The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1921-10-21
BALLOT FOR RECALL
Governors Frazier, North
Dakota, Under Fire
.SOON IS TO END FIGHT
Election Will Be Held Within
Two Weeks; Issues In
Frying Pan
FRIDAY, ocTosER 81, 1921

in two weeks the 225,000 voters of
North Kakota will decide whether to
recall the governor and chief mem
! rers of his administration.
| This is the first time state has
employed the recall against a gov
ernor.
The election results from the fill
ing of more than $4,000 petitions.
1t will be held Friday, October rs,
| Curiously, the recall is being en-
ployed by the forces which fought
its adoption, and is being used
against the forces which put the re-
call, initiative and referendum
amendments into the constitution.
! 1t is a continuation OF the warfare
between the Nonpartisan league far
mer- labor organization and its OPP
! ponents.
The forces behind the recall cleo
ton want Governor Lynn ]. Fra
term; Attorney General William
Lemke and Commissioner OF Agri-
culture and Labor John N. Hagan
turned out of office.
These are the big three" OF the
state administration, for they com
pose the industrial commission
chxrged with the management Of
the state owned, state operated in
dustries which the Nonpartisan lea
que champions.
The independent candidates are
R. A. Nestos, for governor; Sveinb-
jornd Johnson for attorney general,
and Joseph A. Kitchen, for commits
sioner of agriculture and labor.
With the recall the forces OPP
posed to the administration also
seek to initiate constitutional amend
ments and laws to put into effect the
platform of the So called independ-
ent organization. :.
! The Independents embrace both
republicans and democrats who are
/ opposed to the Nonpartisan league,
which has captured the machinery
of the republican party, and whose
officials werq nominated in general
republican primary and elected on a
republican ticket.
A. c. TownIey's Program
The meteoric political career Of
gether the farmers and industrial
workers Of North Dakota into the
Nonpa1tisan league and swept his
candidates into office with over
.whelming majorities in 1916, excited
interest over the entire country.
cessful and last November Govern
or Frazier was elected for the third
time.
| me Townley program called for
! state owned, state operated -four
mills and elevators, for packing
plants, for a new state hail insurance
law, state insurance on public build
ingss and state bonding department
to bond all public officials, an asso-
citation to build homes costing $4,000
or less, and state bank.
| The program as conceived by
Townley was essentially marketing
program; it was elaborated upon
later. He proposed to market North
Dakota wheat in North Dakota term
| inal elevators, make -four in North
Dakota and remove North Dakota
| wheat from the great grain market
and mills in Minneapolis.
Called State Socialism
From the start the program has
been fought bitterly as state social
! ism.
To inaugurate it's program the lea
que amended the contitution, by
popular vote. 1t provided for bond
issue maximum Of $17.000,000.
The administration established the
Bank Of North Dakota and put all
small -four mill and began the erec-
ton of 100000 mill and terminal
Elevator. 1t established a home
building association, enacted many
laws favoring labor and a grain
grading act designed to cure unfair
practices.
Program Is Blocked
The program has /
lfullness. Bond sales were blocked
|by court action. The $4,000 900 mill
Is incomplete. The Home Builders
Association is dormant. The flour
mill lost $4,000 in its first year.
Due to lack Of reserve fund, hail
insurance payments have been held
up as long as - months.
The Bank Of North Dakota was
Ishorn Of large part Of its public
funds by enactment of an initiated
law permitting the withdrawal of
funds. This happened after it had
made large advances to the mill and
elevator association, put 100000
in farm loans and made advances to
the Home Builders Association. The
tax money in permanent invest
ments.
The fight eliminated in investi-
cations conducted by the legislature
one controlled by Independents and
the other controlled by Nonparti-
sans.
The independently Charges
= The Independents charge that a
group Of Nonpartisan league leaders
have used the league to build a
great political machine. diverted
public funds from the Bank of North
Dakota into league controlled banks
to be loaned to league corporations
controlled by leaders of the league;
have wasted great sums of money in
enlarged payrolls and benefits for
political favorites; have driven
money from the state by constant
attacks on financial interests.
The league answers that the in
dustrial program has not had trial;
has been blocked and fought: at
every turn by financial interests; is
essentially sound and deserves fair
trial at the hands of the voters;
denies its officials have been corrupt
OF inefficient; points to accomplish
ments in grain grading laws; and
claims the Bank of North Dakota by
competing with private bankers has
lowered interest rates and itself has
made large profits.
Fought over time and gain at
primary elections, regular elections,
and special elections on laws, thev