Emmons County record. [volume] (Williamsport, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1884-current, 1919-06-05


hands OF the printer not later than
Tuesday noon of each week.
Senate Bill No. 157, known as the
printing Commission Bill" will APP
pear on the referendum ballot to be
voted Mt the special election June
26th.
This bill is the measure generally
known as the newspaper law"
This measure was put through the
last session Of the legislature, but on
three different occasions it failed to
secure the necessary two-thirtls vote
to tack on the emergency clause
despite the fact that more than two
thirds of the votes were league. This
indicates that even league members
that stood for everything else Town
ley wanted, kicked over the traces on
the newspaper bill" Why did they
kick over? For the reason that it
was even too raw for them. And for
the reason that they had not been
sent there with demand for such a
law. 1t wasn't part of the league
program. It was rammed down their
throats after they reached Bismarck
When the referendum petitions
were fled, it was found that the print
ing bill bore the greatest number of
signers. Why? Because it was the
most generally unpopular.
Many people have since had
chance to become familiar with the
provisions of the proposed law. They
are wondering why publications not
county publications at all were tack
ed on. They appreciate the fact the
law will drive out of business scores
of local newspapers in the state.
They have wondered why it has been
deemed advisable to try to have only
one newspaper left in a county.
And no one has yet been able to
PIT forth legitimate reason for let
ting two Of three men in Bismarck
ditate the one newspaper for each
of the fifty-three counties of the
state.
The Record man put all of these
propositions up to the league speaker
at the league nesting in Linton May
Oath. If you weren't there. ask any
man who was for the result.
The league senator who voted for
the law didn't begin to make show
ing of justification for his action.
Then why was the bill passed in
the legislature? 1t is fair question.
The Record will try to throw some
light on the situation.
First of all, the boss of the league
caucus was VIM. Lemke, of Fargo,
not member of the legislature at
all. With him, to "handfe" the league
membership at the caucus were such
men as Townley and Brinton.
Just as the Consumers Stores are
for the benefit of Townley and his
personal "inner ring" so is this
newspaper bill to be of benefit to Mr..
Brinton-and large number of lea
que members of The last legislature.
Does the general public appreciate
the fact that two main reasons in
fiuenced the actions of most of the
men who voted for the bill in the
house and senate: Is it appreciated
that many of those men who wanted
S. B. 1877 to become law owned
stock in the publications that they had
every right to believe would profit in
such vast measure from the law ?
And is it generally known that men
voted for the bill last winter in the
legislature who openly stated they
didn't believe in the proposition at
all, but dared not face fight with
MIR. Townley and his "inner ring 2"
How does it happen that our own
members from Emmons county voted
for the bill? There may be many
reasons. but remember this fact:
Senator c. A. Ward and Representa-
tive Fay Harding have wanted to go
into the newspaper business for a
long time. Remember that Mr.. Hard
ing was one of the active heads in
trying to start newspaper in Lin
ton. Remember in 1917 he and Ward
were instrumental in organizing a
corporation known as the "Emmons
Farmers Press" to run newspaper
in Linton.
Why is it that no newspaper has
been established in the intervening
two years by the corporation known
as the "Emmons Farmers Press?"
The answer is simple: There weren't
enough people willing to put thei,
money into the newspaper business
4 in open competition with the existing
newspapers. They wanted to put in a
s,cSrrra mar hrt thev didn't want ~