The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1920-06-24
DUPLICITY OF
LADDREVEALED
T.. ON GRAINLAW
While Charging Langer With
Being Derelict He Made Sacre-
ment Agreement, Indicated
LANCER DEMANDS ACTION
Attorney General Wrote to
States Attorney to Enforce
Law Long Ago

The existence OF a secret, verbal
agreement between DR.. E. +. Ladd an1
the United States Grain corporation
for the suspension of the North Da'
kota grain inspection law was reveal
ed in correspondence which became
public today.
The correspondence indicates that
DR.. Ladd agreed to the suspension OF
the enforcement of the law long before
he went about the state charging that
the farmers of the state would LOSE
$5O,OOO,OOO because of failure of At
torney-General William LANCER to en-
force the law.
Correspondence in the office of the
Attorney.General shows the falsity of
a charge that Mr.. LANCER failed to en-.
force the law. In a letter written July
"a, 1918, the attorney-general directed
every states attorney in North Dakota
to enforce the act.
Ladd's Charge.
DR.. Ladd also charged the attorney.
general with responsibility for the is
suance of temporary injunction
against the enforcement of the law.
The duplicity of the agricultural col.
lege head is indicated in letter writ
ten by Frank l.. Carey, second vice.
president of the United States Grain
corporation. he said, in letter to a
Minneapolis man:
81 do not call to mind the exact
agreement or whether there was for
NAL agreement entered into between
DR.. Ladd and the grain corporation re.
garding enforcement of state laws.
However, it was our understanding all
through this work that the federal sta
tutes took precedence over any state
laws and where any state rules in
North Dakota cOnflicted with the fed
eral statutes or federal rules and reg.
ulations the federal statutes took pref
erence over the state.
II think possibly there was herbal
understanding between DR.. Ladd and
ten Grain corporation that he would
spection of grades when that enforce
ment i1terfered with the movement of
grain under control Of the grain COR
pOratiOn"
Lanoer's Action.
The letter containing the above par
agraphs was written April 13, 1920,
and indicates that an agreement was
made long time ago, as the writer is
hazy upon details but apparently is
sure that there was an agreement with
DR.! Ladd.
In contrast with this attitude of DR..
Ladd and in contradiction of his
charge that Attorney General LANCER
did not enforce the grain grade act a
letter written on July "a, 1919, by Mr..
LANCER to every states attorney con-
tains the following instructions:
''ln order that there may be no pos
sible misunderstanding l wish to state
that it is my desire that you arrest
every person and corporation that at
tempts to evade this law, whether in
the matter of dockage, weights, or OF
any of the rules and regulations prom.
ulgated. Sections 20 and 80 provide
for imposing Jail sentence and a
fine"
This letter was written just "a days
after the law became effective, and
Immediately after the regulations and
rules had been promulgated.
The attorney general, it is said, took
the position during the war that the
inspection act passed in 1917 and
amended in 1919, was superseded dur.
ing the war by federal food control
but after the end of the war should be
enforced.