Williston graphic., May 15, 1919, Image 9

About Williston graphic. (Williston, Williams County, N.D.) 1895-1919

Image provided by: State Historical Society of North Dakota

                
Tmnrsday, May 15, 1919
NEW ACT MAKES
A FREM PRESS
Printing Bill, Pimd by Farmers, la
First Move to Make Certain Free*
tfoiq for Newspapers of State.
Of all the reform measures passed
i»y
the farmers at the last sessiou of
the legislature, none has received more
Attention and more unfair interpreta
tion than the law affecting newspapers
•nd commonly known as the printing
bill or {he official newspaper bill. The
occasion for this attention probably
kas been the fact that it affected the
newspapers, and the newspaper men
of the state, interested in their own
business, have given columns to its
discussion and to its denunciation. In
most cases those who oppose it and
•decry Its terms are like children who
do not know what Is good for them
.and wail aloud when the remtniial
medicine is placed to their lips.
The Law Is a Good One
Despite this reluctant attitude of the
newspaper men of the state, the law
Is a good one, not alone for the tax
payers but for the newspapers them
selves. There Can be no argument
•gainst that part of the law relating
to these points:
The saving and benefit of hav
ing one official newspaper, in
stead of three in each county
The election of that newspaper
by tiie people, rather than hav
ing it appointed by gang-control
led officials
The publication in that news
paper of all county and state no
tices now required by law to be
published.
These three points no ultra-gang
newspaper has as yet dared to ques
tion or controvert. A sulky accept
ance of the inevitable is noted and a
curtailment of the amount of "pie"
available is looked forward to with
forebodings and dismal mein.
What the Row Is About
But in more or less resignedly ac
cepting this deprivation of the politi
cal plums that have garnished the
newspaper men's table since statehood,
does not mean that the newspaper
man will stand stoically by and see
other sources of revenue interfered
•with. Perhaps the farmers are run
ning this state but they are NOT run
ning the newspaper business, Hence
the hue and cry is raised entirely
«bout one feature of the bill and that
Is, that portion which requires all
legal notices of every sort required to
be published, to be published in the
official newspaper designated by the
people.
That part of the law will take
away from those newspapers friendly
to the lawyers and the great interests
that patronage that they gained by
"being good." The newspaper that
fought the farmer was "recognized"
by the lawyer with a legal notice to
print and by the loan company with
a real estate mortgage notice to pub
lish. In other words the newspapers
•were supplied with the "sinews of
war" by the fanners' enemies and
•were, enabled to keep up hostilities in
definitely.
If the law goes into effect—and it
•will!—the lawyer cannot "place" his
business where it will buy him any
political or partisan advantage. It will
buy him just the publicity the law
provides for, an,d no more. The big
corporation cannot "place" its patron
age with the newspaper that supports
Big Business in order to encourage its
slanders upon the farmer. It must
place its business where the voters say
and it will get exact value received,
and not a shadow more.
The Ultimate Result
What will be the outcome? First,
•when a newspaper becomes a candi
date for official paper, it will and it
must assume the attitude of a candi
date for office. It must seek to gain
the goodwill of the voters, to espouse
their cause and to placate their illwlll,
if such has existed. How many news
papers will fail to desire the honor
and the emoluments resulting from
having gained the designation of offi
eial paper of the county? Very few.
These newspapers, anxious to secure
that honor, will be more careful to ac
cord with the will of the majority and,
if defeated in one election, will shape
their course to the next so as to be in
position to gain votes. Thus we shall
bave a more general desire to serve
the majority and that is true de
mocracy.
Second, we shall have newspapers
freed from domination of lawyers and
politicians. This "big gun" here has
In his hands the giving out of a large
^santity of legal printing. If he
frowns upon an editorial endeavor, we
know that the coveted printing will go
to the other fellow who has fawned
upon him better and who has known
2iow to
.... "Bend the pregnant hinges
of the knee
That thrift may follow fawning,"
That Is true autocracy. Relieved of
that necessity, newspaper men may
stand erect and tell the helpless and
disarmed tyrants to go where the
kaiser has been consigned to by a
hundred million mouths.
What About the Casualties?
"But," say some timorous ones, "If
you pour all the official and legal
printing Into one legal paper, you are
bound to kill off a good many of the
country weeklies, for they have had so
hard a time to subsist, even when
they shared this business." There is
not much danger of such an eventu
ality. The average country weekly,
aside from those used by Big Bust
ness to attack and vilify the majority
«f the voters of the state (and these
OLSON'S REPORT SHOWS
STATE FINANCIALLY O. K.
According to the official quar
terly report of State Treaeurer
Obert Olson, the state of North
Dakota now has on depoeit a
total cash balance of $3,083,
702.95. This money is appor
tioned among various funds,
of which the state general fund
alone has a cash balance of
9352,759.19.
Commenting on this report
State Treasurer Olaon said:
"I think the condition of the
state finances as shown by my
report is proof positive of the
economy practiced by the Non
partisan League administration.
Those who would spread
rumors to the contrary run up
against one very formidable
fact—that the state treasury is
in better condition now than it
has been at any previous time
in the history of the state."
When the Nonpartisan League
administration took office on
Jan. 1, 1917, the general fund
was overdrawn $300 and there
were outstanding $266,000 in
warrants which were unpaid
for lack of funds.
These warrants all have been
paid since and there is now
more than one-third of a million
dollars in the general fund and
in addition unpaid taxes due
the state amounting to nearly
one million dollars more.
$
S
newspapers are generally situated in
county seats and have larger circula
tions) will not perish from the earth.
The amount of such legal printing
they now receive would not pay the
printer's devil a month's wages, on
the average. They are not powerful
or influential enough to receive the
recognition of the great and powerful.
They will continue to gain their sup
port where they always gained it,
from the merchants and the farmers
among whom they live, and, in addi
tion, will have what few of thein have
had 'before—a chance for election as
official newspaper.
The Injustice of It.
Yet some of these newspapers, who
have never had even Lazarus' share
of the crumbs that fall from the
tables of the rich, instigated by the
politicians, are crying aloud against
the "injustice" of a law that dictates
to a private person or corporation the
newspaper with which he must do
business. They do not seem to un
derstand that the only business dic
tated is that portion already required
by law to be published. If the people
liave the right to require a notice to
be published, It must be just and they
have the right to go further and say
where it shall be published. For over
twenty years the farmers of this state
have been required to publish the
notice of an estrayed animal in an
official estray newspaper, designated
by the Governor. Yet no farmer felt
his rights interfered with, or com
plained of the injustice of compelling
him to advertise and naming the
newspaper in which his advertising
must be placed. Is the lawyer, the
corporation or the backer more priv
ileged than the farmer? Not since the
farmer took hold of the state govern
ment himself. Even were there an in
justice, to what slight extent it is,
compared to the injustice done hun
dreds of times to the innocent and
ignorant, when legal notices, intended
for public information or for the
benefit of some person, are "buried"
or hidden i» the darkest corner of
some obscure newspaper, and all un
der the blindfolded eyes of enlight
ened justice. Is tiie right of a few
men to "place" their legal printing so
valuable as to cause the Ijpleration of
wrongs much greater?
It Means a Free Press.
Just as the printers saw the doom
of their trade when the typesetting
machine came, and found that instead
of "doont'" it meant "boom,"-so do the
newspaper men see "gloom" in this
new law and will find the light of
liberty under it. Once it is tried, no
newspaper man will ever wish to re
turn to tiie old political, pie-and-plum
scrambling game, but will stand erect
and glory in the independence it shall
have given him.
Minnesota, Montana, Washington,
Oregon, California and most of the
western states have immigration bu
reaus to advertise their resources The
Canadian provinces will spend several
million dollars in the next five years
to attract home-seekers. North Da
kota will have to get busy to get her
share of the settlers. Yet the Minne
apolis Chamber of Commerce crowd
claim that the immigration commis
sioner law is an "I. VV. '»/. measure."
Is this because the new law will per
mit the people of North Dakota to
correct the mis-statements about them
which these same interests have been
circulating in the outside world?
The state of South Australia has had
legislation similar to the Nonpartisan
League program in operation for more
than 29 years and South Australia has
larger average savings bank accounts
and more home owners per capita than
any other commonwealth in the civil
ized world. Is this the kind of "ruin
»nd confiscation" that the I. V. A.
organs talk about?
State Auditor Carl Kositzky was In
the Twin Cities last week. Did he go
there to seek consolation from the
Minneapolis Chamber of Commerce
crowd
after his recent drubbing at
Bismarck?
W. C. T. U. CONVENTION
ENDORSES FARMERS' LAWS
The annual convention of the VV. C.
T. U. for the fourteenth district, held
at Oakes, May 5tli and 6tli, adopted
resolutions endorsing reform measures
passed by the state legislature at its
last session, including in the endorse
ment measures relating to the com
pulsory school attendance law, the
child labor law and the law establish
ing a minimum wage and a maximum
of 48 hours per week for women.
.Tames B. Streeter, the well known
Devils Lake real estate man, declares
that as a result of the Nonpartisan
League program he expects to see
more settlers come into North Dakota
In the next two years than ever before
In the history of the state.
WILLISTON GRAPMIC
THE TRUTH MOOT YOUR TAXES
'You pay taxes to carry on the expenses of the government.
Part of your taxes go to maintain your roads and build or
repair your township halls. That is your township tax.
Part of your taxes go to pay the salary of your county
officers, to build bridges and maintain roads, to erect court
houses, to run your jails and to care for the poor and insane.
That is your county tax.
Part of your taxes go to build schoolhouses, to hire teachers,
to buy textbooks, and to carry the children to and from the
schools. That is your school tax.
If you live in a city, part—the larger part—of your taxes is
spent for paving, watermains, sewers, police, and other expenses
of the city government. That is your municipal tax.
The remaining small part of your tax goes to carry on the
state, government. That is your state tax.
Taxes differ in amount in the .various counties of North
Dakota. That is because the county mill levy is lower or higher.
Some counties spend a great deal of money for courthouses and
roads. Others have extravagant county officials.
Taxes also vary in different townships and school or road
districts of the same county. That is caused by special expenses
undertaken by those districts.
Taxes almost always are higher in cities than in the country.
That is because the city governments of North Dakota have spent
a great deal of money for paving, sewers, electric lights and other
improvements.
But state taxes are the same all over the state. No matter
where you lived in North Dakota last year you paid a state tax
of 4.3 mills. That probably was lees than 10 percent of the total
tax you paid. The other 90 percent of the taxes you paid went
to the expenses of township or city, school district and county
government.
All the people of North Dakota paid in taxes last year the
sum of $20,399,682 for all purposes—local, school, county and
state. Nearly $8,000,000 of this amount was spent for schools.
More than $6,350,000 was spent by the different counties. More
than $2,600,000 was spe^ by the townships. Only $1,713,408 of
the $20,399,682 went to the state and was spent by the state
government. In other words, the state tax was only 8.8 percent
of the total taxes paid last year by the people of this state. Less
than nine cents out of every dollar you paid out for taxation went
to carry on the state government.
This year state taxes will be higher. Labor, coal, stationery,
postage, railroad fare, in fact everything that the state institu
tions and officers use, has doubled and trebled in price. Many.of
the state buildings were left in a run down condition by preceding
administrations. It was necessary to repair these buildings and
buy new equipment. The state institutions are growing and
require more money. It was impossible for the state to escape
spending more money.
Furthermore, the last legislature appropriated $600,000 to
aid returned soldiers get an education or to buy a home. The
legislature also appropriated $687,400 to start the state-owned
terminal elevators and flour mills, to get the state bank in oper
ation, and to carry out the provisions of the home building law
and the state hail insurance act.
It also may be necessary to raise $420,000 for interest on
$7,000,000 of the Bank of North Dakota and terminal elevator
bonds this year and to pay out more than $200,000 principal and
interest on an old debt left by. former administrations.
Including all these unusual expenditures, the state appro
priations will be increased from $1,713,408 in 1918 to $3,711,021
in 1919. THIS IS THE SUM TOTAL WHICH MUST BE
RAISED FOR STATE TAXES THIS YEAR. THE REMAIN
DER OF THE TWENTY ODD MILLIONS WHICH WILL BE
RAISED IN TAXES THIS YEAR WILL GO FOR LOCAL,
SCHOOL, ROAD AND COUNTY EXPENSES. LESS THAN
ONE-SEVENTH OF YOUR TAXES THIS YEAR WILL GO TO
THE STATE. THE REST WILL BE FOR LOCAL, COUNTY
AND SCHOOL PURPOSES. The Nonpartisan League is only
responsible for one-seventh of your taxes. Local, county and
school officials—many of them hostile to the Nonpartisan League
—are responsible for the other six-sevenths.
Oppanents of the Nonpartisan League are declaring that taxes
this year will be two, three, four, five and even six times larger
than they were last year as the result of the Nonpartisan League
program. These charges are as absurd as they are false.
How can taxes be doubled as a result of an increased STATE
tax when the state tax IS ONLY ONE-SEVENTH OF THE
TOTAL TAX TO BE PAID? It is true that the STATE TAXES
alone this year will be more than double what they were in 1918,
but this will only increase the total taxes about 10 percent. Any
further raise in taxes this year will be caused by the increased
expenditures of township, city, school and county authorities.
The Nonpartisan League could not be held responsible for any
increase in LOCAL taxes over which it has no control.
Your total taxes cannot be doubled this year. It is an im
possibility. Those who make such statements are not familiar
with the facts. The last legislature took care to guard against
this by passing a law which reduces the general school levy from
two mills to one mill. It also provided that county and township
taxes could be increased only 10 percent over the limit allowed in
1918, while the road and school taxes cannot be more than 20
percent higher than they were last year. This prevents the local,
county and school taxing boards from making any excessive ex
penditures, but allows them to make reasonable increases on ac
count of the higher cost of living.
The North Dakota Tax Commission report* that the greatest
possible increase in the amount of the total taxes collected for all
purposes in North Dakota this year—that is taxes for township,
city, road, school, county and state expenses—will be $25,924,016,
as against $20,399,408 last year.
Therefore, the largest possible increase in the amount of all
taxes paid by all the citizens of this state for ALL PURPOSES
would be $5,524,608, or an increase of only 28 percent over the
amount raised last year. And more than ,18 percent of this 28
percent increase would be for local, school, road and county
purposes.
There is no possible way in which your taxes can be increased
more than 28 percent over what they were last year, and they will
not be more than 20 percent higher IF LOCAL, SCHOOL AND
COUNTY TAXING BOARDS EXERCISE PROPER ECONOMY.
Persons or newspaper making assertions that the total taxes
will be increased two, three, four, five or six times either are too
ignorant to make the simplest calculations or else are deliberately
trying to deceive the people for political purposes
MUST BE A LEAGUER
The newspaper headlines announce
to a startled world that "One Poli
tician Kept His Promise." It was Dr.
Baltazai' Brum, on being elected to
the presidency of Uruguay. Either he
goes out of the class of politician and
enters the class of statesman, or,else
the Nonpartisan League has penetrat
ed the wilds of Uruguay. No real
politician ever made a promise but to
break it.
Under the home building law passed
by the last legislature it will be
cheaper to buy a home than to pay
rent and it will be possible for a man
to take possession of a $2,000 home
after he has made a cash payment of
$400. This is certain to promote build
ing and home-owning in North Dakota.
EMPLOYE AND
WORKERVICTIMS
Privately Owned Accident and Liabll*
ity Insurance Concerns Steal Alike
from Owners and Workers.
One of the first discoveries of the
Workmen's Compensation Bureau, cre
ated by the last logiwlauire, is tlmt
the old line accident and liability in
surance companies rob alike the em
ployed and employer, in their handling
of tlu business of insurance against
accident and injury of eftfployes. Un
til now,- employers have resorted to
old liife insurance companies to secure
insurance against accident to their em
ployes and to nssuro themselves
against liability in case of accident or
death of the men employed by them.
Under these conditions last year, em
ployers in the state paid these pri
vate insurance companies $1.60,000 in
premiums. The "losses," that is the
accidents and deaths which would call
for the payment of the policies issued
by the insurance companies, were
$24,000. But not even this amount has
been paid to the dependents of tlia
men killed and injured. Instead, about
half of the $24,000 had been paid! In
brief, after receiving $100,000 as in
surance premiums, paid to protect both
employer and employe, less than $13,
000 has been paid back to the wives
and children of the men who sniftered
injury or death at their work. The
remainder, a mere $147,000', remaius as
"profits" in the hands of privately
owned insurance companies.
In opposition and by contrast to such
profiteering, we have the Workmen's
Compensation law, passed by the
farmer legislature, by which employ
ers ure required to insure their em
ployes against accident. Under the
operation of this law the cost of the
insurance will be exactly the amount
of the losses incurred during the year
with the actual cost of handling the
business, which is entrusted to a Bu
reau, composed of three men: John
N. Ilagen, Commissioner of Agricul
ture and Labor L. J. Wehe, attorney
at law, Devils Lake S. S. McDonald,
president of the State Federation of
Labor. Thqse three men will not be
Drs. David & Sorbei
GEO. A. McGEE E. B. GOSS
McGee & Goss
Attorney* at Law
General Law Practice
lfiaot, N. Dak.
DR. DOCHTERMAJs
Physician and Surgeon
Suites 2 and 3
Office in Hedderick Bldg.
fPhono 38 Willistno, N. D,
DR. E. J. HAGAN
Physician and Surgeon
Professional Cards
Night and day calls promptly an- 3
swerod. Glasses properly fitted.
Ofllee 17-2—Residence 37-3
1
DR. SKOVHOLT
Physician and Surgeon
Special Training and Eipcrfeaw
la Sargerr
X-Rar •xamlaatloas Made
Office la Heddexich Block, No. 8
WILLISTON, N. D.
M. E. TRAINOR, M. D.
Practice Limited to
Eye, Bar, Nose and Throat
Bruagfer Block, Main Street
Willlston, N. D.
DRS. NICHOLSON DISTAD
A. S. Rlefeotaoa. M. 0.
•. Dfeatad. M. ®.
Oflco Union Block, Willlston, N. D.
Telephones:
Office SS7-S—Residence 3*7-1
Day and Niffht aslli promptly
ML A. McNIVEN
Veterinary Surgeon
Hospital la Connection
-w Phone Ml Willlston, N. D.
jji0ioicOTiiciciwcieiccicieieiccieeicicot'^:^
guided Wj an Instinct to make proflti-lV 'v
They will have no reason to wish t^'4'
see the state make a proat of $147,000'
a year from premiums paid in by em
ployers or from withholding the in*
surance money due the laborer who la
laid up by reason of an accident, and
who may find himself and family la
sore dlstresk by reason of having no
money and being unable to earn any,
because of his accident.
Undoubtedly the farmers of tiie
state will be branded as "socialists"
because they have dared to take out
of private hands a power abused and
distorted, and have placed it In the
hands of the state. Some of the em
ployers who now are Inclined to de
nounce the trend of this law, after
they find that their premiums are con*
sidembly reduced and that they are
protected effectively, may welcome the
change, and as employers in Ohio and
Washington today are doing, where a
similar law is in operation, will resent
any attempt to repeal or rescind the
full
iind
perfect protection that thil
law gives both to the laborer and to
the employer, at a cost greatly less
than that charged ly the profit-maklnf
privately owned insuranaa companies.
SENIOR PROM. AT H. S.
Friday evening of last week the
High school juniors entertained the
members of the Senior class and
friends at a promenade at the High
school auditorium. The hall was
beautifully decorated with the senior
colors and a very elaborate feed was
served ythe juniors. All who at
tended report a good time.
Subscribe for the Graphic.
in MIKES Hit Stftm
VICTIM IS ROUSED AFTER TWELVE HOURS OF SLEEP
Jane Mokler, 5 year old daughter of Mrs. Leonard Mokler, Leo nee
apartments, slept as one dead for 12 days.
Specialists were called to see the sleeping child—brain spec
ialists and spine specialists. And finally a consutation of nine
doct#s were called.
They did not know why June slept or how to awaken her. Once
an instrument was inserted in June's spine and fluid taken—a
painful operation—but the patient slept on without so much as a
wince of pain.
On the twelfth Dr. W. B. Chandlee was caled as a last resort.
"He twisted June's neck," said B. J. Silcox, proprietor of the
Eukera market,233 N.23d Si.who is June's grandfather, Thursday
"There was a snap. That was all."
"June slept all night, but it was different, more wholesome kind
of slumber. The color crept into her cheeks. In the morning
she awoke The next day she sat up. The day after she was
able to get out of bed. Now she's as well as she ever was."—
The Portland News, Portland ((Oregon), Thursday, March 27,'19.
MONEY TO LOAN ON FARM LAND
HfflBr
UL.MINNC
CONTRACTS. FIRST ANQ SECOND MORTGAGES BOUGHT
UNDERTAKING PARLOR
G. M. Thomas has opened an
Undertaking Parlor on Broadway
in the building formally occupi
by the Salvation Army. One
door east of City Meat Market
Phone Day call 352-w. Night call
?52-j2. 25-tf.
Don't fear Sleeping Sickn ess.. If you get it call on us.
Office in Hedderichr Block
Phone 129
*!dR. FREDERICK MacMULLENj
DENTIST
[Office above Creaser's Drugf Store
Telephone No. 72
WILLIAM G. OWENS
Attorney at Law
Office In Rawson Block
Willis ton, North Dakota
MURPHY & METZGER
Phone 12—Old Williams County
Bank Bids., Main St
Willlston, North Dakota
MOUNT MORIAH LODGE
NO. 51—A. F. & A. M.
Fred H. Smith, W. M.
E JE Richard C. Ike, S. W
0 Sam pel S. Hydle, J. W.
B. J. Schoregge, Treas.
I Chas. E. Newell, Secy.
itmsetqcoaoiom^
M. W. A. LODGE NO. 53N
Meets Erery Taeaday Ifaslas
at 8 o'clock sharp. In Odd Fellows
hall. Visitors always welcome.
Arthur Evans, V. C.
W. F. Cormany, Clerk
I MCiM SkT4GOllilOI6lftWICtOICiOtC4OISI0IOIOiOIQIC
R. E. KROGER
Veterinary Surgeon
Assistant State Veterinarian
Phone 879 Rod Willistoa, N. D.
IIMllMlilllllHHIWJlilllJIICWWWBWBIftiy
J. W. DISNET
Small Joks a Speelaltr
Storm hoti««, Sheds, patting on
storm windows—Short order worlt
of all klada.
Phone 151 Willlaton, N. D.
I