The Fargo forum and daily republican., 1918-01-28
LEAGUES ATTACK.
ON UPPER HOUSE.
CONTINUED from Page Ii


The bills, or most of them, were
introduced in the house on Wednes-
day forenoon, and in the senate on
Wednesday afternoon. The printed
bills were ready for the members on
Thursday afternoon.
On Thursday afternoon, several
house committees reported bills out
and they were passed, several of
them being voted on while the print
ed copies of bills were being distrib-
uted to the members. The measures
came back to the house without any
degree of committee consideration,
being retained in virtually the same
form that they were introduced.
The political bill introduced by
the league hackers in the lower
house was that shifting the grain
grading department from the con-
troll Of the railroad board to the con-
troll Of the governor. The senate
grain grading committee, with q
personnel made up largely of farm
ers and Nonpartisans, devoted two
days to a hearing of the subject. and
finally ordered the bill redrafted.
Chairman Wexford Of that commit
tee is a Nonpartisan, and he in
vited before the committee several
to give versions Of the proposed
change. When the bill came back to|
the senate on Saturday, it was re-
turned with the unanimous support
of the committee.
The Seed Grain Law.
The senate's method of dealing
with the seed grain law Is another
indication of what the upper house
was confronted with. The bill was
originally referred to the senatel
agricultural committee, and subse- |
quently that committee asked the
aid of the judiciary committee.
When the joint committees went tol
work, a subcommittee was appoint |
ed to make a redraft of the whole |
measure, and that redraft came back
to the senate Saturday and was
unanimously approved.
One feature, the retention of the |
provision whereby 100 signers are
required to have a county bond or
furnish seed and feed, was raised by
Senator Benson, who thought the
ought to be reduced to 25,
as proposed in the original bill. Sen
ator jacobson, chairman of the sub
that prepared the bill,
informed Senator Benson on the
floor of the senate that he, Mr..
Jacobson, has questioned eight or
ten members of the senate with re-
5pect to that question, asking sug-
yestions, and that he received none,
30 the committee simply retained the
number provided for in the present
aw. Mr.. Jacobson said there would
be no difficulty adjusting the matter.
Another point on which the sem
lte has been attacked by the league
organ has to do with a $4,000 ap-
ton for tho rom missioner nft
agriculture and labor. This approp-
'lation was carried in the original
eague bill for the purpose of de-
'raying the expense of advertising /
or bids for bonds. Senator Jacobson
explained to the senate that this ap- !
had been eliminated, in !
lsmuch as the counties now bear the
of advertising, and that
uch charge is rightfully a charge I
.gainst the county that is issuing ]
he bonds, rather than against the {
tate as a whole. The appropriation {
4 $4,000 for the seed commissioner
S retained. II
Another point in the league bill. ]
Eliminated by the senate, proposed ]
hat the state guarantee bond issues {
" counties, and the section directed
the next succeeding legislative as t
{
o take ND bonds in the event any
ounty failed to do so, the county
hen to become indebted to the state,
his feature was eliminated because, J
s Senator jacobson explained, the
tate has no authority to guarantee
UGH bonds, and the further fact J
hat this legislative assembly is i
yithout power to in any manner at I
empt to govern the work OF the C
ext legislature on any proposition.
Further senate amendments to the a
,ague bill give the sheriff of a coun- o
Y authority to. seize grain to COM e
ell payment Of seed lien, while still
mother provision requires the states
ttorney of the county to place in
Idgmeht, on Jan. /, accounts that r
smain unpaid.
Thank subcommittee.
The joint committee on agricuI- O
ire and judiciary, on the motion \
a Nonpartisan league member n
Itended a vote Of thanks to the r
for its work in re-
rafting the bill.
So far as present indications are
only two points of diff a
ence prevail as between the house
ague majority, and the senate. OneI
Iates to the appropriation for the -
of agriculture, and the ~
her to the number Of signers. y
either of these is regarded as being EI
ficult Of solution, and adjust ~
ent today is anticipated -
The league seed bill, it might also ~
mentioned, was one of the meas Al
es that would have defeated the 7,
propriations because of the man n
r in which the title was drawn, NJ
d passed by the house, and be-
use of the manner in which the
themselves were
ade, and approved in the house. tn
The moratorium act is held BY tit
my to be in the same relative ST
sition as relates to unworkability nc nc
the leagues election bill, and an M
tirely new measure will be pro- in
sed in the senate.
While there had been a senti-
mt prevalent over the state gener- he
v that the Nonpartisan leaders to
d hoped to make political capital nc
I of the call for the session, both
in the state and out of the state =
there had been estab- IN
he'd a sentiment among legislators
nerally that nothing Of the nature
uld be attempted, despite the
lure of the league advisers on the
ound to propose any method of
rrying out Governor FraZier's plea
harmony and patriotic solution
all issues involved. The program
Is made a purely league PROPOSE
n from the beginning, and the
rtisan caucus system was retain
rhe attack that has been made
on the senate may bring forth
me rather plain speaking in that