The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1917-03-14

one in the hands of Mr.. Stair In the
house, were combined into one bill
Here again are Mr.. Browns own
words: Senator Nelson. Mr.. He'll
strom and myself had the three bills
rewritten into one that afternoon in
the Mckenzie hotel"-that is the aft
ernoon Of Feb. IL. .-. 49,.
In his attempt to defend Senator
Kirkeide against the charge Of trying
to "steal league thunder" Mr.. Brown
only adds more facts and details.
The next day after this combination
of the three bills Feb. IL. the bill be-
ing perfected. Senator Kirkeide intro
duced 1t in his own name with Sena-
tor Browns name coupled9to his in
second place.
Mr.. Brown says it was left to
Senator Drown to say whether the bill
should go in under his name alone or
with Senator Krkeide."
This is the f1imsiest subterfuge. 1t
Is a weak attempt to pass the buck"
to Senator Drown. It Is an effort to
make Senator Drown appear anxious
about getting his name on q bill, or
letting it go by default to Kirkeide.
IL there had been q sincere. honest de-
sire to let Senator Drown have the
credit. nothing would have been said
about the matter. and Senator browns
nameswould have been used as q mat
ter Of course. But they wanted to
strengthen Senator Kirkeide's weak
record for farmers measures, so they
put 1t UP to Drown. well knowing he
would not insist on credit for the
measure under any such circum-
stances.
Mr.. Brown says in his correction
that Senator Kirkeide expressed his
pleasure and satisfaction that some
thing was being DONE" Strange that
Senator Kirkeide did not think of do
ing something during the days he had
browns bill in his pocket, before the
Stark county bill came along. He had
plenty of chance; he had the bill; he
was chairman Of the committee. If
getting something done gave him SO
much satisfaction. why did he not do
something?
And further. If Senator Kirkeide was
so anxious for q grain grading bill to
get by,-why did he sit silent in his
seat. while his old gang colleagues at
tackled it on the floor OF the senate?
Not once during the debate on the
measure. did he raise his voice in de-
Tense of the grain grading bill that
bore his name. That defense was left
wholly to Senator Drown and other
league senators. What Senator Kirk
eide wanted was the credit for father
ing such bill. He was not particular
Mr.. Browns article gives a mass of
details. most OF which are correct.
none OF which were contradicted in
The Leader. and none Of which dis
prove the original proposition that
Senator Kirkeide lay down on q league
grain grading bill until he got a,
chance to use it in framing one OF his
own.
Mr.. Brown owns up that the Drown
bill was first introduced. that Kirk
eide did nothing until another bill was
introduced: that after holding the
Drown bill four DAYS. he turned 1t over
to be used in making new bill; that
when this new bill was perfected,
Kirkeide introduced IL in the senate as
his own. That is the kernel in the nut.
that is what The Leader article stated
and that is what Mr.. Brown started
out to correct" He started. but he
never. finished. The effort hattened
out in a series Of unsupported charges
of "untruth." attack" and "misrep-
and ended by corroborat-
ing all The Leader said.
Ralph L. Harmon.