Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1921-02-08
INDEPENDENTS
BLOCK MOVES
To GET FACTS
Rep. Johnson's Motion
to Dissolve lnquisitor-
ial Body Is Defeated.
Concerted Efforts to
Destroy State Bank,
Another Charge Made.

Bismarck, N. D., Feb. T.
The North Dakota house late
Monday refused, 81 to 81, to
accept the resignation Of Rep
resentative S. w. Johnson,
Nonpartisan, one of three min
ority members Of the house
committee of nine investigating
the recent audit of state owned
industries, who resigned Mon
day.
The house also defeated motion
by johnson to dissolve the committee
and conduct hearings publicly before
the house as q committee of the whole.
These actions followed an afternoon
of bitter debate between Nonpartisans
and Independents. M..
Independents Scored.
Johnson, in his motion for dissolu-
ton of the committee, charged that
the majority independents had blocked
every move to get ''facts" and had at
tempted to "tear down the state indus
tries" The committee refused to al
low the minority to be represented BY
attorney Of their own choosing, he
said. The Independents, he charged,
"are using the investigation for po-
1itical propaganda"
Representative J. A. Kitchen, inde-
pendent, and others asserted that the
ans to delay the investigation and make
impossible report before the end
of the present session.
Bankers Behind Move.
Representative c. r. Reichert, Non
partisan, declared thele was 'con-
certed effort" by bankers within and
outside Of the state to put out OF
existenct~ the Bank Of North Dakota.
He said he had evidence to prove the
charge. but it was not produced.
William Lemke, attorney. general
and a member of the state industrial
commission. was denounced by Repre-
sentative D. f. Shipley, independent:
The attorney general, he said.. flashed
men into line and kept them there"
"He attempted it with the minority
members of this committee as he has
done with executive officials of North
Dakota and has been successful" said
Representative Shipley.
Unfairness Charge.
"The minority of this committee
charges unfairness. I charge you with
falsehood when you charge it. This
hearing is not prosecution but an IN
yestigation. The facts are not fortn-
coming. If It was in the power OF
Lemke you never would get inforna-
ton
"If Governor Frazier or Lemke
stand in the way Of getting a full in
vestigation of the state Industries.
let's 20 ahead and get them out Of the
way" declared Representative William
Bauer, independent.
"If we. can't get the facts to the
public IN a decent way, let's get the
facts there anyway
Bank Manager Cited
The three Nonpartisan members of
the house committee resigned because
the majority faction had refused to
allow witnesses to be represented by
attorneys The six remaining irde
pendent members passed motion to
cite F. w. Cathro, director general
of the Bank of North Dakota, to the
house for contempt in refusing to pro-
duce records asked by the committee.
Cathro explained that he was acting
under instructions of the industrial
commission, composed of Governor
Frazier, Mr.. Lemke, and J. n. Hagen,
commissioner Of agriculture, and that
the records would be available to the
committee at the bank # they wished
to inspect them.