The Hope pioneer. [volume] (Hope, N.D.) 1882-1964, 1909-01-28
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Ex-coNG. JoHNsoN ELECTED
TO u. S. SENATE.

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Senate and House Agree on Resolu-
ton Providing for an Investigation
Of the State Pe~nitentiary.
Bismarck, Jan. 15.--The legislature
held a joint session this afternoon to
listen to an address on taxation by
Prot. J. L. Mcvey, tax commissioner
Of Minnesota and president-elect. Of
the North Dakota university. The
galleries were filled and the address
was well received.
The house committee on state at
fairs today reported the senate reso-
luton for an investigation Of the state
penitentiary, providing for a commit
tee OF four from the house and three
from the senate, empowering. the COM
mittee to subpoena witnesses and call
for books and papers and appropriat-
ing from the general fund to pay the
expenses Of the Investigation. The,
senate will probably c in the
amended resolution.
Senator Pierce presented a bill in
the senate appropriating $4,000 for an
investigation by the governor and at
torney general Of the carrying charges
of grain to terminal points, and for
bringing the subject to the attention
Of the interstate commerce commits
sion If the charges are found to be
excessive.
Joint committees were appointed to
prepare suitable program for observa-
ton Of Lincoln's birthday, and the
event will be a notable one.
Andrew Carnegie has been asked by
joint resolution to make the state uni
versity a beneficiary of his foundation
for the promotion of teaching.
In the house Mr.. Ployhar of Valley
City threw a bomb into the camp of
the newspaper fraternity, of which he
is a member, by introducing a bill to
abolish the publication of insurance
patronage in the state insurance de.
partment.
Gov. Burke this afternoon announced
the appointment of John Carmody of
Hillsboro and s.. E. Ellsworth of
Jamestown as the two new justices of
the supreme court provided for by the
amendment to the constitution carried
at the late election.
That the state anti-pass law is far
Their reaching in its effects than was
intended by the man who framed it,
! or than the most radical opponent of
the "easy riding" privileges would de.
mand, is the belief of a Moorhead man
who keeps posted on matters at the
state capitol. So general is this opin.
ion that it is probable the law will be
amended at the present session of the
legislature so as to correct some OF
the inconvenience now experienced.
said this mar today. e.,
In theory, it is argued, it is all right
for everybody to pay his way when he
travels by steam OF electric road
That is only a matter of justice to the
corporations and to the public. But
in theory, too, it certainly is good
business for railway companies to sup
ply employees with passes to enable
them to travel freely in the interest
of the companies.
But the recent ruling of the attorney
general that no city or state Official
a accept free transportation, has
had a wide application, and n not
%foreseen. 1t is ruled, for example
that notaries public are state officials
in that they are commissioned by the
state to perform certain legal func
tons. Hence, a notary public, who Il
in the employ of a railway company
and who lis commissioned a notary
merely to facilitate the business Of
the company, finds that he cannot hold
a pass on the road that employs him
So it is that all the notaries public
employed by the Great Northern road
in its general offices, with one excep
ton, have resigned, and that one Is
doing little but acknowledge papers.
Under the same ruling the state uni
versity will be deprived of the serv
ices of Judge Thomas Wilson, genera.
counsel for the Omaha road. Judge
Wilson is a member of the board Of
regents of the Minnesota U, and as
such is a state official. He could
scarcely be expected to surrender his
annual pass to serve the university fol
nothing.
Then there is Frederick Weyerhau
ser, a member Of the state board Of
forestry, a man whose experience and
judgment in matters of timber, 1t is
urged, the state can ill-afford to lose
But MI. Weyerhauser is n or an
officer of several railroads. L.. w
Hill, president of the Great Northern
was recently offered the position OF
chairman of the state highway com.
mis- sion.
These men are active, public-spir
tied citizens, whose services they are
willing to give to state or city gratis
but who are not willing to surrender
the right to ride free upon the rail
road properties they represent. The
public simply misses their services be
cause of the too close application OF
the anti-pass theory.
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