The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1919-06-05
THE0. 6. NELSON
EXPLAINS REASON

+ l don't know what the courts will
say as to the question raised by Mr..
Hall with reference to the regularity
of the bonds for Bank of North Da-
kota, but to any reasonable man it
must look rather suspicious when the
governor and other state officials are
moving heaven and earth to get the
state into heavy expense employing
lot of clerks and other expensive
help before the people have either ap-
proved or rejected the bank law or any
of the other laws under which the ad-
ministratlon is now proceeding.
With petitions for a referendum
election signed by almost three times
the number upon which the Governor
promised last winter that he would
call an election, it seems that every
thing that would envolve expenditure
of money or otherwise disturb exist
ing conditions should be held in abey-
ance until the election has been held.
So it the state is at any expense on
account Of any employment of clerks
that are marking time while the legal
question is being settled, the officials
and not Tom Hall or any other citizen
who might raise a legitimate question
must take the blame for that.
Townley and his henchmen know
that they cannot fool the majority of
the people all the time, and that the
sixteen-dollar and one hundred dollar
life memberships are not coming in as
they used to, and that the store certi-
cate schemes and bank organization
game are about at an end as a means
by which to get money with which to
keep rabid radicals in comfort and
luxury while carrying on the cam
palgn to get wel-meaning farmers in
other states to shovel in their money
to help the game along further.
That is undoubtedly why they are 50
anxious to get their hands on as much
ofthe states money and machinery
as possible before June 26th., They
are afraid that the election will STOP
the game.
The constitutional provision upon
which Mr.. Hall apparently bases his
refusal to sign the bond resads as fol.
lows:
"The state may issue or guarantee
the payment of bonds, provided that
all bonds in excess of two million dol.
lars shall be secured by first mort
cages upon real estate in amounts not
to exceed one-haf of it's value; OF
upon real and personal property OF
state owned utilities, enterprises OF
industries, in amounts not exceeding
its value"
If the state has bonds now that are
not secured by first mortgages on real
estate, or utilities, enterprises anc
industries" in amounts not exceeding
its value, it would seem to the ordi.
nary lay-man that this provision Of
the law will be violated; because the
amount of bonds that the state woulG
be guaranteeing the payment on if the
1900, 900 was o. K-ed would be over
81 900, 900 the amount that the state
officers are permitted to obligate the
state for. This may seem like a tech.
nlcality, but nevertheless it is law
If state officials are permitted to ap.
ply laws according to their notions in.
stead Of what the laws provide Their
the public gates are opened to graft.
ers. This is generally the way tina,
| county, state and national treasures
are looted.
But suppose Tom Hall was tech.
nically wrong, he would not at that be
as much wrong morally as the fellows
who are moving heaven and earth tc
put the state into big expense under
laws that they know may be voted
| down by the people. Tom Halls ac-
ton, morally speaking, is in harmony
with the action of the people; while
the other state officials who are rush
ing organizations in order to get their
hands on as much as possible before
the people speak, are absolutely ignor-
ing the will of the people in view of 9
condition which morally speaking
amounts to a command by the people
Don't do anything with these matters
until we have a chance to look into
them and then decide what we want
DONE"
The gan that is rushing things al
the state capitol now are, of course
aware of the fact that less than forty
six and one-half thousand Of the
states one hundred twenty thousand
voters have approved the particular
amendments that made rnaaih1o fh<