Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1913-02-13
Sweeping Charges in Lower
House Of Legislature.
ATTORNEY GENERAL STEPS IN
Declares Accusations Are Unjust and
His Communication Is De-
nounced as an Insult.
Especial Correspondence.)

Especial Correspondence
Bismarck, Feb. 10.-A resolution in
troduced in the house makes sweep
ing charges against several state Off
Gals and state conditions. Among
other things, it charges that $3,24S.SS
state registration board at the agri-
cultural college, while the actual cler-
ical work is supposed to be done by
persons drawing salary from the COL
lege fund; that the warden of the
penitentiary sells vegetables, milk
and cream in Bismarck in direct com
petition with the farmers; that the
warden has performed work for pri-
vate parties, thus preventing taxpay-
ers from having employment; that the
increased appropriation per capita at
the penitentiary is about 100 per
cent; that members of the board of
control have violated their oath by
not devoting sufficient time to the
duties of their Office and that they
are drawing salaries from other
sources; that members of the tax
commission have violated the law by
engaging in other occupations which
interfere with their duties to the
state; that all the officers in the at
torney generals Office are engaged in
private practice of law, after their
salaries have been greatly increased
to prevent this; that the attorney
general has a stenographer whose
services are paid for by the state in
his private law Office downtown; that
contrary to law the state engineer
draws additional salary as city engi-
neer and for personal services rem
dered others; that fees received by
the secretary of state have not been
turned over to the state treasurer;
that salaries and expenses of said de-
partment were not audited by the
state auditing board; that in October,
1912, the secretary of state purchased
5000 stamped envelopes at the eX-
pense of the state and used them to
mail out his personal political dope"
!. :. :.
A committee, consisting of Messrs.
Turner. Kellogg and Bope, has been
appointed to investigate these condi-
tons and recommend a remedy. A
motion to refer the matter to the COM
mittee on military affairs was ruled
out of order.
\ :. :.
Replying to the charges represent
ed in the resolution introduced in the
house relating to an investigation of
certain state Offices and departments
Attorney General Miller sent a COM
m%unication to the legislature declar-
ing the resolution to be grossly unfair
and unjust to the state officers. He
charged that the resolution, which
accused some officials with using the
state to further private enterprises,
was inspired by purely personal and
political motives, and he emphasized
that among the officers slated for in
head known as a stalwart Republican
is included. He recommended investi-
cation of other departments, where
discrepancies. he said, are more likely
to be unearthed.
:. \ \
Speaker Frame denounced the com
munication as an insult to the mem
Der who introduced the original reso.
luton and to the house of representa-.
tives as a whole. Representative Fox,
the author, says he will introduce a
resolution demanding investigation
into the affairs of other state Offices
and departments.
X !. !.
The senate has adopted a concur
rent resolution abolishing the custom
of printing halftone pictures and bio
graphical sketches of the Legislators
in the North Dakota Magazine. The
solons voted to have this money ex
pended in exploiting the advantage:
of the state.
4 !. i.
The Blakemore-Ployhar initiative
referendum and recall measure passe'
the house by a vote OF 70 to II. 1t i
now practically certain the popula
measure will be submitted to a vot
of the people two years hence. Littl
opposition is anticipated in the senate
< X x
In spite of the fact that the oppos
lion to the passing OF the bill was rel
resented by no more than fifteen men
bers of the lower branch nearly a
entire afternoon session was devote
to assailing the measure, principal
by Representative Lambert OF Wa
county, who declared the proposed la
to be unconstitutional, a menace an
%ruination to the state, a "veiled a
tempt to bring resubmission OF til
liquor question into the state" and a
a%bsurdity, He charged that the resu
mission question might not be so gre;
In itself were it not for the fact tn;
the interests of the brewers, the di
tillers and the money at their COZ
mand for the purpose OF subsidizi1
the people is an important factor.
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