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

Last weeks issue of the Emmons
County Free Press carrisd a 32-page
supplement purporting to be "facts
about North Dakota's new laws" 1t
was not marked political .advertis-
ing" and so must be considered as
the views that the editor of that
paper desired his readers to believe
were his own.
In the Free Press supplement ap-
peared the following statements:
"Under the new arrangement all pub
lie notices will be published in one
paper and anyone desiring to keep
informed on these affairs can do SO
by taking the official paper"
"Ths only honest objection that can
possibly be urged to the printing
bills is that the state board might
use its appointive power to build up
political machine, but the state Of
ficials, all of whom are elected by
the people, will have this power only
until the next general election when
any abuses or mistakes can be cor
rected by the people themselves, and
in any event it would be. impossible
for this board to abuse its appointive
power more grossly than has been
done by the county commissioners in
the past. The printing bills are alb
solutely sound in both principle and
practice and will effect sweeping re-
forms in the conduct of the county
press by making the editors Of these
papers directly responsible to the
people,"
Those statements are taken YER
b-tim from last weeks Emmons
County Free Press. First of all, the
editor Of the Emmons County Free
Press DOES NOT. believe all those
statements, and the Record man
knows of at least three persons to
whom he has stated that the bills
are unfair. He has no doubt made
the same statement to more than the
three.
How much weight should his argu-
ments now for the printing graft car
ry with the voters, when he has re-
peatedly stated his belief as the op-
posite Of what appeared in his paper?
Many readers may honestly disagree
with the opinions of newspaper
editor, and still respelt his right to
his opinions. But who can respect a
man who believes one thing and at
tempts to make his readers believe
the opposite in his newspaper? No
man can respect hypocrite.
4 Now, as to the statements them
selves:
The league and the Free Press in
their arguments for the bill admit
that readers in this county desiring
to know anything about any legal
matter from the taking up of team
Of horses to the publishing of bank
statement from Kintyre must take
she league-controlled newspaper
which will be published in Linton.
They admit that they will rob the
:est of us of a chance to get dol
ar's worth Of the hundreds of dol
arsrof legal printing now going to
The various newspapers of the coun-
y, and they admit that the idea is
% make every man in the county
AXE that one paper, or know nothing
pbout any kind of public matter,
sven to that Of learning who took up
us horse if one gets away from his
place. Of the dozens of kinds of le-
rails that they seek to corral for
heir one paper, their only claim to
fess expense is the one of item Of
ounty work. And they won't save a
ent on a million lines of that-,thcy
My allow the readers of one news
aper in !, county to know anys.,;ng
bout what is going on. In Emmons
ounty that will fix out the reat'ers
'ibutary to Linton, but those in the
eaz.3l.on ind Bradiock neiyl.cr-
pods can Ego hang"
The people are much better able to
,termine how many papers should
int commissioner proceedings
AN are Mr.. Ligeatt and the editor
the Emmons County Free Press.
the Townley legislature thought
aere was any doubt in the matter,
hy didn't they amend the present
". TO provide that, say. two hun
ed taxpayers might petition the
anmissioners to appoint q given
wspaper to publish the proceed
gs. Or, they might have. cut out
e publication Of county matters en-
ely and saved all the expense. in
sad Of two-thirds of it. The man
10 arranged to put through the