Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1913-03-07
RECORD.

In another section Of the Tribune
this morning is published the reply OF
Commissioner Gilbreath to the invest
igation committees report to the
house, This communication was i'll
ed with the house by Mr.. G.lbrcath
and t!e house a take no credit upon
itself by not permitting the reply OF
the commissioner to be read when the
lower branch was in session.
The communication is entitled to
consideration and though it was ignor
ed by the legislature, the newspapers
will probably give it sufficient public
ity to permit the people Of the state
an opportunity to read Mr.. Gilbreath's
side OF the matter.
The committee appointed by the
house evidently tried, as may be judg.
ed from their report. to find some ir-
regularity in connection with Mr.. Gil
'breath's department which he has so
successfully and satisfactorily con-
Quoted the past eight years, but judg-
ing from the tenor of their report they
met with little or no success. 1t might
be said in all fairness that no commit.
tee. no matter how vicious might have
been its purpose, would be able to
honestly report anything in the ma
ture Of a scandal in connection with
Mr.. G%ilbreath's administration. n
The farmers and all the rest of the
fairm.nded citizens of the state real
lie only too well how successfully
Mr.. Gilbreath has been as a public
official and how faithfully he has
guarded his stewardship. Placed a
few years ago in a department that
was at that time merely a state office
in name only, lie has succeeded in
developing one of the most essential
functions Of the state of North Dakota,
and he has succeeded wonderfully in
assisting with the agricultural devel-
opment Of the state.
Through his efforts the state has
gained more praise and its resources
have been given more honest publicity
than through am other channel that is
within the reach Of the people today.
And II can be said to Mr.. Gilbreath's
credit that he has never acted solely
upon the completed authority that is
vested in him by right of his office,
nor by power that has been invested
in him by enactments of other lesis-
latures. ...,..
Never has he expended sums OF
money in the interests of the welfare
of the state without the endorsement
Of authority that was more supreme
than his. All the time that John
Burke, a democrat, was governor OF
the state, Mr.. G%ilbreath never missed |
seeking his advisement and endorse |
ment in advancing the advantages of |
North Dakota as a great agricultural
center. Never did he expend the funds |
that were at his command without |
having first the approval of the gov |!
ernor or the sanction of the state aud
iting board, which under the law, au-
tilorizes the expenditure of all state
money. The state exposition which |
has been established at Bismarck un-
der Mr.. Gilbreath's direction, has done
more to, exploit within our own Dor.
ders the resources of North Dakota
than any other effort of its kind ever
attempted. In this great undertaking
Mr.. Gilbreath was hampered with the
great lack of funds, but farmers. bust
ness men and commercial clubs all
over the state expressed their conf.
dence in his ability to make this en-
a success, and the generous
manner in which they aided him finan.
cially and otherwise should at this
late put the legislature to shame when
any attempt is made to belittle his
efforts or the complete success he has
Time has proven that the farmers
and business men of the state have
expressed their confidence in Mr.. Gil
breath as a public official, but he
would not have had their endorse
ment or approval in all these years
had he not achieved success. Mr.. Gil /,