The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1918-08-03
BANKERS URGE
PRESS TO MAKE
SURE OF NEWS
Committee of State Association
Raps False Report Given
r Newspapers
BELIEVES STATE is HURT
Comments Especially Opon the
Errors Made by Outside
Publications
BELIEVES STATE is HURT

conference here with the state cOun>
Gil Of defense Saturday. -
The story to which these resolutions
specifically refer was sent out by John
B. Brown, assistant secretary of the
state council OF defense, to The Cour.
Ter News, at Fargo, league daily news
paper organ, and was carried by the
Associated Press and other news agen-
cies upon authority given by the mem
Der Of the council of defense who
drafted the order providing for the
taking over OF all elevators IN the
state and their operation by the coun'
Gil Of defense. This order was per-
snally delivered to The Tribune ana
to the local correspondent Of the AS,
sociated Press by member of the
council of defense. and the order was
published locally and sent out over
the wire verbatim. The following
day the authenticity of the order was
denied by Assistant Secretary John
E. Brown, who had already used the
story in his own newspaper, The Cour-
ier-News, and this denial was give1:
the same publicity in the independent
press of the state and the Twin Cities
as had been given the original order
as reported passed by the council
This explanation is given because
the resolutions adopted here Saturday
will in all probability be made the
basis for further attacks ny the Town
ley organs and organizations in this
state upon the independent press OF
North Dakota and the Twin Cities.
The state bankers association advises
that its resolutions are directed par
ticularly at newspapers published
outside the state which have publish
ed articles with little or not founda.
ton in fact and then have proceeded
to draw from these garbled stories
their editorial conclusions, to the det-
riment of the faith and credit of North
Dakota in general and to the injury OF
the bankers in particular.
The resolutions follow:
whereas certain reports freely cir
culated In our state and in neighbor,
ing states by publication in newspa-
pers, news items to the effect that the
council Of defense had taken over all
grain elevators of the state and ord
cred a moratorium on the foreclosure
of chattel mortgages, and
Whereas the credit and good name
of the state has been seriously in.
jured by misapprehension and mis-
statements Of the facts In certain
newspapers, more particularly those
published outside the state, first, as
to the taking over Of the elevators.
and second, as to the intent and pur,
pose of issuing moratorium on the
foreclosure OF chattel mortgages;
BE it resolved, that we, special
committee appointed. by the executive
council of the North Dakota Bankers
association to meet with the execu-
tive committee Of the state council
of defense for the purpose of inquir>
ing into and giving publicity to the
facts in connection with such harm
full published statements, and for the
further purpose Of comforting with the
state council OF defense in their ef-
forts to work out financial problems
and policies made necessary by war
conditions, do sincerely deprecate the
hasty and ill-advised conclusions ar
rived at by representatives OF certain
newspapers without their having made
a necessaryn and proper investigate
which should be made in all cases.
The publica ton Of rumors, garbled
news items and wholly false state
ments has done a very serious damage
to the credit of our state; reacts d.
rectly upon the work of the banks OF
the state, and hampers their efforts IN
financing the farming and stock-rais.
ing interests of the state, and
BE 1t further resolved that this
committee pledges the loyalty OF the
banking and financial interests of the
state in continuance OF their efforts
to finance the farming, livestock and
kindred interests of the state and asks
the cooperation of the public press IN
a more careful investigation OF ru-
mors and items of news, the publica-
ton Of which without proper investf-
CATION may be harmful to the credit OF
and to the financial interests OF the
state" ,.. .....
The resolutions are signed by w. G.
Mcdowell, c.. E. Batcheller, J. }. Nler-
ling, F. w. Cathro and W. c. Macfad-
den. ..-. .... .. .....-
News Bureau Dropped.
To guard against harmful and mis-.
leading publicity and to assure all OF
the newspapers in the state Impartial
treatment in the matter OF pubnclty
originating with the council OF defense,
newspaper Representatives from all
sections of the state at their war con;
ference in Bismarck in April, Win
Governor Frazier presiding, adopted,
at the request of the council OF de-
tense, plan of procedure for the op'
Grafton of patriotic publicity bu.
reau in connection with the council
of defense This bureau was installed
with, a newspaperman selected by the
newspaper mems advisory committee
as editor, and a free weekly plate
service covering activities of the coun-
cil was supplied country newspapers,
while a letter and clipping service
was supplied the dailies. This bureau
continued to operate satisfactorily un-
I'll July 6, when on motion OF Attorney
General LANCER, the bureau was dis
continued.
UNCLE SAM SATISFIED
WITH DAKOTA HIGHWAYS
. - r. evh.