The Ward County independent. [volume] (Minot, Ward County, N.D.) 1902-1965, 1919-05-01
kOSITzKY AND L|CCFTT
DEBATE At BISMARCK
State Auditor, Who Has Fallen Out
With TOwnley, Locks Horns With
Well Known TOwnley News
paperman.

Bismarck, N. D., April 28.-North
Dakota's open oratorical marathon
went four heats in the Bismarck audi
torium on Saturday afternoon, with
the Nonpartisan league chieftains
betting their money on Walter w.
Liggett, of st. Paul, while Carl Kositz-
ky, state auditor, went into the. game
single handed.
Mr.. Liggett talked about state
taxes, about Carl Kositzky's system
Of making an assessment against
stenographers to create a fund with
which to pay a salary to his wife
while she was employed in the state
! auditors office; he touched gently on
the printing law, and he dealt lightly
with the educational laws.
Mr.. Kositzky talked rather roughly
about the printing law; he dealt Sc
verely with the educational bill; he
termed the judicial redistricting bill q
waste of money, and he insisted that
the immigration bill was brought into
being only for the purpose of creating
fund for the promotion of Nonparti-
san league propaganda.
Mr.. Liggett said that Carl Kositzky
had been gruesomely mistaken about
the state tax figures; that the auditor
had been careless in handling the
truth with respect to appropriations
made by the legislature, and that he
had made misleading statements with
respect to the status of North Dakota
finances.
Mr.. Kositzky had something to say
Of the system Of control employed
during the last legislature by which
he insisted state officials wers told
to go about their own business
when they offered advice on legisla-
ton, and he had something to ssy oil
the famous order that Senator Fred
Mees Of Morton county had revealed.
that Of "going home like a horse.
thief"
The Printing Bill
Mr.. Liggett said the official print
ing bill would save the counties of the
state 100000; Mr.. Kositzky says the
bill will make a difference of only
$4,000, and that it means a fat graft
for the Brinton controlled newspa-
pers, and Mr.. Kositzky says the North
Dakota Nonpartisan Leader has been
talking about 100000 saving by|
the law.
"Mr. Liggett has come down $780,
600 on the printing bill, and he'll come
down another $4,000 one of these
day" said the auditot.
After the first two heats. divided
equally between Mr.. Liggett and Mr..
Kositzky, the marathon developed in
to more or less of free-for-all.
Before the debate was over,
the speakers got rather person.
al. Liggett produced an affidavit
from former stenographer from Ko-
sitzky's office, showing that the aud
itor's wife had received her salary
from fund created by assessing GER
tain stenographers so month each
from their salary. An affidavit was
produced signed by Gaia M. Peters, a
former stenographer, to prove this as
sertion. Kositzky admittE this but
said there were no funds to pay her
otherwise, and anyway, other state Of
ficials had their wives or other men,
bers of their families on the payroll,
and it didn't make any difference after
all.
Relative to the income from the
school levy, Mr.. Liggett said that Mr..
Kositzky had asserted that the in
come from such levy would be only
half the sum that Kositzky had indi-
Gated, for the legislature reduced the
| levy from two to one mill. All told,
! Liggett said that Mr.. Kositzky's fig
! ures were $2,400,O00 too high.
Total appropriations of the last leg
islature wert calculated by Mr.. Lig-
gett for general state purposes, at
$6,O25, 581.77, with 1857 400 to carry
the league program into effect, and
256,46O.33 in the nature of deficiency
or emergency appropriations. Stand
ing appropriations were listed at
! SO 600, asking the total $1,000, 402. 10.
| Mr.. Liggett said that the oil tax,
inheritance tax, corporation and other
Continued on page 49,
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