The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1917-03-07
EQUITY MEASURE IS
FIRST TO GET GOVERNORS
Continued from Pare One)

not be under the control of our laws
but would be regulated by the laws
of the state in which it was built.
Neither would it be in keeping with
the oft expressed sentiment and de-
sires of our people to keep North Da-
kota institutions and money at home.
Fourth. l believe it to be my duty
to withhold my approval of this act
for the further reason that the legis
lature appropriated money in excess
of the states available funds. 1t is
true that there will be about $4,000
in the terminal elevator fund, but this
should be carefully protected rather
than squandered by. an ill,advised pro-
cedure.
Wants Elevator il State.
Of . Fifth. I am in favor of the state.
owned terminal elevators and flour
mills built within the state and prop
erly financed by the issue Of bonds,
and am satisfied that a terminal ele-
vator in North Dakota with a state
owned nour mill would be great sue.
cess, and firmly believe that two
years from now the will of the people
can not be blocked and that these
institutions will then be built.
Il am equally satisfied that this
measure would hamper and retard
real progress, discourage the people
and make the struggle Of the farmer
against the grain gambler much hard.
er, and will tend to block the ulti-
mate establishment Of a terminal ele.
vator and flour milling System on a
business basis that will assure sue
cess.
believing that this proposed act
is against the best interests of both
the producer and consumer, and that
the best interests of the state demand
a united effort for state-owned ele-
vators and -four mills built by bond
issue rather than by raising the taxes,
withhold my approval.
Il am
Every respectfully yours,
(Signed.) LYNN J. FRAZIER,
Governor"
Johnson Will Not Talk.
81 do not wish to be quoted on the
subject" said President NJ. P. John.
son, this morning, when he received
from the Tribune Office his first
knowledge that bill for which the
Equity has labored increasingly for
seven years had been defeated.
81 have absolutely nothing to say
at the present time added Mr..
johnson.
Blow to Equity.
ut is blow to the Equity" said
local members of the organization.
"a terminal elevator, as a means of
influencing the grain market has been
our one great object. 1t really was
the one think for which the Equity
was organized, and we have never
lost sight of it. We worked for Sen
ate Bill "a because, all things consid.
cred, we believed it a good bill. We
realized that we would have opposi-
ton from the league, which stands
fatty for state ownership, whereas
we favor state supervision and con-
troll; but we believed, since we had
aided so materially in making the
league the power which it is and had
conceded so much, that the league
would give us this one project. We
don't know what to think of the gov
ernor's action. He was elected on a
platform calling for stateowned ter
minal elevators; the people, at the
same election, by a big majority. vot-
ed for an investigation of the termi-
nal elevator question, to enable the
recent legislature to act on the mat
ter with some intelligence The gov
ernor has, destroyed to a large ex-
tent the effects Of seven years edu.
cational work among the farmers of
the northwest and has, we fear, per-
manently endangered the terminal
elevator proposition