Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1920-05-05

"42 taxpayers against the new in
dustrial legislation of North Dakota
has been heard by the federal SUI
preme court.
Previously the "42 taxpayers" rep
resenting the anti-farmer interests of
that state, had lost their pleas before
the state supreme court and the fed
eral district court, sitting at Fargo
They appealed and in response to a
request by Governor Frazier the fed
eral supreme court advanced the case
on its calendar to April 10 and 20.
Judge Amidon Of the federal dis
trict court had effectively demolished
the contention that state ownership of
an elevator and mill was contrary to
the fourteenth amendment to the fed
eral Constitution, and the appeal
would appear to be foolish waste of
time and money except for the fact
that it forces delay on the program
which the people of North Dakota
have so often approved.
The federal supreme court may rem
der verdict soon or after several
months.
Prominent features of the case were
the lukewarmness of the defense of
the North Dakota laws by the turn
coat attorney general and his staff
and strong reproofs given the
attorneys for the "42 taxpayers" by
the court for haranguing instead of
presenting a logical case. William
Lemke of Fargo and F. A. Pike of St.
Paul appeared as special counsel to
give the farmers cause fair hear
ing.
After Chief Justice White had once
reproved N. C. Young, one of the anti
:armer attorneys, without result, he
told Young that he might as we'll not
be arguing for he was not listening
because the case itself had not yet
oeen described. Justices McReynolds
md McKenna joined in the reproof
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BURLEsoN's EFFICIENCY
A new instance of Postmaster Gen.
eral Burleson's efficiency and economy
in running the postoffice department
comes to light in the announcement
that six of the first nineteen new post
office clerks who were graduated from
Mr.. Burleson's local training school
for the service have resigned. They
found that they could not. live on the
low salaries paid, which amounted to
81 900, with an annual bonus of $240.
They found also that they were to
work from the middle of the afternoon
Until midnight
The organized postal workers point
out that Burleson established these
training schools in order to fill the
places of union men who have been
forced to resign in very large num-
oers during the past year because
hey could not get an increase in pay.
The older men, however, trained
themselves at their own expense.
A joint commission of members of
The house and senate committees deal
ing with postoffice affairs is now sit
ling and is hearing testimony on the
question OLA general increase in post
office salaries. The men have had
about IS to 81 per cent raise in salary
since 1913, while the cost of living has
gone up in that period 1O4 per cent
Because the administration insists
upon low wages and long hours the
men resign; because so many resign
The men who stay must work harder;
because the work piles up, more re-
sign, and mail by tons is stored"
awaiting the employment of new men
20 sort and deliver it.
STARTLES POLITICIANS
Tom Watson's capture of more votes
:or presidential nominee in Georgia
han either Palmer, the administration
candidate, or Hoke Smith, the state
machine candidate, was the greatest
surprise Of last weeks primary voting
and is likely to have an important ef-
;ect on the strategy of the politicians
Palmer's poor showing casts doubt on
the strength of the Wilson admins
tration policies in what was regarded
as it's stronghold, the South, and Re-
publican leaders have less hope that
the Democrats will nominate Palmer.
Watson, once presidential nominee of
the Populists and editor of the Jeffer-
sonian, which was suppressed by Bur-
lesson during the war, received 3,512
more votes than Palmer.
In his campaign speeches Watson
lambasted the Versailles treaty as
treason to America and made much of
suppression of free speech and the
free press during the war. He went so
far as to declare that Wilson ought to
be in prison for his crimes against the
Constitution. And yet the voters of
Georgia preferred him to the Wilson
man by. the vote noted above.
|
AMNESTY URGED
Political amnesty committees and
resolutions are springing forth like
the leaves on the trees, this spring, as
the voters become awakened to the
fact that several hundred men and
women are in prison in the United
States for having held unorthodox
views of the war or the way in which
the war should be financed, or the
way in which the people should pro-
tect themselves against profiteers dur
ing the war
Here is the meat of a resolution
adopted by the Railway Employees de-
partment OF the American Federation