Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1916-02-23
FATE SEALED
At MEETING IN
M|NNEAP POL|S
Worst, Ladd and Bolley Were
Marked for the Slaughter
as Early as 1911.
BUSINESS INTERESTS
SEEK COLLEGE CONTROL
Recent Action of Board of Re.
gents Characterized as
Spanish Diplomacy

Fargo, Feb. 22.-President John II.
Worst of the North Dakota Agricul'
tural college today made the open
charge that he was being ousted from
the position of active head of the COL
lege as the result of plan that was
evolved in Minneapolis in 1911, BY
several ''big business" men who or.
ganized the Better Farming associa.
tion.
Yesterday President Worst was not
ified that the board of regents had
decided to elect" him president
emeritus, of the college.
n was informed that had been
elected said President Worst today.
Mr.. Crawford and Mr.. White, at con-
ference with me yesterday afternoon,
Informed me that the board had "de.
Qided to elect me to that position.
They say they are offering me the
honor Of Being president emeritus. l
maintain that this is not an honor.
Rather it is Spanish diplomacy 1t is
simply an attempt to GUST me from
active head of the institution, under
the guise OF comforting an n0tor up.
on me. hf2 g$
II was warned several years ago
that this was coming. This whole
thing started in. 1911. In the summer
of 191l a. man called at my office and
stated, that he had been requested to
see me by certain prominent business
men of Minneapolis who claimed that
Professor, Bolley was doing them a
great. deal tOf harm, by spreading SEN
satiQnAl reports Through the newspa-
pers regarding diseased conditions of
North soil. This man said that as a
result of Professor Bolley's articles,
eastern money lenders were becom-
ing alarmed and that Bolley's articles
were hurting the mortgage business
and the state.
liz Boliey's Letters.
Professor Bolley was not here at
the time, so wrote him the follow
ing letter:
July 20, 1911. Professor H. L. Boil.
Icy, Audubon, MINI. Dear Sir:
There is considerable complaint
from rather influential sources against
some Of your utterances, relative to
the diseased condition of the soil of
the state. The impression gets out
that the trouble is permanent one
and am informed that number OF
persons are seriously handicapped for
the reason that men of means will not
loan or invest money in the state for
fear that there is something perma'
nently wrong with the soil.
do not think it was your inten-
tion to create any such impression
and as a matter of fact. we must
handle all matters that Offset the fl
nancial interests of the state some
what delicately. This is especially
true on account of the sad condition
that many of our farmers are in at
the present time.
/ think it would be we'll to remove
any such impressions, from the fact
that with proper farm management
these diseases need not and doubtless
will not seriously affect the prosper
ity of the state.
am going away tomorrow night
and I am dropping you these lines to
put you on your guard. We must pay
some attention to sentiment, especial
" when it does not materially inter.
fere with our work.
]. H. Worst, president.
Invited to Meeting.
Sometime during the year 1911, Il
do not remember the exact date,
which is immaterial) was invited to
attend a conference in Minneapolis
for the purpose of considering the
feasibility of effecting an organiza-
ton to enable the farmers of North
Dakota to enjoy greater prosperity.
"A meeting was held in the office
Of Mr.. Rogers, the Zimmerman, and
there were present Mr.. Howe, the ele-
vator man, Mr.. Weiser of the First
National bank of Fargo, Alex Stern.
l, ct. al. Mr.. Rogers acted as chair
man. He stated that the North Da-
kota farmers were in bad shape; that
the twin city institutions looked upon
North Dakota as their customer, and
they were willing to go down into
their pockets for the necessary funds
to render assistance to the North Da-
kota farmers.
Fl was asked to submit plan. /
outlined plan somewhat similar to
the present county agency plan, which
corresponds very closely with the pro-
CONTINUED on Page Two)