The Bismarck tribune., 1919-03-28
TOWER CITY
HEARS TRUTH
ABOUT LAWS
State Auditor kositzky Dis.
cusses Graft and Spite Meas
ures Of Last Assembly .
THE NEW "BIG BUSINESS
Declares Newspaper Monopoly
Ubiquitous Trust Support
ed by the State

Tower City, N. d., March 2S.-Ad.
dressing a large audience composed
principally of league farmers here
last night, State Auditor kositzky,
advocating the referendum of the edu.
catior!al commissions immigration,
printing, judicial redistricting and
one-nlan tax commission bills, said:
During the past three years lead
ers Of the Nonpartjsan league have
been advocating an amendment to the
initiative and referendum laws so tat
laws. may be initiated and referred
to the people more easily, and you
know that at the last election this in
itiative and referendum law was
amended and it was ratified at the
last session Of the legislature 1t
now makes it much more easy to in
itiate and refer laws than in the
past. And now leaders OF the Non
partisan league are warming the peo-
pie not to sign any initiative and
referendum petitions. What does
this mean? Is there a nigger some
where in the woOdpile? | think there
is and that it is up to use to get him
out j
"YOu have also read and heard d
great deal during the past three
years about Big Business. What is
Big Business? Whenever any per-
son, firm or corporation gets mon
opoly on the grain business. the oil
business or the printing business, that
is big business No doubt there have
hnov, 10, ir iob 20
Ored Big Business in this state and
other states. Even not SO very long
ago, you found long-haired gentle
men wearing tortoise-rimmed eye
glasses in different counties looking
for some cheap newspaper plant.
which they generally have succeeded
in buying. And of course they are
working for an association incorpor-
ated under the laws of this state
whic permits them to sell stock They
will buy some printing plant at $4,000
and Immediately begin to sell prefer
red stock to the farmers at so much
per share. OF course they promise
the farmers seven per cent interest
on their investment, If the business is
good, and all profits over seven per
cent 60 to the common stock, which
they generally hold themselves. Now,
these promoters draft bill, which is
known as Senate Bill 157. This bill
was introduced in the legislature.
There was considerable opposition,
but they had them scared by threat
ening them with political ruin, one
after another. unless they supported
this bill. The bill was finally passed,
and it now stands on our statute
books, and unless repealed it will
monopolize newspaper business in the
state, and it will be z/e of the big
gest businesses in the state, support
ed by the laws Of our state"
The state auditor discussed one by
one the other bills which he is op-
posing, and he gave his hearers a
clearer insight than they had before
possessed, into the objectionaI fea-
lures of these measures. He said the
100000 immigration fund would have
been better devoted to assisting peo-
ple in drouth stricken regions to re-
main in the state than to the pay
ment of fancy salaries and fancy
stipends for printing in the monopoly
newspapers. He opposed the redis-
tricting bill adding sthree judges as
unnecessary, and declared the work
now handled by IL judges could be
done by ten, while the league is in
creasing the number to. Is.