The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1921-10-06
JOHNSON TELLS
WHAT HEW WOULD
DO If ELECTED
Candidate For Attorney. General
Against Lemke Declares Some
May Go to Jail
MAKES SAVAGE ATTACK
Candidate Grows Wrathy in His
Condemnation of Frazier,
Hagan and Lemke

IKilldeer, Oct. s. Sve ;nbjorn John
son, Independent candidate for attor.
ney general, invaded the home county
Of the two chief leaders of the OPP
posing factions in the recall campaign,
by addressing large crowds in Man
ming, the county seatiof Dunn, in the
forenoon yesterday, and in Killdeef
last evening.
Friends and neighbOrs Of Thu). G.
Nelson and Senator A. A. Liederbach
hoard the issues discussed from the
Independent point of view. Johnson
has been campaigning in the western
part of the. state for several days.
Nothing needs to. be said or done
to prove that there is a bad mess in
North Dakota" declared Johnson,
"and that the school districts. town
ships, villages. cities and counties find
themselves unable to pay their obliga-
tions even though a sufficient tax was
levied and paid last year.
Everyone knows that in spite Of
the fact that our land values have not
been inflated as they have in other
states, farmers and businessmen are
living great difficulty in financing
Their affairs.
Millions of dollars that used to be
loaned to individuals in the state
have been withdrawn and other mill
lions have been withheld.
Everyone is anxious to have these
conditions changed as much as possi-
ble and as quickly as possible. To
change them it is necessary to locate
the causes and apply the remedy.
"OtficiaIs Plead Guilty"
The causes are To be found in the
official records even though these only
scratch the surface so far as disclOs-
ing all Of the irregularities for which
our present administration must be
held accountable.
"A study of our public records dis
closes admissions made by Frazier,
Lemke and Hagan and minor officials
working under their orders, which es.
tablish beyond doubt that Frazier,
Lemke and Hagan, acting as the in
dustrial commission and as such exer-
cising control over all public money,
have misused and squandered more
than six million dollars.
''In their haste to please political
pets they loaned in illegally excessive
amounts to them nearly three million
dollars of tax money when they should
have waited with their farm loans un-
til real estate bonds could be sold.
"Hasan Helped Himself" e
John III. Hagan, himself director
OF the Bank of North Dakota, brushed
aside eleven hundred and eighty four
farmers, who were waiting in line
ahead Of him, to get himself loan
His application was No. 1919, his loan
was No. &c.
'sFor political purposes they have,
contrary to all good business practice
and in many instances in direct viola
tion of the laws of the state, put
more than $2,O0O,O00 of public money
into banks that are either question
able or closed
"They have. organized and obtained
control of large number Of banks for
the purpose .of getting their hands and
the hands of their henchnen on not
only the cash that their supporters
put into those banks as stock and de-
posits, but also to get their bands on
public money which they did not dare
to load On truck at the back door OF
the Bank of North Dakota.
"HeIping Their Friends"
Nearly million dollars Of public
money that has been transferred into
the pockets of the political henchmen
of Frazier, Lemke and Hagan and into
their blue sky corporations passed
through the Observation-Disclosures
Bank, which is now closed never to
open, owing the Bank OF North Dakota
nearly half million dollars, which the
tax payers will eventually have to
make good.
"They have admitted that they have
violated the. laws of the state that
prohibit public officials from appro-
priating public property to their per-
scnal use and of being parties to OBJ.
tanning money for persons or corpor-
ations in which they and their friends
are interested.
"Graft in HomebuiIding"
'The Homebuilders Association has
been used as an agency for political
grating of the worst kind although on
smaller scale than the Bank OF
Continued on page 81