The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1918-02-16
sI8T- t9 ~ ~ Ntf1f 'tty{fY''t sEFq 1870 30 80
FRAZIER INSISTS
ON BAN FOR WAR
PICTURES HON E
GUARDS EXHIBIT
Chief Executive Backs Up LANCER
y in Attack on Patriotic Sun
day Movies
GOVERNOR HAS WHIP HAND
Under Act of Special Session, the
North Dakota Defense Coun.
Gil is His Creature
GOVERNOR HAS WHIP HAND

It was announced at the cayito
Friday that Governor Frazier,
his dual capacity or chief excel
tive and ex-officio chairman G
the state defense council, has az
pealed to the national dcfens
council at Washington to prohll
it the showing of the patriotic gov
eminent war pictures in North Da
kota OIL Sunday, no matter undo
whose auspices or what conditions
This action on the part of the
governor was not unexpected
When conflict of authority de
veloped between Attorney Gen
eral William LANCER and Secretary
+. Q. Helstrom Oh the showing oil
the United States war pictures in
North Dakota, it was quite gen
orally predicted that the governor
would back up his legal advisor.
AeIstrom is Bound
Secretary Helstrom owes his an
p0intment to Governor Frazier, and
publicly and privately he has been
one OF the chief executives most ar
dent defenders, particularly when the
patriotism of the governor and other
ToWnley league administration offic.
1als was questioned. The governor
recently stood out against bill giving
members of the executive board of
the national defense council the privi-
lege Of selecting their own chairman
and delegating the nomination of the
members of the executive committee
to the twelve district judges of the
state The bill as finally passed gives
the governor supreme power to ap-
point or discharge members of the
state council and makes this body a
part Of the Townley administration in
North Dakota. .t..
To Name New Council
It was stated yesterday that the
governor would proceed without delay
to name his new defense council sell
Getting only men thoroughly in SYM
pathy with his attitude todard the war
pictures and other patriotic move.
ments, and 1t was predicted that un-
less Secretary Helstrom gracefully re-
tired from the stand he has taken on
the exhibition OF the government war
pictures in North Dakota he would be
removed.
mr. mi 0o - Npy{kt II
Louis w. Mack, publicity director of
the National Council Of Defense, ex-
pressed, himself as unalterably op.
posed to the exhibition OF the Ameri-
can war pictures in North Dakota on
the Sabbath. ....
Sunday Only Day Available
The North Daktoa defense council
has insisted on showing these pictures
on Sunday on the ground that to at
tempt to show them any other day in
the week would be to enter into dir
rect business competition with the
moving pictuse house which have 10y
ally c0-operated with the movement
and have made special concessions
with view to furthering the work.
The pictures, the council claims, deal
with subject which should be as sac
red to every loyal American as his
religion. The hours of exhibition have
been planned with view to not inter-
fering with any regular religious SER
vice, and in every town where the pic
lures have been exhibited on Sunday,
church people have f1Ocked to see
them.
Pro-German Activities
1t has been openly alleged that the
opposition to these pictures, which dc.
pict just what several thousand North
Dakota boys now in France or in the
training camps are doing, is due to
pro-German activities, and the North
Dakota defense council has had these
charges under investigation.
The defense council has incurred an
expense of $4,000 in procuring a SER
les Of these pictures for exhibition
in the state. Fargo, Grand Forks, Bis
marck, New Rockford, jamestown,
Mandan and other larger towns in the
state already have been forced to
close their theatres to the defense
council, and If the governor succeeds
in overruling Secretary Helstrom with
the national defense council, the state
body will suffer loss of several
thousand dollars, for it is claimed that
the Home Guard units and other pat
ri0tic organizations which have as.
sumed local sponsorship for these pic
lures cannot exhibit them to advant.
age on weekdays, when other theatres
are running.