The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1921-03-04
SAY TAXPAYERS
TO BEAR BURDEN
OF MONEY WASTE
House Committee Assails A.
legged Lack of Business Sense
In Administration
REPORT is EXHAUSTIVE
Elaborate Discussion of Situa.
tion and Laws Given to
Representatives
REPORT is EXHAUSTIVE

The house investigation committee,
in an exhaustive report made today
/ and presented to the house of repre-
sentatives, scores the conduct of the
state government and Industries under
the present administration.
The report, going into details on the
bank, and making an analysis on the
Home Builders and Drake mill, upon
the showing in the Bishop, Brissman
and company, fays without mercy the
allsged waste of money and declares
the taxpayers must bear the cost. The
! committee concluded in part:
"These impractical theorists have
! launched the state into an orgy of
financial excesses and a delirium OF
socalistic experimentation born in
: hate and nurtured in prejudice, the
results of which are such that it will
require years Of conservative practical
administration of public affairs to
eliminate the nefarious consequences
resultant therefrom.
Available to Prosecutors
1T is not for this committee to pass
upon the questions pertaining to- the
violations of the criminal laws of this
state. The evidence taken at this in
vestigation is submitted herewith and
will therefore be available to the states
attorneys of the counties involved and
.the question involving the criminal
features would properly be subject Tor
grand jury investigation therein.
"These theorists have had wonder
full opportunity to demonstrate their
use in practice in North Dakota; an
opportunity to prove to the world their
claim OF far reaching benefits and
values of their contentious.
What do the results show?
North Dakota is pitiful object les
son to the world as to what greed, dis
honesty and faithlessness to great
trust, combined with misguided theo-
ries of government, can accomplish.
Not Fighting Lies
"The representatives in office of
these proponents are not fighting lies.
They would welcome lies. They are
contesting with the power of the truth
about themselves. The knowledge OF
their own weaknesses inspires their
zeal to dispel the light of truth by a
shade of hatred and prejudice, and at
tempt to shield their own transgres-
sions by constituting criticism OF their
own misconduct as attacks upon the
constituency which they have claimed
to represent.
"The committee recommends that
the state confne it's business activities
to the matters which are in their ma
ture at least governmental in
character; that it awake from its
socialistic dream of empire, independ-
ent of its neighboring states; that it
brand as "quack" the remedies for in
dustrial injustice that may have been
recommended as the panacea for all
ills and confine itself to specific
remedy for each specific injustice that
may become apparent in the body poll
tic; that it divorce itself from the false
prophets whose leadership has ousted
it from place of honor among the
, states of the union.
"That if, in it's efforts to accomplish
these results major Opertion" is
necessary that it provide itself with
the anaesthetic, submit to the opera
ton with the certain knowledge that
it's youth and native strength and la
tent power of recuperation will soon
fit it for the stimulant that will permit
it to recall it's present pitable plight
as an experiment valuable only as an
example to posterity.'
The Introduction
Introductory sections of the report
are devoted to presentation of the
resolution by the House of represent
tatives under which the investigation
was conducted, the form of organiza-
ton adopted by the committee, the
time devoted to the hearings, gen.
era. outline of the work OF the COM
mittee and a list of the witnesses.
While not so indicated, an early
paragraph devoted to the attitude OF
Governor Frazier and Attorney Cen
eral William Lemke evidently is in
tended as an answer to the claim
made by Lemke before the senate
committee that he was denied an op-
portunity to testify before the house
committee. The report says: .
"An invitation was extended to
Lynn j. Frazier, governor OF the state
of North Dakota, to appear before
! the committee, if he so desired, and
at his convenience, to make any state
ment he deemed expedient. William
! Lemke, attorney general, was sub
poenaed to appear before the commit
; tee on Feb. II. However, the govern
or did not see fit to accept the invita-
ton and Mr.. Lemke ignored the SUBJ
poena.
"E. R. Sinkler, attorney at law, OF
Minot. appeared at each of said hear
| Continued on Page Six)