The producers news., 1919-05-09
OFFICIALS DENY
REVOLT STORY
Last Big Fight 'on Farmer Pro-
gram Win Fizzle-0pposi-
ton FaIterS.

s :
state. Although, under the North Da-
kota laws, 10000 signatures are neces-
sary to bring special election on
the principal measures passed by the
recent legislature, Governor Frazier
has promised to call special election
If $4,000 signatures are obtained to
referendum petitions. Probably an
election will be held early in July.
The enemies of the new legislation,
which calls for state mill and eleva-
tor system, state banking system,
provision for home building associa-
tions and improved tax laws, have
scores of paid agents out in the state
and are bending every effort to get
signatures. They are aided in their ef-
forts by slush fund raised by Mime
sofa business interests, who are send
ing anti-farmer lecturers into the state
under the guise of chautauqua lectur-
ers.
Ia the face of this opposition the
overwhelming majority of the farmers,
their legislators and North Dakota
state officials are remaining loyal to
the League program and to Governor
Frazier and the state administration.
Farmers meetings are being held
throughout North Dakota, at which the
laws passed by the recent legislature
are being explained by the legislators
who helped make them, and every
meeting thus far has ended with full
Endorsement.
Every one Of the genuine farmers
elected in North Dakota is remaining
loyal to the League program. Three
politicians who were indorsed by the
League, however, have gone over to
the opposition. But efforts to make
this appear that general revolt" has
occurred against Governor Frazier and
the laws passed by the farmer legis-
lature are failing.
Two Deny Press Reports.
Twin City papers carried stories re-
Gently charging that State Treasurer
Obert Olson and State Insurance Com
missioner S. A. Olsness had come out
against the farmer program. Mr.. Oh
son and Mr.. Olsness Immediately
nailed these faIsehoods. Each of them
denounced as absolutely false state
ments that were attributed to them by
Twin City newspaper men. The Twin
City papers have fatty refused to print
what these men said in regard to the
attempt of business interests of Min
nesota to dictate the government of
North Dakota.
There are three state officials at
Bismarck who are aiding the case Of
the Minnesota interests that are at
tacking the League. These are Sec
retary of State Hall, Attorney General
LANCER and Auditor Kositzky. None
of these men is an actual farmer
Secretary of State Hall held state office
and LANCER and Kositzky held county
office before the League was organ
lied. Although adopting a general pol
icy that actual farmers should be Sc
delegates to the League convention in
North Dakota, believing in the honesty
and loyalty of Hall, LANCER and Kosit-
zky, indorsed them as the best men
available
Attack Small Bills.
That this confidence was misplaced
has been shown by the actions of these
men. Although none of them dares to
come out in opposition to the main
bills on the League program, such as
the industrial commission bill, the
bank bill and the mill and elevator
bill, each of them has come out with
general attacks on the state admins
tration and. especially upon a group
of bills intended to make the state
government Of North Dakota more
economical and efficient. The bills
they are attacking are a bill to reduce
the cost Of official printing, a bill re-
ducing the state tax commission from
three members to one, and bill sim
plyfying and reducing the costs of
educational administration The last
named bill also provides for an investi-
cation OF the school book trust" with
a view of having North Dakota later
undertake state publication of school
books, as is now done in Kansas, Cali
fornia and other states.
The three state officials named are
making their fight on these bills at
the same time that business interests
opposed to the farmers rare making
a fight upon these bills and also upon
the industrial commission bill, the
bank bill, the mill and elevator bill
and the home building bill The evi-
dent purpose of the forces allied
against the League is to get as much
general criticism as possible in the
hope that people will be fooled into
voting mo" on all the referred bills,
OF to confuse many so that they will
stay away from the election