The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1921-11-25


all over the state to furnish the COM
s to the petitions.
But, Mr.. Sinkler told the committee,
whatever may be the position of the
state committee and the state Off
Gals, no action they may take or ne
glect to take can bind individual tax
payers, and if they can show that the
recall petitions do not have the legal
number of signers, Mr.. Sinkler be-
lieves the supreme court will hold the
election invalid.
Members Of the taxpayers commit
tee claim they are not so much in
terested in who shall hold the Offices
at Bismarck, as they are in discover
ing the lengths to- which fraud may
be carried in North Dakota. IF it is
permissible for man to sign a petit
ton twice, he may sign il q hundred
times, or asthousand TINS" said a
member Of the committee yesterday.
The initiative, the referendum and
the recall give the people Of North
Dakota greater power than is pos
sessed by the people of any other
state, but if this power is to mean
anything to them it must be safe
guarded against fraud.
Convinced Frauds Were Practiced
"From the Investigations we have
made we are convinced there was
gross fraud in the circulation of the
recall petitions, and that those petit
tons are far short Of the required
number of signers. We propose to
put it right up to the supreme court,
to learn whether we have any RENE
dy against such vicious misuse of the
recall as was disclosed in this case. :"
According to the count made by
Secretary of State Tom Hall, the
highest |. V. A. petition carried 49,
895 names, and the lowest 73, 1877. The
actual number required was 68,881
names, so that the highest petition
had SOP more names than the re-
CURED number and the lowest 4,306.
An average of only 100 illegal names
to each county would leave the petit
tons shy of the required number OF
names.
Secretary of State Hall CLAIMS that
his force did not count duplicated
names. Mr.. Sinkler reported that on
many lists names have been scratched
off, but that the figures at the bot
tom, showing the number on each
list, show that names that are now
scratched off were at one time count
ed.
The recall section of the .constitu-
ton provide that "such (recalD pc
titions shall be signed by at least 80
per cent of the qualified electors who
voted at the last previous election fol
| the Office of governor in the state
county nor district from which such
| officer is to be recalled"
Secretary of State Hall yesterday
gave out an interview in Bismarck
! defending the suficiency of the peti
tions, and declaring that it is too
! late now to attack them. He said
| 1The attorney general had a force
| of men down in my office checking Thu
. recall petitions long before the cleo
ton and as soon as they were filed
! That is why the law prescribes tina
/ the petitions shall be filed 40 days il
advance of an election, SO that an.
4 Irregularities might be located. [
There had been any frauds Len1k
i should have filed action prior to tn
i election. Furthermore there is n
| fraud perpetrated when man sign
petition twice, as long as the nam
lis only counted once. A signer nigh
& have his name on a dozen petitions
8 but. it would be counted only once an
the comparatively small number Q
J Implications on the recall petition
: were counted But once. The 40 day
J time when legal action might hav
! been taken has long since passed. Til
Leaguers passed it up themselves an
the law is very plain. Z
REVENGE FOR INSULTS
Bismarck, N. D., Nov. 14.Tele
grams were received here today frol
& George D. Laird Of Devils Lake an
j others, it is said, asking for contr
buttons to a fund with which to col
test the recall election.
Little can be learned here regars
ling those behind the proposed col
test, but is known tina, the Leagr
administration has taken no part
Mr.. Laird's action. The movemel
Ito contest seems TO have sprun
! Icnnnfanp0rslv IN Sevral sections II