The Bismarck tribune., 1924-06-06
SHAFER AYERS
LEAGUE'SRULE
IN PAST ISSUE
Acknowledgement in Speech in
Campaign Cites What He
Believes Are Issues
MUST BEAR THE BRUNr
Says That League Candidates
Cannot Evade the Record
of Their Party

pendent state administration is ap-
| pealing to the people of the state for
Endorsement at the June primary or
the record made by that administers
ton in two and half years as com
pared to the record made by the
Nonpartisan administration which
| preceded it. Attorney General George
Shafer told an audience here last
night in Il campaign speech.
"Our opponents so far, in their
public discussion OF the issues in
this campaign. have cautiously and
wisely avoided any reference to the
deplorable record made by their as
sociates in the League, while in con.
troll of the government" he declar.
ed, cor any reference to the pitable
story of the failures caused by them
in nearly every field of activity in
which they engaged; instead of dis
cussing such record and explain
ing their political principles, the!
| violently and indiscriminately assai
this administration from every angle
which their Imagination can suggest
and with an utter disregard foi
either facts or logic. We do not in.
tend to permit our opponents to shift
| the ground of debate from a consid
Grafton of their record while in Of
flee, although they might we'll wish
to do so, but we intend to tenac.
iously hold them to a consideration
of and responsibility for that record
and to a comparison of our respec
tive records, for only by that mean:
may the voters be fully advised a:
to which political party it is best t.
entrust with political power ant
responsibility.
Pointing Out Failure
"While mindful of the fact thatei
is not altogether pleasant to poin
out the failures and forthcoming
of Others" he continued, 'it is
nevertheless, our duty to frankly ant
4 fairly re-examine some of the salicn
features of the record of the formel
administration, and to dwell upol
some of the unhappy results suffer
ed by our State therefrom. Let u:
/ review some of their activities il
the fields of Industrial enterprise
and take note of the conditions a!
they were at the time Governor Mes
tos and his associates inherited con
troll of the executive branch of the
government November 23rd, 1921.
"First, the League administration
in pursuance of it's many pre-elec
tion declarations, and its oft-repeat
ed platform pledge, undertook tt
construct and establish three mil
lion dollar flour mill and elecator al
Grand Forks upon receiving the con
stitutional and legislative authority
to establish this institution, and lei
contracts for the construction of the
present Mill. They expended some
thing over a million dolalrs Of funds
advanced by the Bank of North Da'
kota in an effort to build that in
stitution. They had, however, dur
ing the progress of it's construction
SO demoralized the credit of the
State and so tied up it's available
funds, that they were unable to bor-
row the funds necessary to cmplete
the construction Of the institution OF
sell the necessary Mill and Elevate,
bonds in order to procure the funds
required to complete the buildings, sc
that in the fall of 1920, more than
a year before the recall election, they
were forced, through lack of funds
and credit, to discontinue construc-
tion work on the mill. This uncom.
pleted structure remained exposed to
the elements without any further
progress being made in the direction
of completing the same during the
remainder of their tenure of Office
For a year this skeleton of struc-
ture stood as silent monument to
the inefficiency and incapacity of the
League administration to either Fl.
nance or manage the construction OF
the first large industrial enterprise
undertaken by that administration.
"The League administration had, in
the meantime, purchased the now
famous Drake mill at cost of about
$28 5000, and as the same'was going
institution when purchased, it was
continued in operation under TIN
management of J. A. McGovern, the
| uISt HdldSCI VI Vic 4NOIIu DohOSe
Mill and Elevator Association. 1t il
we'll known that during the Short
career of the Drake mill, under the
management of Mr.. McGovern, the
, state lost the appalling sum of $50,
! 600, thus, again demonstrating the
incapacity and inefficiency Of, not
, only the Industrial Commission ther
in control of such business, but it,
Managers and agents through whom
; it acted. =.
; Werner Experiment
"Neither should We forget that, a
the instance Of the League, the Leg
, islature had already established al
experimental creamery at Werner, il
Dunn County. This experiment il
industrial socialism, during it's shor
l career, lost the state $4,000 or $18,
900, and had already been close
through insolvency and exhaustion
J. before the recall election had take
place.
i "As part of the program adopte
= Continued on page 81