democratic state
ticket, including myself. pretending
that he has always regarded ne as
friend of the railroads. And to prove
this he shows that | voted when in
the state senate for bill condemn
ing railroad property when desired
for grain warehouse sites. He has
thus out of his own mouth proven
himself pretender, because if there
is law that ever was fought by the
railroads it is this one. He claims
that | voted for this law to get a
switch TO my elevator at Armour,
showing more inconsistency by init
mating that did not have pull suf-
ticient with the railroad to get this
without exacting it through this law.
And again, just how | could obtain
switch, if | had owned an elevator,
by voting to pass law condemning
railroad property for warehouse sites
is one of the Chinese puzzles. The
facts are: | never owned an elevator
at Armour until year ago; never
had a dollars interest in an elevator
at Armour until year ago; | never
obtained a switch for myself or any
one else, neither at Armour or any
other town.
What more can | say? All who
know me know that | am not rail
road man, and no one knows this bet
ter than Lee and Pettigrew. This is
proven by Lees own testimony that
voted when in the senate to condemn
! railroad property tor warehouse sites,
for if there was anything the rail
roads did not want it was a law of
this kind.
Lees trouble is two-fold. First,
he never has been Wilson man, and
is not for Wilson to-day, no matter
what he says. Second, he is SO sell
fish that he has consuming ambition
to be known as the only democratic
governor South Dakota ever had.
Lee is rent gade to his own party
and a traitor to his friends. His
vacillating course in the primaries
and since has lost him any influence
he ever had, and no democrat or re-
publican who has the interest of his
state at heart will pay any attention
to his rantings.
Touching his assertion that ! did
not contribute to the compaign fund
two and four years ago, this is sim
ply falsehood, as Lee we'll knows,
because [ contributed to several
democratic funds in both of those
elections.
Now, a few words as to Lee him
self. " hen he was governor he ask
ed the railroad company over his own
signature for free transportation for
one of his appointees. The man for
| whom he wanted the pass tells me
this himself, and that he still has the
written evidence of this with A. r.
Lees signature attached. How could
| he do this without being obligated to
the railroads? Ii he was friend of
the raj roads then, why may he not
now be secret railroad man, trying
to help their interests by defeating
me?
Mr.. PettgreW makes the same
charge against me, and also the ad-
ditional one that he has been ap
preached by railroad officials to sup
port me. This is a lie made out Of
whole cloth, and | challenge Petit
/ grew to state the name of any official
who ever approached him in this way.
Pettigrew has an office in New York
where he spends most Of his time; he
is closely connected with James j.
Hill, the great railroad magnate, and
is considered by those we'll informed
as an employe and lobbyist for the.
great railroads of the country. When
| Pettigrew was candidate for Sena-
| tor it is said James j Hill contribut-
ed Sc 900 to his campaign fund.
! What did Hill expect in return?
| 1t is not fair to assume that he, al
| SO, is helping the railroads now by
trying to defeat me? When he first
entered public life he was nominated
for delegate in congress at Vermil
lion by the aid of railroads. He was
then. as represented to me, an attor-
ney of the rthwestern railroad,
and an attorney Of the Milwaukee
railroad came to Vermillion on an
engine on a hurry-up call, to have an
understanding with him before they
would permit his nomination. Petit
grew has posed for the last fifteen
years as an anti-railroad man, but
has, by the violence Of his utterances
contributed to the interests of the
railroads.
His prominence has been brought
about under the management of
James j. Hill, whose representative
he is said to be. He has always been
lnva m Hin h,,t novar 10 tho ,,al;t; Il