Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1914-03-21
MARTIN ON CRAWFORD.
Statement of Congressman Martin Con-
corning Senator Crawford, Repro
duced From Newspaper Files.

| IOr0S statement OF January 18th 1918.
If Mr.. Martin were not confined in the
hospital he would at the present time be
canvassing the state in behalf of Con-
gresham Burke:
Washington, d. c., February IL, 1918.
Congressman Z. w. Martin, of the
third congressional district of South Da'
kota today gave out the following inter-
view in reply to the statement recently
given out by Senator Crawford, after the
election of Dean Sterling to the senate:
"South Dakota's political four flusher
is in the lime light again. Now that the
Senatorial battle is over, General Craw-
ford rushes boldly into the field and is
buster than anybody. The way he mauls
and cuffs the dead and wounded is a
sight for warriors to behold Such a
volley of blank cartridges has not been
heard since the Senator's last political
sham-battle.
"Tbis time the special victims of his
rage are the Republican members of the
Legislature who did not vote for Thomas
Sterling for Senator, and few promi-
nent Republicans of the State whose
careers do not please the Senator at this
particular moment. Even his grotesque
vocabulary is taxed to find words enough
to express the loathing with which he
loathes these hapless individuals. Here
are some choice specimens: TOOLS ser
vile tools, INSCRIPTIONS TOOLS 'politi.
cal harlots,' 'weaklings,' buffers, bull
dozers,' corporations tricksters, ''spewed
hellbroth,' 'mephitic odors,' 'putrid
SMELLS pirates.
"This dignified billingsgate emanates
from the chamber of the Senate of the
United States in description of members
of the South Dakota Legislature chosen
from the body of the people ofthe State,
and other citizens, among whom are r.
o. Richards, without VIII hose political and
financial support everybody knows Craw-
ford could never haye been Senator; and
George w. Egan, who was introduced
into South Dakota politics by Crawford
himself four years ago. Crawford placed
much reliance upon Egan's eloquent
tongue in bis campaign at that time.
Now he classes him among the undesir-
able citizens
Nothing could be more unfair or
more upjustifiable than the Senator's
method of dealing with the objects of
his wrath. One member is from Hughes
county; he is therefore tool of Burke.
Another comes from Beadle, era wford's
home county; but he waves away all re-
sponsibility for him. The Brown coun-
ty members are controlled by Mcleod
and Simmons and they are controlled by
the Milwaukee railroad. The Senators
from Lawrence county, who were re-
spected citizens of the state before Craw-
ford came to it, are servile tools of the
Homestake Mining Company and two
railroads. The other assaulted legisla-
tors are either tools of the railroads or
other sinister corporations. This cor
poration formula is one Of the fayorte
political dopes of the Senator, and it is
cold day when he can not turn the charge
of corporation tricksters' to political
profit. The Senator's political capital
has never consisted so much in his own
virtues as in the awful wickedness of his
enemies. In the present instance this
wholesale charge against certain South
Dakota legislators is as false as it is
absurd.
II make no defence of members of the
Legislature who voted against Mr.. Ster-
ling. That is matter for their own
conscience and their sense of public duty.
The political conditions in the State were
extraordinary. and there was a sharp
difference of opinion in the Republican
party as to its obligation to Mr.. Sterling
under the circumstances. Personally,
l have always taken the position that
party nomination at the primary should
be equivalent to an election, and that
Mr.. Sterling should receive the Republi-
can support in the Fall election and in the
Legislature. No one taking different
view has received any encouragement
either directly or indirectly from me. A
number of Republicans who were charg-
ed with the responsibility of acting in
the matter had other convictions upon
the question. Most of the members of
the Legislature on both sides of that
proposition were equally honest and
high minded.
"The only man prominent in public
life of South Dakota for many years who
has been corporation hireling' is the
Senator himself. He was for years the
political attorney, for the Northwestern
Railroad, the Legislative Lobbyist, and
the distributor of corrupting railroad
passes. The circumstances of residing
in glass house never bothers the Sena-
tor much in the matter of throwing
stones.
Evidently the Senator is getting ready
for another political campaign and is
giving his mud-batteries a preliminary
try-out to see whether they are in good
working order. They are working pretty
we'll. The Senator's political creed is to
call the other fellow every mean name
that might be applied to yourself snd
do it first
"He has followed this method and
carried away goods in two campaigns =
once for Governor and once for Senator.
Can he do it again?"
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