Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1915-03-04

tions of the state were. entitled to
more representatives in the legisla-
ture, as the growth of population was
in some cases or times what it was
in the eastern part of the state. The
United States senate allows two SEN
at0rs for each state, establishing a
precedent. In portions of the west
ern part of the state the residents
paid in taxation at a rate of two to
one on the same relative value of
land that the eastern residents paid;
that one western district with a pop
ulation of $4,000 in round numbers
was represented by one senator.
while Cass county with $4,000 popu-
lation had three senators, more in
proportion even according to popu-
lation. The Red river valley, by COM
bining with it's membership in the
two houses, can either enact or sup
press legislation affecting vital inter-
ests in other parts of the state. The
bill was lost by close vote, princi-
pally through defects in the bill itself,
which provided that there would be
two sessions of the legislature be-
tween now and 1925, in which the
in the house was not
clearly defined, but which might re-
suit in securing on house member
from each county until the legislature
could re-apportion the membership of
both bodies. But the debate showed
that the prestige and legislative con-
troll of state affairs is slipping from
the Red river counties. In the de-
bate it should be noted that Burnett
of Trail county was broad enough to
acknowledge the merits of the bill on
general principles, although he came
from one of the eastern counties.
Grand Forks and Fargo representa-
tives, including the Twitchell fam
lily, protested long and loud against
the alleged injustice in the bill, which
might deprive those celebrated local
tiles from their time-honored emolu-
ments and privileges in the matter of
state patronage.
Petitions and Communications.
The journal of the house on the
forfv-sixth day records among the
petitions and communications the
following, which we're not read but
ordered printed:
Mr. Wo4fer presented the follow
ling communications: =, -
Jamestown, N. d.,
February 27, 1915.
Mr.. Fred Wolfer.
Dear Sir: The best people OF
jamestown are deeply stirred over
defeat of Temperance Commissioners
bill in the senate and their under-
hand and unfair treatment OF SUI
frage bill. We urge and entreat you
to exhaust every honorable means TO
secure certified copy of the sunrage
resolution and have it presented IN
the house and ask you to do all in
your power for it's passage.
Yours for good laws,
(Signed) MRS. JAMES RILEY,
President w. c. T. u.
And twenty others.
Petition From Edmunds.
February "a, 1915.
To the Senate and the House OF Rep
resentatives of North Dakota, Bis
rnarck NJ. D.
Gentlemen: We, the undersigned res
idents of Stutsman county, North Da-
kota. do hereby petition your hon
orable body to instruct the attorney
general, Mr. Henry J. Linde, to forth
with bring an action against the
hoard of control of North Dakota to
recover all the 100000 misapplieo
tuberculosis hospital funds wnlcn Dy
and, through it has been mlsapphea
for other purposes than it was appro.
priated for by the 1913 session OF
the North Dakota legislature. we
also petition that you instruct the at
torney general to include in his suits
for q recovery of such funds each and
every person aiding and abetting In
the misapplication of such funds or
any part thereof, and each and every
person receiving the same or any
part thereof.
: Very respectfully submitted,
(Signed). w. C. WESCOM.
And fifty-five others.
CORPORATION Tax Bill Hearing.
A meeting of the joint judiciary
committee was held last evening for
the purpose of hearing several repre-
|sentatives of corporations in the state
with regard to the new corporation
tax law which is being agitated.
Attorney Tracy Bangs was one OF
those to appear and he argued that