The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1913-02-28
LAND OFFICE FIGHT
Senator Crawford Loses Out
In Fight With His
Colleagues

Ill signed an order which, in effect.
abolishes the United States land offices
at Chamberlain and Gregory and es-
tahlishes a new land district with head
quarters at Carter. in Trip county.
The order was prepared by Walter L.
Fisher, secretary of the interior, and
was in three parts, as follows:
|. The discontinuance of the Cham
bcrlain land Office and attaching It's
territory to the Gregory land Office dis
trict.
2. Attaching that part of the Cham.
berlain district lying north of the
White river and west of the Missouri TO
the Pierre district.
3. The removal of the Gregory land
Office to Carter.
The issuance of this executive order
is a crushing defeat for Senator Craw-
ford in his fight against any change in
the land Offices of South Dakota. He
had told the interior department that
Carter was no better than a dugout,
was seventeen miles across the burning
prairie from a railroad, and it's popula-
ton was less than ten people, nearly
all Of whom were half breeds. Pictures
of a brick building. a good sized hotel,
stores and residences, now at Carter,
were shown to the department, and
the secretary admitted they disproved
the senator's assertions. They at least
caused a reopening of the case in
which Crawford had won q temporary
victory.
Senator Crawford fred the first shot
in this fierce South Dakota political
battle when, after the election of Dean
Sterling of the United States senate, he
charged that the opposition which de-
veloped in the legislature against Sterl-
ing was directed by Ernest A. Jackson
and brothers, sons of ex-Gov. Frank
D. jackson, of Iowa, and Don Foster,
son of Sidney A. Foster, of Des Moines.
The senator further charged there
had been a conspiracy between the
Jaeksons and Senator Gamble and
Representatives Burke and Maitin
whereby the Jscksons. If they should
make the fight on Sterling, were to re
ceive as a reward a land Office for
Carter, a Rosbeud town which they
started.
Senator Crawford linked the nalaes
Of a number of prominent republicans
of South Dakota with those of Sena-
tor Gamble and the two representatives
in a statement, giving vent to his now
famous utserance, ''they spewed hell
broth" He charged them with crook |
edness, limited at corruption and wrote
to Secretary Fisher a letter which was
full of abuse for his colleague.
This letter caused Senator Gamble to
demand a hearing. which was held in
Secretary Fishers Office and at which
the entire South Dakota delegation in
congress vas present.
Senator Crawford, when confronted
ut the meeting with White House
photographs of the letter in which he
had thrown mud at his colleagues,
was SO taken back that ne entirely for
got his senatorial dignity, ranted and
tore up and down the room. he finally
was called down by the secretary and
then ~apologized.
Secretary Fisher said that as a matter
of principle he was opposed TIC locating
a land Office off a railroad and his
decision was that, fer the present,
there should be no change.
Immediately Senator Crawford is
sued anotf or statement in which he
told how. single handed and alone,
he had vanquished Gamble, Burke
and Martin. He said he had "caught
these people with the goods on them. "
Copies of this statement were laid
before President Taft and Secretary |
Fisher, and they went far toward
working Crawford's undoing.
Also in the meantime Senator Gam |
6le and the two representatives had got
busy, and Ernest jackson had arrived
from the west. Burke said If Crawford
was looking for u fight and wanted to +
make a political issue out of the
Carter land Office, it would be all
right with him. Martin made a
statement r~idicu,ing Crawford. calling |
him a four-fiusher, and y general
who PUSHES on the field after the
battle is over and fires blank cartridg- |
esq
Senator Crawford crowed continual /
ly, telling everybody nov he had
downed the gang" as he termed
them.
This morning at II o'clock the presi.
dent, in the presence or Senator Gam
BILE and Indian Commissioner Fred
bennett, signed the order, which went
into effect Immediately.
Senator Crawford was told OF this a
few minutes later. His jaw dropped.
us that sof' be asked, incredulous-
ly. "When did he sign its Well. II
have nothing to say. The issues are
made. The people understand them. "