The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1906-09-12
5"PRAIRIE CHICKEN, COLONIES.
Use and Duties of These Important
Personages Defined.

Persorages Defined.
Bismarck Tribune: The. attorney
generals office is no sinecure. The Of
ficials in that department are called
upon frequently not only to expound
the written law but to unfold their
wisdom on all kinds of peculiar SUBJ
jects and situations. Every official Of
the state, great or small, feels at lib
erty to call upon the attorney general
when in doubt and as a consequences
many queer things come to the at
tention of this state official and his as
sistants. Here is a case in point, the
question being whether a colonel at
one time on the governors staff is al
ways colonel and therefore free from
paying poll tax. AS there are num-
Der of colonies loose in the state the
Following opinion may assist them in
discovering where they are at"
Office of attorney general, Bismarck,
N. d.
j. G. Clark, Esq, Mandan, NJ D.:
dear Sir: / am in receipt of your
favor of Aug. 20 in which you ask:
"Will you please inform me if man
appointed by Governor White on his
staff as colonel still holds that Office
and is he exempt from paying poll
tax? In other words. is man once
aecoloneI always colonel; or does
the office die when the governors
term expires"
Section 1719-1905 Code-provides the
governor as commander in chief may
appoint as many aid-de- camp as he
may deem necessary
Webster defines an -de-camp as
can officer selected by a general to
carry orders. Also to assist or repre-
sent him." Napoleon is said when
asked upon a certain occasion why he
appointed SO many aid-de- camp, to
have answered they were handy to
entertain court ladies when he was
too busy to be bothered. I suppose
the number the governor may appoint
was left unlimited so that in case the
governor should be called upon to at
tend a presidential inauguration he
might show up with as strong an
array of Kernels (spelling N. So as
the governor of Kentucky. CYou Will
observe by the section referred to
they each have the rank of Kernel" J..
They might also come in handy at
inaugural balls-[for show purposes
I. know of no other duties they are
required to perform under the statutes
OF this state-and their relations with
their chief being of such confidential
nature / am of opinion that they, like
the butterfly, cease to exist officially
when the frost Tin their case generally
the political discontent) has, overtaken
the power that brought them into be-
ing.
They, like the amateur actor, strike
the stage for brief season, bedecked
in feathers and tinsel, and when the
curtain is rung down on the admins
tratien of their chiefs they, like as
sistant Attorney generals; return from
whence they came, subject to the
orders OF no one except their wives,
their sweethearts and their creditors.
They lose all except the fair name
Kernel which unfortunately loses
Tits efficacy much sooner in North Da-
kota than 1t does in ".Kafntuck"
am OF opinion that aid-de-camp
having the rank of colonel is not, be-
cause of such appointment, exempt
from the payment of poll tax at any
time Your respectfully,
r. N. Stevens.
az Xxx n~4ofa a,tg A tfn,ps, ssf fxay1aYs4i