Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1919-04-08

addition to the exemption allowed
lodges. churches and schools in the
old law, the new law, he said. ex-
tends the exemptions to all structures
and improvements on farm lands.
This means that no home on the
farm or n building will be taxed.
The bill originally provided for o
$1,000 exemption on city homes val
ued up to $500, but II the value Of
on the entire amount. The bill final
ly was changed to provide $1,0 900
exemption, providing the taxpayer
lived in the house. II he rented II, 1t
was taxed on, the full amount. In
stead Of helping the small wage-own-
or, he said, the bill really 10 q
hardship, for the landlord, forced to
pay a higher tax, will force up h4D
Taxes to Be Higher.
MI. sQ'Connor referred to the state
at the request Of the house q repre-
sentatives, in which it was shown that
under the laws contemplated by the
league it was possible to raise $31,-
100000 intakes during the year 1919.
He also read State Auditor Kositzky's
statement.in which it was proved that
the tax burden. for this year would be
considerably greater than the 1918
burden.
Senate bill 1874, known as the Ed
ucational or administration bill, also
was attacked. This bill does away
with the board Of regents. the board
OF control and the educational board,
and vests control Of all = penal and
charitable and educational institutions
in a single board of five members,
three of which are appointed by the
governor.
Miss Minnie J. Nelson, s%uperinten-
dent Of public instruction, is an ex-
officio member Of the board. Mr..
state elected her to be superintendent
of public instruction, but that the leg
islature decided that she should be
one Of the managers of the insane
asylum and the state prison. He de-
clared that by this bill. students in
the common schools and the institu-
tons Of higher learning were placed
in the same class with the criminal
and the insane person. Members Of
the minority, in fighting it, felt that
the educational institutions should be
the board controlling the penal and
charitable institutions. The board
controlling the educational system
should be one of the men Of differ
ent minds, OF different ideals and diff
ferent training.
Printing Bills Scpred
Mr.. O'Connor closed his discussion
Of the legislative program with an at
tack upon the printing bills. In the
house Of representatives, during the
three bitter attempts tt pass the
emergency clause, Mr.. O'Connor was
one of the leaders Of the minority who
succeeded in killing the emergency in
the face of the strongest lobby that
was at work during the session He re-
ferred to the fact that three men,
official paper in each county for the
publication Of all official proceedings
and all legal notices and citations. In
two years, the people of the several
counties are to elect the official pa
pers, but hat in the meantime many
of the Independent papers will be
driven out Of business. He spoke of
the work of Job Wells Brinton in at
tempting to force the house members
to pass the emergency.
Against Club Welding.
Tim against this sort Of thing" de-
clared Mr.. O'Connor. I'm against
men from outside the state coming
into North Dakota and welding a club
over the heads Of our legislators; I'm
against letting men who pay no taxes
in our state and who will come into
the state and run u government"
In closing, Mr.. O'Connor said:
l. II have mo objection to the farm
Eers holding every seat in the house
and senate; I have no objection to the
farmers holding every state office.
The only condition I would make, is
that the farmers themselves decide
what is best for the people Of the
state and not let some man from New
Zealand or from some other state,
! who is here to get what he can, make
that important decision: There are
men, around this table who have been
criticised and who have been called
the agents Of big business Mr.. P.
c. Hanson. a farmer from Northwood.
who homesteaded there thirty years
ago and built up a fine farm and
raised a fine family, sat beside me in
the house two years and this year.
I heard men turn on him and declare
that he was the representative of big
business not because they believed
it, but because they were misled.
Mr.. Hanson is more typically repSe-
sentative Of the great farming inter-
VSOo oA SAS ~ SAA~A IA AAS "A~S
led those attacks. I was glad o be
associated with him and to get his
ideas, for I admire the men who came
here in territorial days and who faced
Ithe hardships of the pioneer to build
up this great commonwealth. Nc
man has the right to point to those
men and say they r not good cit
liens or that they are the representa-
tives Of big business"
Financial Help Needed.
Mr.. Serumgard, in a brief speech,
made an eloquent plea for financial
help. He declared that the organiZa-
ton now known as the Independent
Voters Association had been started
by a handful Of men, but that it al
ready had grown to large proportions
It needs the support of every indfvid-
ual, however. he declared. and he told
the men that it was absolutely nee
essary for them to go down in theiz
pockets and help finance the fight
Big Business, the Chamber of Com.
MERGE and the other sinister" organ.
izations hat the league leaders con.
ADVERTISEMENT.
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