The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1920-04-29
(concIuded)
Practical Experiments Since the Last
Legislative Session


Nonpartisan leaders ruled the legls-
lature, and some of the laws passed
by them, brought an instruction
within the camp. Some of the most
influential men in Office, the Attorney
General, the Secretary of State, the
State Auditor and the State Treas
urer, declared that while they want to
carry out the original program of the
Nonpartisan League, they will not be
dictated to by Townley, and will not
help in enterprises which they con-
slider contrary to the welfare of the
people. These men are now decried
as traitors, as paid by Big Business,
etc. Through their official positions
they find it possible to hinder some
doings of the Townley crowd, and to
expose other doings.
Now let US consider briefly some
benefits Cd of the Nonpartisan adj
ministration. First with regard to
taxation: All property assessed to
pay taxes according to the State Aud
itor's statement was for 1919 official
" valued at $4OO,O41, 152. The
assessed value of the state for 1920 is
s1,5O8, O67,O77. Most certainly
wonderful increase in valuation.
We tried to get from the State Tax
Commissioner clear statement as to
what is the difference between this
years tax and that of last year, but
did not succeed. The State Auditor,
one of the TRAITORS who broke his
faith to the party as the Nonpartisan
press puts it, but man of some back
bone, as I put it, published the taxes
of some counties for 1913 and 1919.
I give a summary of his statement:
County Taxes 1918 Taxes 1919
La Mure - $8.366,5OO 35.268,612
Grant $500 6,O89,O88 22,278,994
Mclean - 7,485,356 26,252,8
In other counties he gives concrete
cases, as for example in Mercer
County:
Thos. Fegenskau - $254.44 1927.
Farmers Name, Thos. Fegenskau,
Taxes 1918, $254.44, Taxes 1919,
$627.73, Hal Tax, $1,000. George S.
Dawes, Taxes 1918, 1924, Taxes
1919, $191.35, Hais Tax, $7.2O.
And others the same way. In
stances of increases of 200 and 800
per cent in taxes on the same prop
erty can be found in every county of
the state.
The most remarkable benefit
brought by the Nonpartisan clique in
power is a letter of the Governor,
which instructs all state banks to re-
fuse to show their books to any dep
uty state bank examiner unless they
have first been notified by the State
Examiner of Banks of their coming.
There is little story connected with
the order. When the State Bank Ex-
aminer was down in Florida, one of
his deputies, at the order of the State
Bank Board, consisting of the Gov
ernor and two TRAITORS" the Secre-
tary of State and the Attorney-Gen-
eral, or rather at the order of the
latter two, examined the Scandinav-
ian-American Bank of Fargo, the
principal Nonpartisan League bank.
There they found that said bank,
which legally could loan only $4,000
to any person or corporation, had
loaned $4,000 to the Townley
stores; $148,OOO to the Nonpartisan
League; $66,182 to the Nonpartisan
League Exchange; $47,95O to the
Nonpartisan Service Bureau. They
also found that more than $25O,OOO
of state money was deposited in said
bank, and they found an humble let
ter of the president of said bank
which asked Townley, who is not
even a resident of the state, for an
other 100000 states money to be
deposited there.
General Conclusions
1. The dominant leaders of the
Nonpartisan League in the State of
North Dakota are adventures, seek
ing their own personal advancement
according to practices well known in
circles of ''nigh finance"
2. They succeeded because they
appealed to some of the very best
traits of the human mind. They offer
ed organization of the middle class,
community stores, etc. Such organ
ization under conscientious leaders
will always be highly beneficial.
8. They have given abundant
proof that every reformer who has
not the fear of God in his heart and
does not first reform his own self, is
most dangerous man. Such men,
coming from the lower classes, are
always more grabbing, more heartless,
more tyrannical than the heartless
capitalists of great wealth. They can
risk everything, for they have nothing
TO lose; no money, for they have none
except what they take away from the
people; no honor, for they never had
any; no conscience, for they Dragged