Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1921-10-19
O'Conner Analyses League
Program and Broken Promises

IO9TuW u1tu I
Addre.se. Capacity Houses
On Issue Of Recall Elec-
ton; Charges That Tax
Money Has Been Diverted
In Plain Violation OF Law.
Cando, N. D., Oct. Ia. F. I'll
O'Connor spoke here this evening in
the interest Of Nestos, johnson and
Kitchen and the initiated laws. On
Monday Mr.. O'Connor talked to ca
pacity houses at Leeds and Devils
Lake. AT Devils Lake after the hall
was Allied the people crowded the
stairways n many were turned
away.
The speaker summarized the story
Of the league through the regular n
the special sessions Of h legislature
in 1917 and 1919. He then took up
in detail the manner in which the
various state enterprises were con-
Quoted. Eve were told Of the great
benefits that the Home Building as
s~ociatton would be to the poor man
in the cities and in the villages in
giving him ar opportunity to own q
home by extending the States credit
to him onaa long time loan. My
sympathies have always been with the
man who earns his living with the
sweat Of. his brow and I voted for
this measure. The speaker then
showed how state officials built houses
! for themselves out Of this money and
stated that 1t was never intended for
them. Il shall be happy If I am as
sured that during the remaining years
of my life I shall be assured Of as
good a home as William Lemke's
garage"
Takes Up Mill and Elevator.
Mr.. O'Connor then tool up the
Mill and Elevator experiment. The
farmers of this state wanted to try
the experiment Of selling their wheat
to a state owned mill and buying
their Hour from the same institution.
1 voted for this experiment. If the
farmers can get all of the profit for
the sale of their wheat and purchase
Of their -four there should be no
objection" The speaker then showed
the failure of the Drake mill expert
ment and quoted from the report Of
I11o pICSSHL IAuuStI1dl SOllkuASSlOU IL
which the admission is made that the
Drake Mill lost $4,000. He showed
: that the salaries amounted to about
, $4,000, and 1884 barrels Of flour
were manufactured and on every bar
: rel we lost 80 cents. ut really was
fortunate tor the state hat the Mil
: at Drake was running at only a SO
per cent capacity
"Thc Independents arc pledged
Q to complete, maintain and oper-
ate the Mill and Elevator at
Grand Forks. 1t will have q ca
pacity of 5000 barrels per day.
The Drake experience has con-
WINGED us that The present admin,
3 ~istrntion should not be permitted
TO run the mill and elevator At
Grand Forks. Let us give it a
2 fair trial under a business not q
political management"
3 Bank of North Dakota.
The speaker then took up the Banl
q of North Dakota. He showed tina
> every state that has tried a simila,
experiment failed. while the stat
law creating the Bank provided tina
loans could be made to individuals
q firms, association or corporations ex
: cept on real estate security and ware
house receipts, the law. was evade'
= ~ - rNAS NN SAAC =
y. league banks. and then loaned t.
o league managers, organizers and Ell
terprises'. The speaker then shove
that this money was tax money di
3 verted In plain violation of the law
He showed hat the Scandinavia
Is American Bank at Fargo on Sep
9th, 1919, had $734,194.82 loaned t
Bank Of Coleharbor loaned 800 90
to the Publishers National 4Servic
Is Bureau, while the legal loan hat thi
institution could make was $3,450 t
Il any individual, firm or corporation
"Over half a million of the taxpayer
money had been dumped into tn
y Scandinavian American Bank at Far
10 go" The speaker then tool up a mum
" Der of other Illustrations to prove tn
abuses in financial. matters. He show
ed that the Peoples State Bank
M Casselton loaned Mr.. Thomas Allie
Box and Mr.. J. ]. Hastings $500 o
a building that had already burned t
the ground and an additional $3.50
20 on a frame building with a brio
70 Bank. This same Bank loane
$500 on the note of the Bearin
50 Sea Fisheries Co. 1t is a familia
principle of law that trust funds ca
be followed. As the bank had $4,000
of the tax money of the state it
apparent why these loans were mad
The farmers are engaged in bushes
enterprises they never dreamed o
III We are interested in the catching
fish in the arctic N in the Sis
industry in Florida, in the lumber ii
dustry in Washington and many 9TH
similar enterprises. The speakt
AZ then read a list of favorite' sons WI
have profited by league loans. "Whe
~ you consider the history OF high
90 anc in this state inc consider tt
M bankers with whom our Governt
81 had surrounded himself and the maj
ner in which the funds were diver
ed. dissipated and lost he was rigl
g when he said the Bankers did mo
harm to the state than all the +. '
WIS. together. The Governor had
mind the kind of bankers with wi
= he had been associated"
The speaker then took up IL
\ amendment to the Constitution ar
the initiated laws. He explained Il
necessity Of voting for each Of the il
itiated laws in order to carry out Il
Independents program. I'm the Publ
ggi tty Pamphlet you will And the League
opposition to the Non-Party sta
"A election law. The League in Is:
& had a plank in their platform q
dorstng this same measure, Il
8 League Governor recommended 1t
6 his message to the legislature in IS.
AndI voted with the League MAORI
In favor, OF the BILL" The speak
81 klA-& ~