The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1918-01-25


Numerous petitions advocating the
adoption of the federal prohibition
amendment were received in both
branches of the assembly.
CBy Associated Press.l
Bismarck, N. D., Jan. 25.--M. p.
johnson OF Tolley, president Of the
North Dakota Equity society and a
member of the North Dakota rail-
way commission, appearing before
the senate grain and warehouse
committee today in a hearing on the
grain grading amendments, which il
enacted will remove the supervision
of this department from the railway
commission and concentrate it in
the hands of DR.. z. F. Ladd of the
Agricultural college defed members
of the senate committee to carry 1t
out.
Will Hear johnson Talk.
Il want to say to you gentlemen,
he said, 'that you will hear johnson
talk today and that II you do any
thing to this grain grading bill
you'll never do anything but hear
Johnson talk all the rest of his life. y
The administration grain grading
bill removes all supervision OF ele-
vators and warehouses and Of the
grading and inspection of grain from
the railway commission, which has
shown its independence in several
matters, it is claimed, and puts 1t in
the hands of the state grain grading
department, headed by DR.. Ladd.
Defending the proposed amend
ment, Senator ]. J. Cahiu Of Leith
said the change was wanted be-
cause the board Of railway commits
sioners is elected by the people, and,
while the present board may be all
right we can never tell whom the
people will put in next"
Dr.. Laid Too Busy
cdr. Ladd never told the. railway
commission there was anything
wrong with this BILL" said Commits
egioner .Jepson. 'rHe told us he was
too busy to give the act any Of his
personal attention, but that he was
compelled to leave everything to his
deputies.
'aThe first intimation we had that
there was anything wrong with this
act or any change contemplated
came in a resolution tackled on the
tail end of a patriotic resolution
down at Fargo, a week ago. That
was the longest and most eloquent
resolution I've ever heard read. In
all my experience there is nothing
TO compare with IL, and way down
AT the tail end, tucked away neatly,
was a resolution asking that the
grain grading department be taken
away from the railway commission
and be given to DR.. IAadd. don't be-
lieve one out of a hundred who voted
for that resolution knew what they
were doing, or understood what was
prinp on.
Chief Deputy Inspector MCCOY
ern has come to us and asked Tor
nothing that was not granted. There
ia nothing wrong with this bill you
gentlemen have under discussion
except a clerical error and the sec
ton changing the power. AS a farm
er / want to go on record before the
world against taking this power
away from the railway commission
where il should be, and concentrat-
ing it in the hands of one man, an
appointive official, who has already
stated that he is too busy TO give the
business any personal attention"
Asked how much time elapsed be-
tween the filing Of charges against
elevator men accused of misgrading
grain. and their hearing before the
railway commission, Commissioner
Jepson replied that II was about
week. He also stated that no grain
growers appeared at that hearing
to prosecute, and that Deputy In
spector McGovern was the only man
present to press charges against
the elevator man. He stated IT,
was not necessary for farmers to
appear in person before the commits
sion, but that they could file their
protests and submit their evidence
by letter.
eff there has ever been any desire
for a change in the rules governing
the grain grading department, II has
not been called to our attention"
said Mr.. Johnson.