The Bismarck tribune., 1922-02-13
POLITICAL GOSSIP

waged principally upon the investlsa
ton of the league administration con
Quoted by Gov. Nestos and his asso
ciates is apparent. Townley is un-
der arrest and Hastings it is hoped
will be, returned. Brinton and Waters
are regarded as material witnesses
and what their reward will be for in
forming upon their old time associates
has not been divulgcd. -,
The trial of .Townley doubtless will
be staged as nearly as is feasible to
the June primaries as such an event
would throw into hold relief for the
delectation Of the voters the entire
record of the recent administration.
If convictions can be- obtained, the
results will strengthen the hands OF
the administration materially.
OF course the Scandinavian bank
deal goes2back to the days when Wa.
ters was in charge Of the state bank
examiners Department. Whether any
deal has be IN made with him for his
help in convicting anyone accused OF
misdeeds is not known and probably
will not be known yexceptt to those
close to- the throne t4of the l. V. A.
managers. ay
u29a7 * *R*,
The Recall election placed an obi
cation upon Gov Nestos to probe CON
ditions to the bot both with view
to find a.. way out Of the mess the
state has been involved in during the
last six years and also to bring the
criminally guilty, If there be any, tc
the bar CT justice.
There can be no criticism OF the ad
ministration forN probing the forme,
administration. The I. V. A. indict.
ment alleged certain things and OF
course their elected officials have
started out to find out if the bill o
complaint is true one or not.
There is a conflict among the ad
visers ,of Gov. Nestos as to the future
of the industrial program. The
Grand Forks Herald insists upon the
completion of. the Grand Forks mil
and elevator. On the other hand the
Forum is opposed to spending any
more money lon experimenting. It
points out editorially that the state ad
ministration in proposing to spend
more tax money is shutting its eyes
to experience" The Tribune finds
itself in complete accord with the
Forum on this isuse, in fact it took q
positive position on this issue before
and after the recall, while many pa
pers were indulging in the soft pedal
With the tax payers demanding
some relief from their burden, it is
going to be hard to convince them
that millions more should be spent
to convince a few |. V. A. theorists al
the futility Of state owned enter
prises. In commenting upon the an
nounced purpose of the administra
ton to dump few more millions into
the Grand Forks venture, the Forum
says:
perhaps it is good politics anc
perhaps it jsn't. The Forum has not
found that it is good politics in the
long run to fool the voters or to ped
die political patent medicines to them
1t insists, as it always has, that it is
not good business or good sense, and
it is no more inclined to keep silent
while the state funds are squandered
on another flour mill than it was uc
keep silent when we were sinking
public money in the state bank or the
state homebuilders' mess"
Jerry Bacon\in the Grand Forks
Herald urges the usual pork barrel
argument in the following:
"The operation of this business
must be continuous. For it's success
there must be developed a business
policy which will necessarily be
framed largely as the result of cur
rent experience. No success will be
possible if political considerations
are to enter into the work or if the
management is subject to change and
it's policy to reversal as the result OF
passing changes of political admins
tration It is assumed ITO be the
thought of the survey commission
that such a board shall have general
supervision. analogous to the super.
vision which a board tof trustees exer.
cises over the affairs of college, or
which board of directors exercises
over corporation. The actual execu-
tive, work will necessarily be ih the
hands of one man, selected for his eX-
perience, his character, and his Ncom-
potency.
"As to the prosecution of work K on
the plant, that must be expedited as
much as possible The sooner the
plant is completed and put in opera
ton. the sooner will it become! ut