Williston graphic., 1919-05-15
.K0SITKY'S FALSE
FIGURES REFuTEO
LEAGUE SPEAKER EXPOSES
MEASUREMENTS BY OFFI-
CIAL OF /. v. A.

Bismark, N. D., May 12.-State
Auditor Carl Kositzky's value a. an
assistant to the Independent Voters
association in its campaign against
Nonpartisan League program laws
was completely destroyed in this city
last Saturday when Walter w. Lig-
get, league writer and speaker, COM
pletely routed the turn-coat state Of
ficial in joint debate.
Mr.. Liggett not only proved that
Auditor Kositzky's assertions about
taxations were filled with gross ex-
aggerations and ridiculous errors, but
he also showed Mr.. Kositzky was fall
styling when he recently declared
the state was bankrupt, and wound
up with an array of damaging facts
which indicate that the state auditor
is either incompetent or else deliber-
ately attempting to cripple the Fraz-
ier administration by refusing to col
lect more than 100000 in outstand-
ing taxes now due the state from var
ious counties.
Mr.. Liggett's expose Of what looks
like either incompetence or double
dealing on the part of the state aud
tor left that official completely flab-
bergasted and he was only atle to
come back with the lamest excuse that
he did not know such large amounts
in unpaid taxes were outstanding be-
cause the various county treasurers
had not notified him of this.
State Had Big Balance
Mr.. Liggett also proved by figures
taken off Auditor Kositzky's own
books that on April l, 1919, the date
Kositzky had declared the state bank
rupt, State Treasurer had more than
$24OO.OO in deposit in various state
funds in addition to the 100000 in
outstanding unpaid taxes.
"Now let me give you some facts
which may explain why the general
fund seems depleted at the present
time" said Mr.. Liggett. II have q
record which shows that last month,
March, Mr.. Kositzky did not collect a
single penny in taxes from some II
counties in the state-17 of the big
gest counties owing the state an ag-
gregate of several hundred thousand
dollars.
81 have another sheet, the record of
the tax collections for last year, and
look to the record of March last year
and find that there was not q single
county from which the state auditor
had failed to collect taxes. But Mar
ch of this year, when he starts to
fight the Nonpartisan league, when
he gives out statements that the state
is bankrupt, for some mysterious
reason. or other Mr.. Kositzky fails to
collect the state taxes from II c0un-
ties. Now l do not know why.
Maybe he can explain it when he gets
up here on the platform, but ! am
frank to say that it looks to me as
though Mr. Kositzky was trying 9
little sabotage on the state of North
Dakota:
Kositzky Said Didn't Know
To this serious charge the state
auditors's only answer was to declare
CnaC ne ulu HOL hHOW HOW A0i 81
an amount of taxes were outstanding
and that he would collect them as soon
as the county treasurer notified him.
The many wild mis-statements
which Auditor Kositzky had made
about the increase in state taxes were
also crushingly refuted and Mr.. Kosi-
tzky admitted that his position was
indefensible by refusing to discuss the
figures which Mr.. Liggett placed on
a large blackboard in full view Of the
audience.
All Mr. Kositzky's estimates of in
creased taxes have included $1,O2O,-
900 for interest on the $17,OOO,O0O
bond issue, $566,666 as sinking fund