The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1919-12-08
New View of the Truth Offered
in House BY Speaker Stair
Saturday
TAX REDUCTION FORCED
Judge RObins0n's Warning Is
Needed In Part By Looping
OFF Is Per Cent

Dakota he is booster; when he un-
derestimates it, if he chances to, be
q state official, he is a traitor, a liar
and felon, apparently is the opinion
of Speaker Stair of the house Of rep
resentatives, who offered this explain
alton in defense Of Senate Bill &c,
which makes it felony for any state
official to wilfully publisl. any false
statement in regard to any Of the
state departments, institutions or in
dustries, (which false statements
shall tend to deceive the public and
create distrust Of the state officials
or employees in charge Of such de-
partments, institutions and indus
tries.
Minority members suggested that
if the league program can bear the
light Of day, such falsehoods as this
bill initiates against would fall OF
their own weight, and that the meas
ure is dangerous, no matter what fac
tion may chance to be in the ma
jority, because it suppresses free
speech and freedom of the press.
ITS going to be rather hard on
statesmen who, as a league senator
stated last spring, have been instruct
ed by President A.. G. TOwnley to go
home and lie like a horsethief,' said
Burl Carr of Valley City.
Senate Bill 20 passed the house by
a vote of 6S to Al, which is not sutfi-
~ <o ho al
attached to the bill and which would
give it immediate effect. But league
leaders are advancing a new argu-
ment-that the very calling Of this
special session was an emergency or
created an emergency and that every
piece of legislation passed by this
extraordinary session may lbe con-
sidered emergency legislation and
chat as such it will take immediate
effect. In this event the plan Of the
opposition to referend these measures
AT the presidential primaries next
March would suffer a setback, and to
get these bills before the people, lit
would be necessary to circulate peti-
ti0ns and to- secure the same number
OF signatures as in, the case Of the
league bills referred last spring. In
the meantime bills giving the govern
or power to take over the mines and
other private property; the power OF
the power Of the governors inquisa-
torial committee to examine into any
public or private citizen or corpora
tion suspected Of endeavoring to
block the league program; the power
Of the governor to fine or~throw into
Jail or both any state official utter
ing what might be adjudged a false
hood that might prove detrimental to
the league program; bills removing
the auditor and attorney general from
important auditing and accounting
boards and replacing these independ-
ent officials with men who stand
squarely with Townley, would be in
full force and effect, at least until
next March. Anti-admin' 'stration Off
cials insist there is no legal or con-
stitutional justification for the stand
which the administration is said to
take in this matter.
In spite of league protestations that
there was to be no undue increase in
state taxes this year, and that the
current state levies We're reasonable
and just, the committee on delayed
bills introduced in the, house Satur-
day afternoon bill which would re-
NIT and refund one-fourth of the state
taxes levied this year. This is con-
sidered in anti-administration circles
a concession on the part of the league
to Associate Justice James ID. Robin
son, who has demanded that taxes
he cut in half, and who has displayed
much independence upon this sub
ject and other matters.
How this refund is to be accom-
plished, and to how many state levies
1t is to apply. is not Indicated in the
League bill. Levies have already been
made and tax statements have gone
out. The state lcvies for this year
General .........,..... SO, ,45S,952
Sinking fund .......... 60,950
Interest ....t.. 25s,040.
Total Il. j! .$4,540,S2G
If one-fourth of the total levy is
remitted, taxes will be- reduced ST.
135,2O6. Approximately this amount
was saved in other delayed bills in
troduced by the league Saturday
which cut off institutional building
programs planned for this biennium,
reduce the approximation for the state
highway commission and the dairy
commission, and many other sharp
\ reductions.
Aside from these actions. the house
by vote of As to 80, declined to re-
fer to the neople at the March pri-
maries, bill repeating the anti-cig.
arctic law, and by practically the
same vote the house voted to reveal
a league measure passed at the last
assembly giving the ATTORNEY general
Supervision over the licensing of pool
halls. theatres, garages and other reg
ulated concerns.
WAR WEDDINGS CUT
CHORUS GIRL, SUPPLY
Z nndon Theatrical agencies are
having great difficulty in obtaining
trained chorus girls and actresses for
minor narts. These young women en-.
gagged in war work and great mum.
her of them have not returned to
fhosr nrofossinnS MANY marriod, sn1,