The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1920-10-14
LEAGUE TRAITORS

~ free love-, socialism,, and II.
w. Wism," all of which have more or
less place in any controversy concern
ing the nonpartisan league, this paper
has always maintained that the league
platform and program carry certain
inherent and fundamental weaknesses
which render its permanent success
impossible in North Dakota or any
other state.
If we take two of Mr.. Stallard's
statements in his debate in this city
Tuesday evening, and hitch them to-
gether one of the glazing defects of
the whole league program becomes
very apparent.
Mr.. Stallard admitted that a great
and vital powers have been invested
in the industrial commission of North
Dakota. Authority must be vested
somewhere, so a commission has been
created and given adequate powers
so that it can function without hind
rance" said he. True enough, the
industrial commission has absolute
power to function over the entire in
dustrial and economic life of the
state. One Of the first acts of the
league legislature was to scrap the
safeguards of the public purse and
turn over to three men every dollar
of the public's money, under the di-
rection of Townley, who said, "The
sky is the limit" legal barriers
erected to protect the state
against indiscriminate Indebtedness
were torn down; and finally.
the commission was clothed with
power to take over any or all indus
tries and engage in any kind of bust
ness in the name Of the state. In
short the finances and the business
of North Dakota was hog-tied and
handed over to three men to do with
as their wisdom or lack Of wisdom
might dictate. To them was given
power to make or break the state just
in the degree in which they were cap
able and honest, or incompetent and
dishonest. Constitutional safeguards
were fluttered to the winds Of new
political bossism and. the welfare of
a great commonwealth grounded upon
the shaky uncertainties of the ballot
box. Even the most ardent nonpar-
tisan Lacquer must admit that the
success of this plan is absolutely de-
pendent upon the honor, integrity and
competence Of the men elected to state
office, They must admit that crook
ed industrial commission, whose Of
fetal acts, are not subject to review.
restraint, or audit by any other agen-
cy, save themselves, could bankrupt
the state and undermine its whole
business structure within the space of
one administration. Yes and they
could finish the job before their
crookedness could be unearthed and
the recall made operative.
Now then, what kind of men did
the nonpartisan league select to carry
thru its program. Attorney General
William LANCER is a league traitor
and we cannot believe anything he
says" declared Mr.. Stallard. At
another time Mr.. Stallard referred to
four such traitors. The other three
whom Mr.. Stallard did not name, ara
State Auditor Carl Kositsky, Secre-
tary of State Tom Hall, and Railway
Commissioner Jack Williams. These
men were elected as nonpartisan
leaguers by the nonpartisan league
and their election was bitterly oppos-
ed by the so-called big interests. For
the purposes of this argument it mat
tiers not what caused the break be-
tween them and the league. Today
they are branded by the leaguers as
traitors, and designing politicians, de-
void Of honor, unworthy of public
trust, whose utterances are not to be
believed. Who are they? They are
the men whom the nonpartisan league
elected to high positions in the state
government. There are four OF them.
LANCER is one of the three men to
whom has been given the power to
make or break the state. By their
own admission the nonpartisan leagu-
ers, in their first attempt, selected
four men who were unfit for public
office. What assurance have they
now, or ever will have, that in future
attempts they will not get six, or
eight or dozen bad ones, or that the
traitors will not find all three berths
on the all-powerful industrial COM
mission?
So much for the elective officers.
J. Wells Brinton and James R. Waters
publicly and over their own sigma
lures, have lately accused Townley
and other league leaders with en-
bezzlement, fraud, forgery and other
Il