Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1917-12-26
I VI Y tie E
j MAY DETH|R'ONE 4
PRES. JOHNSON
City Meeting in Feb
ruary May Have Fatal
Results.

: H4Fy -HNNiyHta [p-.. tt .4aAAJ4 f.-e1 .aEE tl H. .Ir|
Fargo, N. D.. Dec. 2e.-The annual
OF the North Dakota So
ciety Of Equity will be, held in Valley
City. on a date not vet. deanitely fixed
but It probably ,willsbe about the mid
die or latter part Of February. &
While nothing is definitely KNOWN
OF the plans Of the Equity leaders. 1t
is considered likely that the. conven-
ton will develop more or less polt-
ical Significance In North. Dakota,
the Society Of Equity has tbeenSforced
into secondary position by activities
of the Nonpartisan League. and last
spring, when NJ. p. johnson, president
Of the Society Of, Equity, and member
of the state railroad board, issued an
ernor~Lynn Frazier in vetoing the
Equity's terminal elevator bill, things
developed with rapidity. Mr.. john
sons attack, on the governor was fol-
lowed by q more or less bitter denun-l,
citation Of the cN~onpartisan selected
state executive through. the columns
Of the Co-operator's Herald
For some time past, however, The
,Co-operators' Herald has not been
given over to any further criticism Of.
Mr., Frazier and in very recent issues,
the publication. has carried special
articles to show how state ownership
aids cooperation" The Nonpartisans
1t might be stated in passing, strenu-
ously advocate state ownership, while
the true Equity nan is for %co-opera-
tive business endeavor as q. means of
solving the ills that both bodies see
in the body polite and body economic.
ton. Of the Society of Equity develops
any particular political significance.
the Valley City convention should be
exceedingly interesting. In the ranks
Of the Equity men. there is no slight
scheme. That portion of the Equity
group represented more or less by
M p. johnson of Tolley;~A A. NJ. Baker
of Fargo; G. j. Lee Of Fargo; M. Teig-
en- of Omemee, is arrayed against an
other group that is. headed by Pat
Casey Of Fargo, president of the
pany;; Anthony Walton Of Minot, an
other packing company promoter, and
several others. who stand with the
state administration. Mr.. Walton was
one OF the leagues floor leaders. in
the house Of representatives in the
last session Of the last legislature,
while Mr.. Casey, in addition to being
president of the Equity Packing COM
pany, a. 81, 000, 900 corporation that is
OAAAAAA6 poShIA6 pant near r dEEO,
was assistant sergeant at arms in the
house Of representatives in the last
session of the assembly, and now is a
member Of the state board of con-
troll, under appointment by Cover
knof Frazier. 2.
Friction between the two Equity
elements has been more or less pro-
nounccd throughout the year. The
proposed use Of the name, Equity
in connection with the Fargo building
project that has resulted in the erec-
tidh or a. five story business and apart
,ment building at the corner of Sec
ond avenue and Roberts street, was
opposed by the Casey group, while,
likfwise, the name Equity was also
objected to in connection with the
establishment, of a creamery project
i'm Fargo.
The N%!onpartisan group in the So
"ciety OF Equity are ready to stand FOR
the entire program of the ENonpartis-
an league, while it is known that MI,
johnson, heretofore a power in the
Equity. Is strongly opposed to certain
features.
The Nonpartisan political directors
are practically certain to make the
coming Valley. City convention the o,.-
casion OF a test that they will turn
into. a Reputation of Mr.. Johnson's
pOsltOn on the terminal bill If they
succeed in adopting resolutions en-.
dorsing the governor for his stand on
the terminal bill. @I
The terminal elevator bill in cues
ton granted a 5000, 900 %appropria-
ton and provided that the governor
name a commission. which commits
sion was given the power to buy ter.
minal elevators, build terminal Gle.
vators. or investigate the question
OF whether or, not Ssuch elevator was
feasible. " - ~ :
There were no restrictions. upon the
commission and no set program was
outlined The Nonpartisan League
president, &C. Townley. decided thal
the bill wouldn't do, even after III
practical unanimous passage by the
last legislature and: G Governor Fraziei
accordingly attached his veto.
The act brought an immediate de.
nunciation from President Johnson.o Nj
n Equity, taken ply the editor n
a Co-operators' Herald, hut there
was no follow up from the Eouitylna.
per, Nonpartisan influence within the
EQUITY successfully heading OF any
further attack upon the executive
For some time past The Herald h,
been a&vigorous supporter Of the gov.
ernor the state administration
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