The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1919-12-05
OPEN SEASON IS
|DECLARED0N THE
FOURTH ESTATE
House Appoints Cunning Com.
mittee to Exterminate
Newspaper Men
BATTLE ON PILL BILL

The house of representatives. has
declared an open season on newspa-
per correspondents. Lowe. Weld OF
Wells and Nesvig are the official
cunning committee. They are in
structed to bag offending press rep.
resentatives' without regard to creed
race, color or factions, glasses, or
the absence of the same.
Proposed exclusion from the floor
of the house Of newspaper men. lik-
ened by opposing factions to venem-
Gus snakes and other crawling things
which bite and citing in the dark,
and the reconsideration Of a bill re-
pealing the anti-cigarette act, both
Of which were considered along un-
partisan lines, to some extent at least
furnished excitement for the house
during the early hours Of Thursday
afternoons session.
The bill which would, license the
sale of cigarettes, which was indefi'
nitely postponed on report Of the tenn
perance committee Wednesday, final
ly was recalled for reconsideration by
a vote OF 81 to 45, NOnpartisans Vot-
ing with Nonpartisans against recon
sideration Walter J. Maddox, chair
man of the state affairs committee,
made the motion for reconsideration,
while Representative Miller chair
man Of the temperance committee, op-
posed the motion. Both are NOnparti.
sans. .
The shortcomings OF newspaper men
were brought before the house by
Rep. ]. F.. r. O'Connor who declared
correspondent had placed in his
(O'Connor's) mouth a speech on the
free love disclosures of Burtness
which he (O'Connor) had never made,
and that the Frand Forks American
had then proceeded to adversely COM
ment upon the speech which he, the
aforesaid newspaper man, had made
for OConnor. O'Connor declared ne
could get 100 aftidavits from mem
bers of the house proving that he had
never made this speech and had in
fact had not spoken upon this mat
ter at any time. ,.... ..........
He asked for the appointment OF a
committee of five to determine into
the facts, to inquire into newspaper
reports which are emanating from
press representatives of both factions
in the house, and, if these reports
were found to be false and unfair to
the members of the house thatt he
courtesy of the house be denied these
press correspondents and that the
committee recommend such other
punishment as it might consider nit
ting. O'Connor declared he would be
the first to vote for the exclusion OF
any newspaper man from either side
who seeks to malign members of the
house by spreading false reports and
that he stood ready to go before the
investigating committee and defend
any member of the majority unjustly
attacked by newspaper men enjoying
the courtesy Of the floor.
He declared that 1--WE have heard
from one end of the state to the other
that you cannot believe anything that
appears in the so-called independent
press. You have been told that, gen.
tlemen of this house. You have been
told that you must read only what
apnears in the Grand Forks American
and the Courier-News."
O'Connor read the Grand Forks Am
ericans report and comment Of the
address which O'Connor declared
fabricated from whole cloth.
In reply to Hoares question as to
whether he had asked the Grand
Forks American to rectify its mistake
O'Connor related an instance Of sim
liar MISREPRESENTATION which he de.
clared had been promptly brought tc
the attention * the editor and had
never been corrected.
O'Conner referred to newspaper men
who spread false reports behind q
legislators back as Snakes that bite
end sting in the dark" Patterson Of
Donnybrook, taking up the cudgels il
| behalf Of the league press and against
the independent press. embellished
Mr.. O'Connor's serpentine oratory tc
marked extent. but suggested thai
winter was coming on wherf= the
snakes would crawl into their holes
without helm Of legislative investi
cation which he declared would de
mand special appropriation and cos
much time and money, Patterson re
| ferred feeingly to what he termed
Continued on Page Two,)