The Bismarck tribune., 1919-03-26
PRATER BEGINS
T0FBEL UNEASY
ABOUT HIS JOB
Fact That He Is Out of Sym
pathy With FOur-Fifths of
His Board Pertinent
HENRY IS EXPECTED BACK
Popular Military Hero Resigned
Land COmmissionership
to FIGHT for Country

| About the state house some inter-
esting developments are predicted
! when the state board of university
and school lands meets the last Of
the month. This board is dominated
by NOnpartisans. At the state house
| today, however, there are two brands
OF Nonpartisans-the Townley type
and the insurgents. OF the straight
Townley Nonpartisans. Governor Fra
! zier, the chairman. is at present the
only representative on tie board. The
Insurgents are represented by Thomas
Hall, secretary Of state; Carl r. 10
sticky. state auditor. and William
LANCER. attorney general. The fifth
member of the board is Miss Minnie
j. Nelson, state superintendent Of
public instruction, an Independent,
but one who cannot be relied upon
to be neutral should there come a
clash between Attorney General Ian
ger, who has befriended her, and
Governor Frazier. who has done his
utmost to prevent her from, holding
the office to which the people elected
her last fall, and who fathered the
board of administration bill which,
should it become effective would
make her office an empty honor, sub
servient to appointees OF the govern
cr who would include Mel c. Mac
donald, the man she retired by ma
jority of 5000 last fail
Mr.. Prater Interested.
More interested in this situation
than any other man at the capitol is
!illiam j. Prater, chairman OF the
Eurleigh county repu olican central
committee, and secretary of the state
board Of university and school lands.
Prater is thoroughly out of sympathy
with five of the four members on the
board The only member from whom
he can claim any sympathy or sup
port is the governor, and 'nr. Frazier
is outvoted four to one.
There has been for years a very
warm friendship between State Audi
tor Kositzky and Mir Prater. Recently.
however, Mr.. kOSitZky has developed
an independence Of thought and action
which has placed him on Townley's
black list, Since that time Mr.. Prater
Las foregathered less with Mr. 10
sitGly, despite the fact that during
the closing hours of the sixteenth as
sembly Mr.. Kositzky saved Prater's
scalp by warning him off the public
Srinting commission. u But for Mr.
| sKOsitZky's insigh: into the situation
which would have resulted had P.ater
Ibeen made a member of the printing
commission, the name of tle secre-
tary> of the board Of university and
school lands would have remained in
the printing bill, and the majority
members of the administration at the
capitol, as soon as this bill became
effective-shOuld it fall to he defeated
in the referendum-'wOuld have re.
moved Mr. Prater from the office OF
secretary of the board of university
and school lands and would have
placed in that position man in ac.
cord with their views and who would,
with Secretary Of State Hall, have
formed Il twO-thirds majority on the
printing commission which would
have opposed the use of the state
press as a political football.
Kosatzky Saved Prater.
Kositzky saved Prater then. and
Mr.. Prater was well aware of the
fact. Wires were pulled, and the
chairman Of the railway commission,
an elective official. was substituted
for the secretary Of the board of uni
versity and school lands as mem
Der of the printing commission. Mr..
Prater's gratitude, however. does not
appear to have led him to the length
of adhering to Mr.. kOsitZky in the
latters insurgency, and Mr.. Prater is
oposing the referendum and initiative
of recent legislative acts fully as
zealously as Mr.. Kositzy is advocat-
ing the use of the referendum and the
initiative to correct what he consid
ers unwise laws.
There may be no actual break be-
tween Kositzky and Prater. There
need not be to place Mr.. Prater's
head in jeopardy. He is so thorough
ly in league with Townley and others
whose autOcratic dOmina lion Of North
Dakota politics is now being fought
by Hall and LANCER, and he is so c.ose
a friend of Mel C. Macdonald, whom
Miss Nelson owes no love, that Mr..
Prater can expect no sympathy from
three-fifths of the members Of the
-oard OF university and school lands
should, for instance Major Frank
Henry, the most efficient land COM
missioner, state officials have admit
ted, that North Dakota ever had, re-
turn from overseas about the time
when Prater's two-year term eX
pires. Major Henry resigned the Of
flee of, land commissioner in the sum-
mer OF 1917 to take command of tle
first battalion of the Fighting First
when this regiment was mustered in
to federal service. He has been over
seas about Is months, and General
Pershing has esteemed him so highly
as to retain his services, for the time
being, with the occupational forces
in Germany. where Major Henry is
serving as military governor of Cob
lenZ
Henry Soon to Return.
II is expected by Major Henry'sI
friends that he will return by mid
summer. He may have other plans,
but should he expect his old jo3
back, or even maintain a receptive
attitude for it, there are 10000 sol
dier voters in North Dakota who con-
troll at least another 10000 votes who
are committed to the belief that sol
dieTs who gave up good Jobs to go
to France to fight for their country
should have those jobs back on their
return, If they want them. And the
soldiers seem to feel that this should