The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1919-12-05
GROWING CROUCH
REACH CLIMAX IN
HOUSE P0TLATCH
Speaker Stair Reserves Right to
Censor Journal of Rep
resentatives

Growing ill-feeling between the mil
Ority and the majority in the hous'
reached a, climax Thursday attcrnooL
when Speaker Stair Of the majority re-
served to himself the right to cXpun:G
from the journal such portions OF 'ht
explanation Of Rep. BurtneSs :
vote on House Bill 30, which removed
State Auditor kositZky from the state
emergency commission and substituted
for him the state commissioner OF aga
culture and labor.
Burtness in explaining his vote un
sparingly condemned the measure as
purely political and as stab in tic
back from Il faction which dare not
come out into the open with impeacll.
ment proceedings against Kositzky. HI
declared the objection to KOsitZky lay
in the fact that he was independent
and would not take orders, and that
the only argument to be advanced in
the favor Of substituting the commits
sioner of agriculture was that the lat
ter would take orders.
Representative Walker, the man who
introduced the bill, but whom Burtness S
declined to hold responsible as the au
thor Of the measure, preclpitated the
climax with q motion that BurtneSs'
explanation be expunged from the rec
ord. Burtness then explained his eX'
planatiOn in terms even more vigorous
than the original TO begin with ht
had objected to changing the personnel
of state boards ITO meet the political
whims Of the majority to substituting
for men now on these boards other
who will take orders. He had declared
that he despised a man who will sta1
in the dark; who will not fight fair
and as such he classified the men who
he declared would deprive the state
auditor Of the privileges of the Office
to which the peole of North Dakot:,
had elected him and 'who are not men
enough to try to impeach him."
Burtness insisted after Walkers mo-
ton that his explanation Of his vote be
read. He then stated that he would
not withdraw from his position thai
the motive behind this measure was alb
solutely political. He referred to tho
campaign which has been carried on
against Kositzky, elected on the league
ticket, to be state auditor; reelected
after two years trial to the same posi-
ton trump card Of the opposition Oil
the stump during the last campaign, "
and now that he has displayed some
independence referred to in the, "ofli.
cial press" of the Majority as Krazy
Karl, as a man whose ivory dome en-.
closed small atom Of limburger
cheese which passed with Krazy Kari
as brain.
II repeat" said Burtness, that this
bill is a stab in the back. Why don't
you allow him to come before the ba!
of the senate and defend himself by
bringing impeachment proceeding
against him. If you take offense a,
what I have said, If it hits some OF
you'll don't care.
"IF YOU WANT TO ENFORCE AIJ.
TOCRATIC RULE AND, TO KEEP
MY REMARKS OUT OF THE JOUR
NAL, DO SO, BUT I WISH To SAY
TO YOU. GENTLEMEN, THAT
THEY WILL COME BACK TO YOU
A GREAT DEAL STRONGER THAN;
THEY WOULD If THEY HAD
BEEN MADE A PART OF THE REC
ORD OF THIS HOUSE,
Miller Of Bottincau called Burtnes>
of Roberts rules Of order. O'Connor
Of Grand Forks suggested that the
North Dakota constitution, (which in
some circles ranked even above Rob
Continued on Page Four.)