Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1922-02-01
.R0YLANCE HAD
NUMEROUS JOBS
Letters Show He Was Is
Prepare Material For
State Officials.
lHcrald specaal scr,ice.A

Bismarck. ~. D.. Feb. THE &C.
tivities OF VIM. q. Roylance, publicity
agent for the Bank of North Dakota
under the Nonpartisan league admin
lstratfon, were many and varied. In
GUIDED In them was the work 81 pre-
pairing material for state oficials,
On April so, 1921. w. A. Aud erson
then secretary Of the. industrial com
mission. wrote to Roylance:
Governor Frazier leaves Sunday
tor Boston, Mass. where he, Will be
called upon to give an outline OF tAe
operation of the various laws with
reference to our industrial program
and we should have for his use q. brtet
OF the same. 1t occurs to me that ali
that he would require could be found
in h copy which you have already
PREPARED. Could we get this matter
out for him either today or tomor-
row."
.Lemke Wrote.
On September z, 1921, william
I4emke wrote Roylance:
II am enclosing herewith a lette.
which / recently received from the
Central Law Journal company, to.
gether with a copy Of the Journal
containing the editorial to which, they
refer.
II wish you would kindly answer
this editorial for me. sending me your
answer in order that I may forward
it direct"
Walter LigEett. formerly active with
the league in North Dakota. now in
Washington. also extended his pub
licity efforts. In a letter to Roylnnce
on June "a. 1921, ne eaid:
81 am enclosing copy Of a speech
made by Congressman Oscar e. Kel.
Ter in support Of his four taxation
bills which were recently introduced
in the house. Copies Of the bills
of his speech.
II know that you are intensely in
tcrested in taxation and 7 thought
you would be glad to get a copy OF
keller's speech which sets forth his
arguments In behalf Of his bills in
great detail. I don't mind telling you
In strict confidence that I prepared thu
speech myself"
Troubled By S. A. Bank.
The Observation-Disclosures bank
of Fargo evidently caused a great deal
Of trouble for MI. Roylance. On April
rs, 1921, he wrote o. f. Lofthus, state
examiner. saying:
1--WE are constantly receiving in
quries with regard to the Scandi-
navian-American bank. 1t is perhaps
needless to say that this is one of the
most difficult matters We have TO deal
North. Dakota situation. l have little
Information on this matter. and hardly
know how to use what I have. Gould
you give me the following data with
regard to the Observation-Disclosures
bank?" and concluded that I'VE
should be glad to receive any sug-
g%estions you may haze to. oter W. saa
to the best method Of handling IN
quries regarding the Scandinavian
American bank"
Varied subjects are dealt with In
the Roylancc correspondence which
was consigned to the ash heap but
not destroyed.
In a letter to the editor Of the Free.
man. New York. on May 26. 1921,
Eoylance answered questions con.
corning taxation. He wrote:
The accompanying letter is FOL
publication if you desire t o publish
It. There is n part OF your edi-
torial.. however. upon which I would
though not for publication. You sug'
Eest that since there is $500 worth
Of valuation behind every dollar o.
the bonds offered by North Dakota
it would have been better to raise the
moun desired by a tax on land
values. This proposition was con-
sidered at the time that the North Da,
kota policies we're being formulated
Tried to Raise Million.
After saying that there had been
proposal to raise 81, 900. 900 a year fol
a period Of ten years for financing thu
state mill and elevator, Roylance said
Personally I was strongly in
clined to favor the proposition. from
the beginning. but the storm that ha,
been raised by even the comparadvel,
light excess tax on land values ha.
convinced me that we could no safel,
have gone farther than we did at THU
time ~
He continued. discussing a bill
which had been drawn. saying:
"As the bill was originally draw
taxation. it provided for the assess
ment Of unused land at 100 per cen
of full and true value. used at 50 pc,
| cent and all other taxable proper!
at 30 per cent"
That the Bank of North Dakota hal
! contemplated establishing agencies
was indicated in a letter Roylanct
wrote on March 2. 1921. to- G.. r
C1iddings. Shepherd. Mont. Roylanct
wrote:
Replying to your letter Of Febru'
airy 9th relative to the establishment
Of local agencies or departments o.
the Bank of North Dakota and OFFER
ing your services in connection. the
management of the bank has not yel
completed it's plans for the organiza'
ton of local agencies or deposttaries
Meanwhile, your letter will be re-
garded as In application and VIII pe
kept on file until such plans are de
termined upon. when 1t will be giver
Sec o~eiAnNafiNr . #.-