The Bismarck Tribune Newspaper, August 8, 1919, Page 4

THE BISMARCK TRIBUNE ye ne Entered at the Postoffice, Bismarck, N. D., as Second Class Matter. GEORGE D. MANN, = - = - Foreign Representatives G. LOGAN PAYNE COMPANY, BOTA, - . . . eo neers, larquette BAe, ee res; ig. PAYNE, BURNS AND SMITH - NEW YORK, eee Le Fifth Ave. Bldg. MEMBER OF ASSOCIATED PRESS The Associated Press is exclusively entitled to the use for publication of all news credited to it or not otherwise credo in this paper and also the local news published erein, All rights of publication of special dispatches herein are reserved. MEMBER AUDIT BUREAU OF CIRCULATION SUBSCRIPTION RATES PAYABLE IN ADVANCE Daily by carrier, per year Daily by mail, per year (In Bismarck).. oe, Te Daily by mail, per year (In state outside Bismarck) 5.00 Daily by mail outside of North Dakota......+++.++ 6.00 THE STATE’S OLDEST NEWSPAPER. (Established 1873) Editor pe ee LAY IN YOUR COAL BEFORE SNOW FLIES Coal will be higher and poor people will suffer next winter, Industries will be hampered by high price of coal. What, if anything, should be done about it? The one thing NOT to do is to appoint a com- mission and conduct an inquiry. That method of embalming public discontent has been used to the point of weariness. . The facts are substantially these: During the war production of coal was speeded up in every possible way, including special legis- lation to prevent coal miners striking. Patriotism was an inspiration to keep men at work, and pro- duction was greater than the average by millions of tons. With the war won this method of keeping up and speeding up production has stopped. Coal miners are observing religious holidays and taking time off when they feel like it. Coal production has fallen off about ten million tons, Demand for coal is great. Domestic demand is big. Foreign demand is big, due to decrease in production in British and other foreign coal fields. As measured by the world’s needs, there is a coal shortage. The government has discontinued efforts to regulate price and distribution of coal. This regu- lation was part of a “win the war” policy, and again, the war being over, regulation ceases. Government regulation was not intended pri- marily to lower the price to the individual con- sumer. The effect of regulation was to check speculation and curb extremely high prices. There was, however, profiteering. Indeed, coal barons were among chief offenders in profiteering. A glance at their dividends and recorded values of mines and stocks affords proof of this. Part of the government’s plan during the war was encouragement of closer co-operation among mine owners and operators. In other words, big coal producers were asked to get together and or- ganize.in what amounted to one big owners’ union, They did so, and there is more nearly today a country-wide coal trust than ever before. This fall there will be a strike of the coal min- ers. This prediction is made with entire confi- dence in its accuracy. The fact has been known for weeks to the members of the War Labor Board, Miners have been waiting only for formal declara- tion of peace, which will repeal the law against striking. They will strike this fall even if there is no such formal declaration. This will produce further shortage of coal. : : Striking miners will demand nationalization of mines. This is the demand being made by British coal miners. These are the facts in regard,to the coal situa- tion. The householder may find a hint which will move him to LAY IN HIS SUPPLY before the snow flies. ANOTHER CRISIS The presidency for Mr. Wilson has been marked by a series of crises. He has confronted none more serious than that which now presents itself for solution. The spread between today’s earn- ing power and the cost of bare subsistence is too great. Not that any of us are suffering actual want as a result of this condition—as yet. But we are, many of us—and this refers especially to the laborer and even to the skilled mechanic—forced to lower our standard of-living. As Americans we have been proud of the fact that even the humblest of us could afford good meat on out table every day in the week and white bread and sweet butter and other honest food which we have never been forced to consider luxuries, But today meat and butter, fruits and many of the other things without which our table is not complete are very close to the luxury class, and America is in revolt. ‘ We walked home a few days ago with a work- ing-man friend of ours who always has been con- servative. He no longer is, “No wonder we have these damned Bullshe- viks,” said he, rolling his rich Irish “R’s,” “It’s me that’s thinking of becoming one my- self. Here am I, making the best wages I ever have, and me wife and me five kids can’t put meat into their stomachs but twice a week, A meal of meat in my house today costs a dollar and a half, and other things accordingly. They’ve got to do something, or you'll find me turning Bullshevik meself.” And, really, he isn’t a “Bullshevic” sort of per- son at all. There’s millions of him, the country over, the world over. boone mee hectene atten LEARY ERA RARER AS RE NET know that industry has resumed its stride; that production has been restored to its former level, and yet, day after day, they find prices mounting, climbing to even higher levels than were attained during the hardest days of the war. We hear a great deal about profiteering. If it exists, congress cannot act too quickly in sup- pressing it. For this spirit of unrest is growing; it is providing fertile fields for the seeds of dis- content that are being sown by agitators. Where it will lead if it is not checked none can tell. The American people are sane, sober and long-suffer- ing, but there is a limit to human endurance. The Tribune believes that there is a solution for the high cost of living problem. We believe it is the solemn duty of every legislator at Washing- ton to lay aside all other petty considerations and to consecrate himself to the discovery of this remedy. And, when the cure is found, ACT. In the meantime the county roads get no better fast. Ten thousand per annum is likely to change anyone’s viewpoint to some extent, We move that the high cost of living question be put up to Attorney General Langer. The man who formerly worshipped a dollar wouldn’t worship anything less than $1.69 now. What an awful lot of rotten state officials Boss Townley foisted upon North Dakota, if we are to take his own word for it! Now, Mr. Frazier, please let us have the names ot your judges and the date of your special ses- sion, and the suspense will be over. Inasmuch as the county commission has paved the way, may we hope for a twenty per cent re- duction in assessed valuations from our city com- mission? Even tho he’s beyond the pale, Auditor Kosit- zky still manages to grab top of column, next-to- reading-matter position in the Townley organs occasionally. fe WITH THE EDITORS | RAIDING THE SCHOOL FUNDS The proposal to take $250,000 out of the school fund of Montana with which to build a terminal grain elevator at Great Falls, is the beginning of the end of the school funds of this state. It is a piece of second-story work planned after the Townley financial system in North Dakota. If the members of the state land board are worthy of their trust, they will veto the proposal and never permit such a high-handed proposition to be. entertained again—such a cunning plan’ to divert the money belonging to school children yet unborn, into an industrial adventure. While The Independent does not believe there is any necessity for a state-owned grain elevator at Great Falls or any other point in the state, since the legislature has voted to erect such an institution, the money should come from those who have confidence in the bonds issued for such a purpose and not from the school funds. When the lands set aside for school purposes were turned over to the state land board, the members were made trustees for a sacred heritage belonging to the public schools of the state, assur- ing the school children of today and tomorrow, that there would always be an endowment fund pledged and dedicated for their training and edu- cation. Now it is proposed by some of the followers of the Townley state socialism plan of state gov- ernment, to use the money derived from the sale of school lands, for the erection of a grain elevator at Great Falls, If the money can be taken for this purpose, what is to prevent the state land board from using school funds to buy up the creameries, stock yards, packing plants, a line of wholesale houses or gro- cery stores? The proposal is thesame as those being carried through in North Dakota. If the industrial com- mission of North Dakota decides to take over a packing plant, it issues bonds for the amount necessary to buy and operate the packing house, takes the money from the school fund or any other fund it happens to have on deposit, and invests it in the packing business. Some of the Montana state officials propose exactly the same thing in this state. They have secured the sanction of the legislature to erect a state-owned and operated grain elevator. They are authorized to issue bonds to secure the neces- sary funds. The bonds having failed to sell to investors, it is proposed to deposit them in the state treasury and take $250,000 out of the school money with which to build the elevator. If these bonds are not considered desirable by private investors, are they good enough for the trustees of the school children’s money, to accept as an endowment for our educational institutions? Gov. S. V. Stewart, State Superintendent May Trumper, Secretary of State C. T. Stewart and Attorney General S. C. Ford are the trustees for the money of the school children. What three of them will dare vote to raid the school funds and deposit the “I. O. U.” of an ele- vator experiment in the cash drawer ?—Helena deposits the bonds in the Bank of North Dakota, |’ MOTHER IDENTIFIES SON IN CUT FROM RECONSTRUCTION CAMP; ADVISED IT IS NOT HER BOY Altho her boy, Harry E. Ross, a) former member of Co..I, the Wahpe- ton unit in\ the Fighting First, has ‘been variously reported missing in ac- tion, a prisqner,of the Huns, and killed in action, Mrs. Clark D. Ross of Des Moines,,Ia., insists that a pic- ture recently printed in “Carry On,” the magazine of {tie army reconstruc- tion service, was’a photograph of her son, and she has-enlisted the aid of Adjutant General Fraser in locating the missing. soldier. Mrs. Ross has mailed to the adju-| tant general a photograph of her son! taken shortly after his enlistment at Wahpeton and the picture from the war service magazine.” They seem to be identical, but ‘the cut in “Carry On,” showing a. wounded soldier sawing away at jewelry in the recon- struction hospital dt Fort McHenry} was. declared by the commandant of} that post to be that of Joseph Feuch-| ter. Mrs. Ross is confident that the | soldier pictured ig ‘her boy, possibly suffering from loss of memory, and tagged through accident with the name of some other soldier. “No. two boys will-look just alike, and a mother is a pretty good judge where her own child is concerned,” writes ‘Mrs. Ross; in her letter to Gen- eral Fraser. 4 "The Facts. The facts in thevease, chronologic- ally stated, are: Harry E. Ross, aged 18, a member of Co. H, First North Dakota, enlisted for federal service at Wahpeton in EVERETT TRUE LOST SOLDIER Mrs. Clark D. ‘Ross of-Des Moines, Ia., Insists That Her Son Is Alive, But Possibly Suffering From Loss of Identity— ~ Reported Missing in Action in 1918 April, 1917, later. being transferred to Co. H, 26th int, First: division. December 25, 1917, he landed at Liverpool, whence, after a few weeks’ rest, he was transferred to France, where he served as clerk of the field office. j ‘ ce ‘i July 19,1918, he was reported wounded and missing in action. He was serving ds a runner in the ‘battle of Soissons: when wounded, He was aid station to the rear. There fol- lowed indefinite reports of his being taken prisoner. : From .July 19, 1918, until the pres- ent date, Mrs. Ross: has hed’ no’ di- rect advice from her son. But sev- eral weeks ago she received a copy of “Carry On” containing a picture which she swears is that of her boy. Inspired by this picture to the con- viction that her son yet lives, altho his mind may be a blank, Mrs. Ross got in touch with James T. Moeller of Seattle, a former comrade of young Ross, who advised her,that he had seen'her son and talked with him at St. Aignon, prior to embarkation. The boy in the pic‘ure, called: Jo- seph Feuchter, cannot be located at Fort McHenry. Mrs. ‘Ross las writ- ten to the address given as that of the mother of Joseph Feuchter, and} her letter has.come back unclaimed. She believes that no Joseph ‘Feuchter exists; that Joseph: Feuchter is in fact her son, Harry Ross. Mrs. Ross’ latest advice from the camp hospital at McHenry is that no + ___ BY CONDO HAND OVER THE JACKX JOKNSON Back Sys SEAN YUN WOO NC x ~~ Ve ERMINE RS TE THEY CAN MAKE A NGUTRAL COUNTRY KAISER,I'M FoR BRINGING To THE UNITED STATES — HE'S 4 FUGITWE, Too. on Oa 2, > ey P's wet MOR oud yell tll Ne soldier with the name of Joseph Feuchter, which is attached to the cut in “Carry On,” ever was admitted there. The name, she is informed, does not appear on the hospital rec- ords. In the direst quandary that could possibly confront a loving mother, Mrs. Ross has written to General Fraser, invoking the aid of the state of North Dakota, in whose name her son enlisted in the great war. HAIL INSURANCE CLAIMS AGGREGATE MORE THAN 9000 Probability That Total Indem- nity to Be Paid Will Ex- ceed $2,500,000 ‘When the hail insurance depart- ment opened for business yesterday imorning it had claims aggregating 8,390 on file. During the day the aggregate increased to more than 9,00, the number of claims filed as a result of recent hail storms being exceptionally heavy. If the average: of $166 -per claim, which . obtained early in the season, is, maintained, the bureau before the close of the week probably will be obligated to the pay- ment of. $1,660,000 to farmers who have suffered damage to growing crops from hail. The average loss recently reported, however, is much higher than it was early in the sea- son, when there were possibilities of recuperation, and it is probable that the total, when #hesé claims are ad- justed, will be nearer $2,500,000, which, spread over 9,000,000 acres of cropped lands covered ‘by the act i would necessitate, with the $900,000 fund secured through the flat’ tax of three cents per acre on 30,000,000 acres of arable lands, an assessment of probably 25 cents per acre to in- demnify all claimants and provide for the operating expenses of the bureau BANKS WILL ESCAPE TAX ON MILLIONS OF FUNDS IN U. S. BONDS Amendment of 1917 Allows In- stitutions to Elect to Avoid Moneys Assessment As a result of an amendment to the state’s tax laws passed in 1917, North Dakota stands to lost the in- come from many millions of dollars of bank funds ‘in this state which are invested in Liberty bonds, war sav- ings stamps, certificates of indebted- ness and other government securi- ‘ties, Assistant Attorney General 1’. H. Packard: holds. The law as.amended permits a ‘bank to elect whether taxes shall be assessed against the shareholders in- dividually or against the bank as a corporation. If taxes are assessed against the shareholders, the banks cannot deduct the amounts which they have invested in government se- curities.: If the bank is taxed as a “| corporation, these deductions can be} # made. A majority of the banks, nat- urally, are electing to ibe taxed as corporations. The assistant attorney general was asked for an opinion by one of the taxing officers of the state. As a result of his ruling that the law is constitutional and that such election may be made by banks if they de- sire, it is probable that the act will ‘be tested in supreme court. OSTERHAUS RECOMMENDS EQUIPMENT FOR TESTS State Dairy Commissioner Oster- haus has completed ‘his selection of equipment. for the. making of Bab- cock tests for cream and milk, in which instruction is to be given by each rural consolidated school, un- der an act of the last assembly. Mr. Osterhaus will recommend the pur- chase of this equipment to the vari- ous schools, and they will make their own investments, NORTH DAKOTA'S CLOTHIERS MERT HERE NEXT WEEK Interesting Pavers and Ad- dresses to Be Presented by Prominent Men ENTERTAINMENT FEATURE Chicken Dinner, Twilight Golf Tourney and Motor Tours Are Planned “A Well Dressed Community,” as a civic, as well as & commercial asset, discussed by E. M. McMahon, general secretary of the St. Paul Association of Public and Business Affairs, who be- lieves that “the clothes make a town ;” “Merchandising Today,” handled by Ben R. Vardaman, associate editor of the National Clothier, and “Law and Business,” analyzed by. Chief Justice A, M,. Christianson of the North Dakota supreme court, will be high lights in the two days’ convention program of the North Dakota Retail Clothiers’ as- sociation, which will open here next Monday morning in its first annual ses- sion, Chicken dinners and a twilight golf tourney at the Country club; motor tours to old Fort Lincoln, General Cus- Lewis and Clark were entertained more than a century ago, and to other near- by points of interest will be among the entertainment features, EXPECT BIG ATTENDANCE President 8. E. Bergeson of Bismarck and Secretary Hugo Stern of Fargo are confident there will be a large at- fendance. “The benefit of association have never been so clear to our mem- bers as they are today,” states Presi- dent Bergeson. ‘Constantly changing conditions are bringing us new prob- lems daily, and only through the me- dium of a strong, aggressive organi- zation such as we now have in North Dakota can these problems be success- fully dealt with,” The high cost of living will come in for its share of attention during the gonvention. So, too, will credits, early closing, the new workmen's compensa- tion act, the eight-hour law for women and minors and other recent-state leg- iglation which affects the clothier. CONVENTION PROGRAM The convention opens at 10 o'clock Monday morning with registration, fol- lowed by reports and the appointment of committees. At nvon the clothiers will be tendered a luncheon at the Grand Pacific by the Bismarck Com- mercial club, with President P. R. Fields of the club presiding. President Fields will deliver his for- mal address of welcome on. behalf of the city at 2 o’clock in the afternoon, and Hugo Stern of Fargo,: secretary- treasurer, will respond. Chief Justice Christianson’s address will follow, and Mr. Vardaman will‘then speak. :Discus- sion of these papers. will consume the remainder’ of the afternoon session, which will adjourn at/ 4:30 to leave time for an auto tour. At 6:30 there will-be.a dinner at the Country club, followed by a twilight golf tourney. Tuesday morning will be devoted to a questién box and to Mr. McMahon's address. Officers will be elected, the site for the next convention chosen, and untinished business disposed of Tuésday afternoon, “OLD NECESSITY,” SECOND ATTORNEY GENERAL, IS BACK Word reaches the capitol that C. A. M. ‘Spencer, ‘North’ Dakota’s sec- ond attorney general, who in 1890 won the title, “Old Necessity,” is ta again embark in the practice of law in this state. Mr. Spencer, recently returned from Oklahoma, has entered into partnership with Usher L. Bur- dick at Williston and will practice there. “Old Necessity,” as he will be best remembared by pioneer. politicians, was elected attorney general in 1890, and he served until the close of 1892, under the Andrew.H. Burke adminis- tration. When Burk became a candi- date for. reelection, Spencer. ran for lieutenant governor. , That was the year of the populist landslide, and Spencer went down with his chief- tain. .He then retired from politics and returned to Grafton to resume the practice of law. He has upon several occasions temporarily desert- ed North Dakota, only to return again to his. first love. ‘His new law part- ner, Usher L. Burdick, is one of the ‘best known members of the bar in the state. He was formerly lieuten. ant governor, and in 1916 was one of the corners of the triangular gu- fernatorial race that landed the re publican nomination for Frazier. VETERAN MISSIONARY OF M. E. CHURCH DIES Binghampton, N. Y., Aug. 8.—Miss Fannie J. Sparks, one of the best known missionaries in the M. E. church, and who served twenty years as Miss‘onary to India, died at her home here yesterday. 'e OHIO FARMERS’ MILK ASSOCIATION CHARGED WITH RUNNING TRUST Cleveland, 0., Aug. 8.—In- dictments , against seven members of the Ohio Farm- ers’. Co-operative Milk asso- ciation were returned this morning by the special grand jury investigating the milk situation in Cleveland. All are charged with violating the Valentine anti-trust law. Little Things. Life is made'up of little things. It 1g but once in an age that occasion is of. fered for doing a great deed. True greatness consists in being great in little things," Se ter's last command, to the sites of the . | famous Mandan Indian villages’ where Ape