The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1921-02-03
HOUSE ACTS TO
. REMOVE POWER
OF GOVERNOR
Would Not Permit Chief Execu-
tive to Hire Special Assistant
Attorney General
L.EAGU UERS HIT IT

The house, in its yesterday after.
noon session, advanced to third read
ing bill of considerable Importance
The measure would remove from the
governor the power to name special
assistant attorneys general and con.
centrate the legal business of the
state IN the office of that official. The
bill also provides for the. transfer OF
about SO, 900 in the governors fund to
the attorney generals, office for use
: in the states defense in the railroad
rate and other cases. ..
The measure came before the house
on divided committee report, the ma
jority of the appropriations committee
lavoring approval of the bill and the
minority asking indefinite postpone
ment. Representative John Maddox,
Nonpartisan, moved to substitute the
minority report for the majority, the
motion being lost 46 to 55, and on
The motion which followed to approve
the majority report the vote was 81
to SO.
REPRESENTATIVE Maddox attacked
the action of the majority of the ap'
preparations committee, comprising
the Independents, as an effort to
camouflage the request of Attorney
General Lemke for funds to fight the
RAILROAD rate and other cases. He said
the information furnished BY the gov
ernor showed that part of this $4,000
was due attorneys and the remainder
was to pay for counsel engaged but
not, paid.
Chairman Watt of the committee
said the bill would take the money
now in the governors fund and give
It to Mr.. Lemke for immediate use
and that any other necessities could
be taken care of in the appropriation
bill. He said he was anxious to see
Mr., Lemke win the railroad rate case.
Representative Walter Maddox
said it would be mistake to- take
away from the governor the power TO
name assistant attorneys general,
that the practice of giving the COVER
nor some power in this respect was
general, and that to vote for the trans
fer of the $4,000 would be to indicate
lack of confidence in the veracity OF
The governor in his statement as 10
the condition of the fund.
1.-The power of the attorney gen.
erals office was divided during the
term of the former Incumbent SAID
M Watt. "because of political dill
ferences. A practice has grown up
tn take power away from man II
he is opposed to the majority or the
iesislature in politics. l am against
that, and / am against centrallzins
too GREAT power in the hands of the
governor of this state, taking it away
from the attorney general elected oy
tho <ne6nle. Don't forget that II you
vote for this report you are voting
to decentralize this phase OF govern
The house engaged in a long debate
on the bill providing that one schooi
district shall pay tuition for a pupil
of that district if there is no hl@H
school in it, when the pupil attenas
- biph school in another district. The
maximum tuition would be l.oo per
week The bill had not Deen ac'et'
mon when the house ADJOURNED W
hear DR.. Kane, Dr.. Allen and Dr. Ladd
speak. ,.,,- ;,+,oduoed
we're game and fish bills, treated III
another story, and a bill approprlat'
ing s12 900 and creating a state ell-
,,oyn,ont service