The Devils Lake world and inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, N.D.) 1915-1920, 1915-02-18
TOTALS NEARLY
EIGHT HUNDRED
Number Of Bills introduced in
Legislature.
PROBING BOARD OF CONTROL
Joint Committee Still LOOKING Into
Joint Committee Still Looking Into
Charges Preferred by Several
Citizens of jamestown.

Bismarck-(SpeciaD-The final day
for the introduction of bills saw an
avalanche of measures that practical
ly took the place of all other business
for the day in both houses. In the
house 112 bills were introduced and
referred to committee. The senate,
being more dignifed and less precipi-
tate in its actions, restrained itself
and was content with Introducing
eighty-tive measures and referring
them. This practically ends the in
PRODUCTION Of bills of a general nature.
There will naturally be some COM
mittee bills and the budget bills will
have to come from the appropriations
committees, but the number cannot
be great. So far we have had 313
bills introduced in the senate and 462
in the house. OF these a quick esti-
mate would seem to show that one
third had been killed, still leaving a
tidy number for the solons to wrestle
with during the remainder of the ses-
sion. OF the bills which have passed
both houses the governor has signed
twenty-five.
+ + j.
Investigating Yet-The opening ses-
sion of the joint committee appointed
to investigate the charges against the
state board OF control of penal and
charitable institutions was held at the
office of the governor in the capitol.
1t will be remembered that these
charges were preferred by three
jamestown citizens and are of quite
a serious nature. The governor, sec
rotary of state and state auditor were
on the stand and the testimony was
made a matter of record. The board
of control bases it's defense upon the
authority granted it by the emergen-
cy board to eXpend the states money
in a manner other than that provided
by the law making the appropriation.
For that reason the emergency board
has been drawn into the affair, to the
extent that the question has been
raised as to whether there was, under
the law as it stands. an emergency
such as the law contemplates before
it could act. Indeed the whole poin,
of the Investigation now bears upon
the meaning of the word emergency
Was there an emergency sufficient tC
demand the taking of 100000 appro
/ priated for the building of Il tubercn
lar hospital for use in building a farm
house, a detention hospital and fixing
up the administration building? That
is the issue. 1t is evident that there
is no issue upon the payment Of $40,
600 or more to Sam T. Crabbe, 2 civil.
engineer of Fargo, for his work il
experimenting the new building. The
law provided a straight salary Of 81,
500 per mum. But the response is
that a civil engineer, much less a reg
ular architect, cannot be engaged al
such a salary. Therefore the neees
sity of paying more. After the hear
ing at the capitol adjournment was
taken to jamestown, where the com
mittee will examine the state prop
erty, see the work done, hear wit
nesses and listen to argument of coun
sci. Former Attorney General Miller
ID appear l1lSS do COuASC4 AOl tQC UOd1uo
+ 4 j.
A Petition-Senator Steele of James
town presented a petition bearing up
On the investigation, which a signet
by 11S residents of jamestown. Thu
petition recited that the signers be
lieve that an injustice is being done
Sam F. Crabbe; thatsthe work Of thu
board of control has been well done
that DR.. Hotchkiss,, theJJ. present ST.
perintendent of the asylum, is etti
cient, honest and painstaking, ant
that the charges r not grounded il
sincerity of purpose. Of the who'll
number se~venty-eight sign approving
the whole petition, while forty sig,
only to approve that part of the pc
tition with reference to DR.. Hotch
kiss. Evidently there is a division O
opinion in Jamestown.
+ j. +
CIV for lt-Immediately after tn
committee on the board of contro
stepped out of the spotlight the ia,
commission stepped in. In the las
grand rush Of introducing bills Sena
tor Heckle, who is chairman Of tn,
committee to investigate the tax com
mission, dropped In senate bill Nc
2e1, providing for the abolition of tn
present commission and providing TO
M commissioner, a deputy AM
clerks, and appropriating $4,000 O
so for salaries and expenses. Inas
much as the investigating committe'
had done little or no investigating tn,
Introduction of this bill by the chair
man Of the committee at this time wa,
deemed to be a snap Judgment, ant
the tax commission came out with al
affidavit in which the commissioner.
affirm >:that they have never been In
vestgated, that they have prepared
their books and held them in readi
ness for examination by the commit
tee, and have been tor some time pas
been ready to make the showing a.
to the amount of money saved the
state in uncovering untaxed property
and placing it on the rolls. There
fore. the commission demands to be