The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1919-04-28

Mrs Dunn because she uses her house
as business propositions she is going
to be assessed 100 per cent on the
actual value or that house, while DR..
Smythe gets $1,000 exemptions, and so
per cent OF Ii the tax rate this year
is S per cent Mrs. Dunn will pay 5000
in taxes. and DR.. Smythe will pay
$75 in taxes. Take my. property, we
will say it is worth $4,000 or $4,000,
will have $1,000 exemption and the
BALANCE after deducting the $1,000, will
be assessed at SO per cent. Ny neigh
Dor, MrOuffy, lives in a rented house,
the owner OF that house does not get
any exemptions and will be assessed
$1,000 valuation more than my house,
so il the tax rate this year is s per
cent, the owner of that house is going
to pay $50 more in taxes than I am il
my house was worth the same as his.
So who is going to pay the $50, the
tenant or the man who owns the house.
Next we have the printing law. You
have heard a great deal about the
printing law. This law has history
connected with it. The original bill
as introduced created new printing
commission, the members to be the
secretary of state, the attorney gen
eral, and the state treasurer, but you
remember about that time attorney
general LANCER exposed the Valley
City daylight bank robbery: About
the same time Obert Olson started an
insurance company, and Of course
chief Townley told him that if there
were any insurance companies t., %
started he was entitled to start them,
so he got in bad too, and they amend
ed the law and instead of having Olson
and LANCER on that printing commits
Lsion they put the commissioner of ag-
| riculture and labor and the land com
missioner on it. Someone went to
Prater,s we'll. it was me, and l put
him next as to what might happen to
him. and OF. course they amended the
bill again and put on the chairman of
the railroad commission. They wanted
somebody up there who would appoint
the newspapers of this state which
were favorable, favorable to Brinton,
1.-THE man who controls 40 or SO news
papers in this state. This printing
bill provided that all printing, city,
county and state be given to these
newspapers that were appointed by
this printing commission. A pretty
nice graft. 1t will amount 10 about
a million and a quarter year, that
is what it will amount to, and if Mr..
TOwnley or Brinton want to save the
dear people OF this state any money,
why didn't they embOdy in that bill
a provision requiring that bids be
submitted and give it to the lowest
bidder. No, they never mentioned
that in there. They didn't mention the
rate that should be charged They
repealed all former acts in conflict
with this bill SO they could charge
anything they wanted to. i shave
statements here from county auditors
of this state, and will defy Mr.. Town
7 ley or Lemke or anyone else TO show
they say they are going to save $780,
900 a year. Now we will say that the
newspapers are designated. All print
ing will then go to these papers, given
to, these papers by the printing COM
mission. Before | go any further. in
my talk though, ] wantrto give you a
little more history of this bill. This
bill was afterwards amended and they
voted on it. They voted four times
on the emergency clause, but before
they voted the fourth time on the
emergency clause happened toSbe in
the House Chamber, happened to be
standing in the rear end of the House
Chamber and L listened to the discus
sion, and witnessed as one member
after another was called out in the
ante room by the leaders of the league
and afterwards when l was, informed
that these members were threatened
with political ruin unless they voted
for this measure, it made my blood
boil. Whenever a man gets SO drunk
with power that he can place laws on
our statute books by threats or with
force, it is a. bad state of affairs, and
high time that that man be deprived
of that power, and it again be restored
back to the people. After they voted
four times ON the emergency clause OF
this printing bill, the emergency
clause did not carry. But before that
several of the members opposed it
others were about to oppose it, and
then several of the leaders got busy
and telephoned to leaders in some OF
the counties where these members
live. And what did they tell them
So and so has jumped the traces and
you had better, get Busy. One man
from Ransom county sent 43 tele-
grams, signed them all, and claimed
he got permission by long distance
or over. the telephone to sign them fol
these various parties. Of course, they
did drive quite a few of them in line
but not enough to carry the emer-
gency clause.
/ Now you talk about your kept press
and misstatements. have nev0 seen
/ so many damnable lies printed in the
last few weeks and last few, months
as printed in the Courier News and
Nonpartisan Leader.
On the 22nd of April the Courier
| News printed an editorial in which
they say these newspapers are. ap-
pointed by the county commissioners