Emmons County record. [volume] (Williamsport, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1884-current, 1919-05-22

newspaper graft bill was an expsri.
enced Newspaper NAH, and he knew
what part of'the newspaper business
to grab in order to get rich himself,
and to force all opposition to tn.
wall. And he wasn't concerned IN
the honesty or dishonesty Of the
county commissioners. He knew that
he had drag" with the three Off
Gals in Bismarck who were culiad
out of the entire state list and that
in no other way could he depend mp
on capturing ALL the legal work in
ALL the counties for the vast string
Of newspapers that he has bought,
except by fixing it 30 that his three
friends could appoint his whole
string. And, as to correcting the
abuse two years from now, he knew
and knew it well-that dead man
isn't worried much about vindication.
And most of the independent news
papers of North Dakota will be dead
when the time comes that "the peo-
pie could correct the abuse"
No honest man can find an excuse
for the passage of Senate Bill 157
by the last Legislature. Dishonest
motives were bahind its inception,
and members of the house and SEN
atesvoted for it for two reasons:
Selfishness or fear. The large per-
cantage of them owned stock in
newspapers that would profit by the
steal, and the rest feared the whip of
Townley's vast newspaper syndicate
and his political organization.
Why, here in Emmons county, the
published call for mseting Of the
stockholders of the Emmons County
Farmers Press was signed by C. A..
Ward, president, and Fay Harding,
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. That corpora
ton was launched two years ago
and didn't dare actually buy a news
paper and get in the game until it
had law behind it that would force
enough business to it to make il pay.
The supplement published in last
weeks Emmons County Free Press
bears the heading and date line of
that paper-but it was printed by the
Nonpartisan League in Fargo. All
they wanted was to find enough pap
suckers throughout the state to lend
an air of responsibility to the thing
and to circulate it for them to beguile
their readers into believing the dope
in it. They thought that they might,
hook few votes from persons who
wouldn't believe Townley or his per-
sonal organ, but who might be will
ling to believe Stewart.
The newspaper law to be voted on
at the special election-if Frazier
doesn't concoct some scheme to beat
the people out Of a chance to vote on
it, is only the rottenest piece of legis-,
lation to come up for a vote. The
immigration bill, thu redistricting
bill, the educational bill, and others
have not the slightest excuse for ex-
listing, and the arguments advanced
in the Free Press supplement are.
sickly and flimsy in the extreme.
The Record man cannot go into the.
details of all in the columns of this
paper as thoroughly as he should
like to do, but he would welcome
chance to meet the voters of any
community face to face and discuss
the measures. He will gladly debate
in any part Of, the county these
measures with Messrs. Ward, Hard
ing or Yeater, who were supposed to
go to Bismarck last winter to repre-
sent him, as well as all other voters
and taxpayers in the county.
We weren't hare at the last cleo
ton. We didn't have ,chance to
support or oppose any of those men.
But they went to Bismarck to repro
sent all the people o. this county.
They voted for these laws. We chai-
lenge them-or any one Of tham-to
face us on the platform before the
people of any part Of this county,
and discuss the merits of the meas
ures. And we'll take on any actual
representative who voted for these
measures, only barring the hired
mercenaries that are combing the
state to garner in what few more
sheckels they can inveigle the farm
ers to part with.
!. ---O----