The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1917-10-18
DONCS AT STATE CAPITAL

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Some of the nervous patriots
have been having commissions
because the Board of Univer-
sity and School Lands has not
announced whether or not they
will authorize the investment of
the school funds of the state in
Liberty bonds. w. J. Prater,
the new commissioner, has been
attacked because he said in one
interview that he was afraid
there would be no funds avail
able for investment in liberty
bonds, and that in the other, if
there were funds he would be
heartily in favor of such an in
vestment. Mr.. Prater's course
has been consistent and he
meant what he said in both cas-
eS.
The views of some of the
members of the Board of Uni
versity and School Lands are
about as follows: While they
all favor the investment of a
certain amount of the state en-
dowment funds in liberty bonds
not only because of the Nations
urgent need, but because the
lands are a gift of the state from
the Federal government, yet
they feel that to turn down the
applications for farm loans will
not be using the funds to the
best advantage. More important
than the investment in liberty
loan bonds by the State of N.
Dak., is the necessity for a large
crop next year. The federal gov
eminent is urged that every av-
ailable foot of ground be crop
ped. Last year the crop in this
state was short and this year
in many sections it is an abso-
lutte failure. Interest rates are
advanced and money available
for farm loans is fast disappear
ing from the market. Unless
money can be borrowed from
the state, hundreds of farmers
will be so crippled that they will
be unable to crop the maximum
amount of land next year.
The application for loans
come to the Board at the rate of
from $50, 900 to $4,000 a month
for farm loans and at the pres
ent time the income is not great
ly in excess of $4,000 per
month. They have applications
for Sis, 900 which have not
been paid but which have been
allowed and must be taken care
of. This will more than wipe
out all available funds.
There is due the state about
one and one-half million dollars
in deferred payments on prin-
cipal and interest on land al
ready sold which is overdue.
Some of those loans have been
secured by some of these pat
riots who are shrieking against
the Board of University and
School Lands and it appears
from the records that they are
more anxious to have the state
invest in liberty loans than to
pay what they justly owe the
state. The problem for the
Board to settle is whether they
shall deny loans to the farmers
of the state and loan the money
to the Federal Government
or whether they should take
care of the farmers, believing
that in this way they will best
serve the interests Of the fed
eral government. ,
The busy politician, who is at
present engaged in singing cop
ious quantities of mud at the
state administration for it's al
legged want of loyalty, has most
excellent reasons for desiring to
darken the political landscape
SO that the people may not see
all that is going forward. One
of the things which is worrying
the politicians and some eorpor-
ations is the fact that the ad-
ministration has adopted a pol
icy of re- adjustments testing
of the public utilities OF the state
as to whether or not they are
reasonable or unreasonable
whether or not the people are
paying an unfair price tor ser
vice. This is q most vital qPaes-
ton with the corporations, and
of course, if vital to the eorpor-
alton, it is important 70 the PRO
fessional politicians. The prob