Grand Forks herald., 1917-03-10
EQUITY HEAD
FLAYSVET0BY
THE GOVERNOR
Amazed at Turning Down of
the Terminal Eleva-
tor Bill.

Bismarck, N. D., March 9.-Gover-
nor Fraziers veto of S. B. No. "a, pro-
viding for the creation of terminal
elevator commission and for the con-
struction Of an elevator IL the COM
mission deemed the plan expedient, is
scored by President NJ P. johnson, of
the North Dakota Society Of Equity.
in an interview given out here today.
Mr.. Johnson, q member Of the state
railroad commission, elected on the
Nonpartisan league ballot, doesn't ac-
cept Governor Frazier's explanation
of the veto, insisting that the people
Of the state have clearly stated. from
time to time, that they want a termin-
al. owned by the state.
Thunderbolt, johnson.
The news came as thunderbolt
to me-" said Pres. M. p. johnson, who
with Sec. NJ. v. Boldly of the state
union of the Equity, was interviewed
briefly last evening on the veto Of S.
Bono. "a.
Il couldn't believe until I saw the
governors message actually in print
that the report could be true. At no
time did we receive any intimation of
the governors intention. nor were we
consulted as to our views in the mat
ter. The Equity had worked seven
years for this bill. It carried out to a
large extent the Equity's ideas Of
what the bill should contain, and had
the governor signed it, as we fully ex-
pected him to do, it would have been
a great aid to the Equity movement.
Il can't say what the next step
Of the Equity will be. I anticipate
that conference will be held in the
near future. I am wondering what
the effect Of this league move will
be on the attempts to organize Min
nesota, now under way. If Minneso-
ia comes to the conclusion that the
North Dakota Equity union has as
sisted in building up an organization
which intends to block everything
believe the league will get very far
in Minnesota.
Bonding VS.. Tax.
$50 far as the farmer is concerned,
a direct tax is the equitable plan, to
my mind. in the building Of these
utilities. haven't the exact figures,
but believe the Minnesota penitenti-
airy at Saltwater has paid back into
the general fund something like
issued for its construction. All Of
this money came directly from the
pockets of the farmers, who were the
sole consumers Of the prison products
Agricultural machinery and prison
twine. Every interest in Minnesota,
however. the big factories, the rail-
roads and the banks. profit from the
from the profits turned into the gen.
eral fund by the prison.
Had the prison been built by d.
rect taxation to begin with, everyone
in the state would have contributed
his share, the burden would not have
fallen alone on tho farmer, and
everyone would have shared alike in
rAH to
would have resulted when the prison
reached a paying basis. It's as long
as 1t is broad. Whether it's a bond
issue or a direct tax, 1t must be- paid
in some way. The bond issue, how
ever, puts the entire burden on the
farmer, and the direct tax passes the
burden around and gives everyone a
would apply to terminal elevators % and
flour mills
THE Equity has taksn several
tumbles, but it always has got up
again and kept going. don't think
the Equity has finished its work in
North Dakota and Minneaota. can't
say. what our next move. will be, but
I. for one. have no intention Of
Was Not Bound.
9, B. No. "a gave Governor Frazier
authority to name his own commits
sion, to spend any part OF $500, 900 in
Investigating the feasibility Of term
tnaE elevAfOES, and to stop there, II
the plan did not appeal to hin1 as
practicaL Hin hands were not tied
IN any way. It was the hrst measure
which has passed the North Dakota
legislature which made any adequate
effort to look into the tsrminal ele-
vator proposition. The peopie last
fall approved bill calling upon the