Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1906-06-08
b. - 1919 20 .
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MORE STUFFED PRoPHEslEs.

The stuffed correspondent of the
Grand Forks Herald, unable to dis
cover anything with regard to the
administration of state affairs for the
current period, begins the winding up
of his inglorious campaign of mis-
representation with hysterical at
tack, upon everybody and everything
within the range of his venom. For
the first time in the Herald's cam
paign against the republican organiza-
ton, we find the state board of equal
ization criticised for raising railroad
assessments. Heretofore, the COM
plant has been that the assessments
were too low. Now it appears, after a
judicious coaching of the stuffed cor
respondent by former governor, now
allied with the reform" movement,
that some of the roads were assessed
too high. i. Surely this is remarkable
condition, when it becomes necessary
for the reform leaders to enter the
arena in behalf of railroad corpora
lions, for some reason, where particu-
lar objects of solicitude on the part
of at least one member of the state
board of equalization. Again comes
the old statement that state funds
were deposited without interest to the
state under the administration of the
same reformer who now vigorously at
lacks the administration Of the treas
1rer's Office during his term of Office,
weakly excusing his own lack of
ability to put an end to the abuse, if
such existed, on the ground that the
law was insufficient and weak It
would seem to the casual observer
that the man, and not the law, was in
sufficient and weak. It was much the
same weakness that kept a former
governor of the state away from
meeting of governors at Helena, which
he had promised to attend, but which
. he failed to attend for some reason
that has never been explained. Other
statements are made that state prop
erty disappeared from the capital, but
che same governor was in Office when
the disappearance was discovered.
We find no record of any demand for
the return of any state property on
the part of the executive Was the
Law again insufficient and weak? We
hear again the statement that it was
necessary to bond the state during
the present term for the sum of $780,
i 600 for the payment of extraordinary
expenses. This is an Intentional and
deliberate Misrepresentation. The in.
ference is that this sum was necessary
to pay extraordinary expenses in
Cured by the present administration.
As matter of fact, this sum, s154.000
to be exact, was appropriated by the
legislature to repay obligations for
buildings at state institutions-obliga-
sdions that were based upon bills ap-
proved by Governor White for addi-
tional buildings at state institutions.
These bills we're afterward declared
unconstitutional by the supreme court
but the obligations created under
them were moral claims against the
state and had to be paid by the pres
ent administration, and the bill max
ing the appropriations for their pay.
zment was passed by the Legislature,
upon the distinct and general under
standing that it would be possible to
float the bonds to make the payment.
In addition to this appropriation, the
last legislature, In order to meet the
absolute necessities Of the state insti-
buttons, passed appropriation bills
directly from the treasury for the
erection Of new buildings, making an.
unusual drain upon the treasury, and
these appropria tons have been cared
for BY the present administration,
which has, in addition, cared for.
thousands of dollars Of bills incurred
under the previous administration;
that remained upon the auditors desk
for payment ait the time the much adj
syertised surplus was in the general
fund of the state AS to the state
ment made aby an officer Of the state
10 the effect that the general fund viii
be depleted by the end Of the year
I and that nothing win remain for the
payment Of legislative expenses, that
If purely and simply one Of the gem
erm nlis-stateInents and fabrications
4 Of which the stuffed correspondent.
{ has been prolific jim his ng1orious.
career.
s we see II, and as al fair minded
persons viii see II. the inforsner DE-
the stuffed correspondent admits that