Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1921-11-01
THEY cHEERED FOR LEMKE.

Perhaps it was on the principle that it was only
humane to give a criminal a good square feed imme-
diately before his execution that the admirers of
Bill Lemke, according to his Fargo newspaper,
The Courier News has the following thrilling ac-
count OF that episode:
Bill Lemke, attorney general of North Dakota,
came home last night. His home folks crowded
Fargos huge auditorium to hear him. They cheered
from the minute he stepped in the door until he
stood on the stage; they cheered him every time he
stopped to take breath during his speech, and they
cheered him for three minutes as a climax. About
one-quarter of them were former 1. V. A. support
ers.
People filled every seat in the house. They
lined the back of the gallery in a solid row. They
were 1000 stronger than those who heard r. A.
Nestos. And the crowd last night cheered Lemke
because it wanted to; night before last Nestos got
his applause because he paused and looked expec-
tant, and the crowd was polite enough to give him
what he expected"
This seems to have been the greatest demon
%stration at a given time and place in the state of
North Dakota, and this being true, it is a mystery
what became of those cheering thousands on the
following day. One theory might be that they
|cheered so Justify that they produced a condition
of physical depression which made it impossible to
visit the polls on Friday. That theory will not hold,
however, because the record shows that the city of
Fargo polled a pretty large vote, and the people
who cheered for Mr.. Lemke must have got their
wires crossed some way and voted for somebody
else.
Another interesting bit occurs in the account
given in the Courier News of this meeting. That
paper quotes Mr. Lemke as follows: Keep DR..
Ladd in the senate and in a few more months the
Esch-Cummins act-that monstrosity which allows
the railroads to collect all they can lose or waste
plus six per cent, from you-will be repealed.
Inasmuch as DR.. Ladd was not a candidate at
this election and did not need to be, inasmuch as he
will hold office with or without the approval of the
people of North Dakota for the next five years and
more, and inasmuch as he was not subjected to the
operation. of the recall, it is a little difficult to see
just what bearing his attitude on the railroad act
has on the present election. However, inasmuch
as DR.. Laid is there and will remain there for some
years, the people of North Dakota will be interested
in observing his motions in getting the Esch-Cum-
minis act repealed, as promised, within the next few
months.
There is a little inaccuracy in. Mr.. Lemke's
statement that this act allows the railroads to COL
lect all they can lose or waste, plus 6 per cent" as
the fact is that the act does nothing of the sort. The
rates which are to be fixed by the interstate COM
merce commission are to be based on normal and
economical operation of the railroads, and so based,
the railroads are entitled to receive S IL per cent
on the value of their property, provided they earn
it. If they do not earn it they do not receive it. In
no case doesfthe government pay one dollar to make
up any shortage which may occur in railroad earn
lngs due to any cause whatever. y