The Bismarck Tribune Newspaper, December 5, 1919, Page 1

| i | ie: i ‘ yey « | Ya | ‘ ey i 5 Se 4 ' ‘es j 4 . | ' } ‘ we, i hide we 4 a THE WEATHER: Snow and Colder. ‘HE BIS THIRTY-NINTH YEAR, PRICB FIVB CBNTS BISMARCK, NORTH DAKOTA FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5, 1919 LEAGUE BANKER CONVICTED HAGEN IS GUILTY OF FALSIFYING; SENATOR ACTIVE Mees of Morton County De- mands the Resignation, of’ Lofthus in Legislature BITTER FIGHT .EXPECTED State Bank Examiner Charged: With “Wanton Disregard | of Duties” Fargo, N. D., Dee, 5.—H. J. Hagen president of the Scandinavian-Ameri- ean bank of Fargo who was found guilty by a jury in Cass county dis- trict court here last night on a charge of exhibiting false records to the bank examiner will appear in court this af- ternoon to be sentenced, Counsel for Hagen announced that 2 stay of sentence would be asked epnd- ing an appeal, Announcement of the intention to appeal from the jury’s verdict. after four hours and. half of deliberations was made last night by Hagen’s counsel who declared that ins the event the appeal is denied the would be taken to the state supreme court. The crime of which Hagen was found guilty is a felony and is punish- able by imprisonment in the state peni- tentiary for not less than one nor more than ten years imprisonment, or not Jess than one year imprisonment in the county jail, or a fine not, to exceed $10,000, Both the house and’ the senaie this affernoon thru the usual league ma- jority in, both assemblies siicc kept all references of the conviction of, John N. Ha/zn, president. of the Scandinavian American bank of ‘argo from becomig part of the legislature's record of proceedings. In the senate the gag rule was em- Ployed against the submission of Sen- ator Mees’ resolution demanding the resignation of O. E. Lofthus, state bank examiner and Hagen as a mem- ber of the guaranty fund. Neither the resolution or any remarks made by speakers on the matter was permit- ted in the official records following an order to expurge all references from the journal, Not to be outdone in the matter, the house adopted similar gag rule tac- tics when Representative Burtness tried to read: Roy’ Halliday’s letter to ‘Scandinavian-American bank officials explaining how they should clean house in-order to “get by” the state bank examiners. The cloture was ap- plied when Burtness had half com- pleted thé reading of the letter, but later on managed to have the remain- der of the letter read into the letter. Hyland offered a resolution provid- ing that it was the sense of the sen- ate that inasmuch as Hi convicted by a farmers’ jury of a fel- ony against the state of North Dakota that he be removed from the state board of which he is a member. This resolution was rejected by the usual league majority which evidently had instructions to protect Hagen at all costs. Thereupon Hyland offered a resolution stating it was the sense of the senate that Hagen be retained in office. This resolution was laid on the} table. The senate later in the afternoon adopted a resolution offered by Cahil that the statements made by Attorney General Langer at Finley regarding the Scandinavian-American bank and its officers were untrue ad demanding Lager’s retractions. DEMAND LOFTHUS RESIGNATION A concurrent resolution demanding the resignation of O. F. Lofthus, state bank examiner and of H. J. Hagen, president of the Scandinayian-Ameri- can bank of Fargo as a member of the guaranty fund commission was pr sented in the senate this ofternoon pj Senator F. W. Mees of Morton couity. The resolution in full is as follow Whereas, One 0. EB. Lofthus was by Governor Lynn J. Frazier, on the 16th day of June, 119, appointed to the of- fice of State Examiner, and thereafter made a solemn declaration that he would faithfully discharge the duties of the office, which required HIM to aiscoyer and report crimes committed by the officers of banks, and protect the depositors of bank’, the state guar- anty fund and the general public from being subjected to.the hazard of unlaw- ful raids upon trust funds under the control and direction of bank officers and directors; and Whereas, Attorney General William Tanger, in the discharge of his duties, obtained from the files of the Scandi- navian-American bank of Fargo cer- tain letters discolsing a criminal agree- ment between H. J.. Hagen, president, with the Bank of Commerce and Say- ings of Duluth, Minn., and whereby it was made to appear on the books of. the Scandinavian-American bank of Fargo that the said bank had a cash reserve due it from other hanks, in the sum of more than $100,000.00 greater than in truth and in fact it actually! did have due to it as a part of its re- serve; and, Whereas, The supreme court of this state did require Attorney General Tanger to dejiver satd letters upon which a prosecution had been com- | menced against H. J. Hagen and P. R. Sherman into the possession of O. Lofthus; and, Whereas, After the said letters, con- taining the criminal agreement be- tween the said H. J. Hagen, P. R. Sherman and others, had been return- ed_to O. BE. Lofthus, the said’ O. FE. Tofthus did thereafter make a solemn oath by affidavit in the supreme court, stating in substance ‘that no such un- (Continued on Page Three) fully | nm had heen, LEGION MAN SHOT AT MINNEAPOLIS MANDAN YANK Lloyd L. Rounds, Fighting Bol- ~ sheviki In This Country, Was Model Soldier Mandan, Dec, 4—Lloyd L. Rounds, the American Legion member who was shot carly Monday morning at Minne- apolls where he is attending the Min- nesota university, was a member of the Mandan Company F and was camp- ed qt Ft. Lincoln the fall of 1917 and left with the 164th for Charlotte and served close to two years. He enlist- ed here, having answered the call at his home at Mott and was one of the best soldiers in the local company. His father is now at Mott. Rounds has been one of the Legion members active in the work against the I. W. W. in the twin cities and was attacked two times within a weeix and was the reeipient of a anonymous letter. “We would say that if you do not alter your actions we will find a way to get rid of you. We sincerely remind you of a certain Washington happening,” an extract from the let- ter he received. A Rounds was on his way home from} up town. He left the Como-Harriet car shortly after midnight and started to walk to his home at 1020 Fourteenth Ave. S. When passing the Great Nor- thern viaduct two shots came without warning in rapid sucession, He re- ecived one shot in the left fore arm and dropped under cover. When found ortly afterward by a pedestrian he taken fo a hospital where he is recovering, | The boys of the local company LEGION TO TAKE STEPS TO FIGHT iW. W. V. ACTIONS | Local Post Will Hold Special * Meeting Next Thursday , Evening MEMBERS ARE INCENSED American Legion members in this vicinity will probably start an acti campaign to combat the misst ments and misrepresentations made by the paid organizer, of the World War Veterans last week.” At its regular meeting last night the’ Bismarck post of the legion de- ewed to hold a special meeting next | Thursday evening to take up these matcers and take definite steps to meet the issues now existing. In all | probability decisions will be reached ‘by the local post on the refusal of the state legislature to adopt certain {measures which were framed to han- {dle anti-Americanism in this state. | | ‘The members of the legion last! night wer |the statements made by the organizer fof the World War Veterans to the legislature, last week at which time the organizer in a fiery speech con- {demned everything he could think of, jending up with y insinuati againsc the American Legion. Iti was ; decided at the meeting that the mat- iter was of such importance that al special meeting should be held and jit is expeeted chat practically every one of the 450 members of the Bis- marck post will be present at this remember Rounds as 2 model soldier /meeting, and ready to do his bit and in ial To Attend Elk’s Services ithe American Legion his patri The pos cepted the invitation of jhas received a still stronger start im defending the rights of the civilized, steadfast citizen. GROWING GROUCH ‘HOUSE POTLATCH POM Speaker Stair Reserves Right fo Censor Journal of Rep- resentatives Growing ill-feeling between the min- ority and: the majority in the house reached \a. climax ““hursday: atiernoud when Speaker Stair of the majority re- served toh f the right to expunse ‘from the journal such portions of ¢ explanation of Rep. Burtnes: yote on House Bill which remove.l State Auditor Kosi from the emergency commission and substituted j for him the state commissioner ¢ yeulture and labor, Burtness in explaining his vote un sparingly condemned the measure purely political and back from a faction which dare not come out into the open with im) ment proceedings against Ko: declared the obj jon to Kositzky lay in the fagt that he was independent and would not take orde and that the only argument to be advanced in the favor of substituting the commis- jsioner of agriculture was that the lat- ter would tuke orders. Representative Walker, the man who ‘introduced the bill, but whom Burtness declined to hold responsible as the an- thor of the measure, precipitated the climax with ‘a motion that Burtness’s explanation be expunged from the r ord. Burtness then explained his ex. planation in terms even more vigorous ithan the original. To begin with be had objected to changing the personnel of, state boards \to meet the political whims of the niajority to substituting {for men now on these boards others who will take orders. He had declared that ‘he despised 2 man who will sta» in the dark; who will not fight fair, and as such he classified the men who he declared would deprive. the state auditor of the privileges of the office to which the peole of North Dakol: had elected him and “who are not men enough to try to impeach him.” Burtness insisted after Walker's mo- tion that his explanation of his vote be read. He then stated that he would not withdraw from: his position that ithe motive behind this measure was ab- ;solutely political, He referred to the campaign which has been carried on against Kositzky, elected on the league ticket, to be state auditor; re-elected after two years’ trial to the same posi tion “trump card of the opposition oa the stump during the last campaign,” and now that he has displayed some independence referred to in the “ofli- cial press” of the Majority as Krazy Karl, as a man whose ivory dome en- closed a small atom of limburger cheese which passed with! Krazy Kar fs a brain. ) “T repeat,” said Burtness, ‘that this bill is a stab in the back. Why don't you allow him to come before the bar of the senate and defend himself by bringing impeachment proceedings against him. If you take offense at what I have said, if it liits some of you.I. don’t care. “TF YOU WANT TO ENFORCE AU- ({TOCRATIC RULE AND, TO KEEP MY REMARKS OUT OF THR JOUR- NAL, DO SO, BUT I WISH TO SAY TO YOU, GENTLEMEN, THAT THEY WILL COME BACK TO YOU }A GREAT DEAL STRONGER THAN THEY WOULD IF THEY HAD BEEN MADE A PART OF THE REC- ORD OF THIS HOUSE.” Miller of Bottineau called Burtness of Roberts’ rules of order, O'Connor of Grand Forks suggested that the North Dakota constitution, “which in some circles ranked even above Iobi- (Continued on Page Four.) REACH CLIMAX IN : character, a stab in they the Klks lodge of this city to attend |the latter’s memorial services | Sunday and the members present sig-} 'nified their intention of attending the | jservices, A vote of thanks was ex- | tended to the trustees of the Masonic use of that building for the legion dance, ‘temp'e for t’ last Saturday | ‘This dance was such a success that j the members decided to hold others during the winter and because of the j way in which that dance was handled pane. committee in charge was made a | permanent dance committee, | Invite Veterans | Fhe post passed a resolution extend- ing an invitation to all G. A, R. mem- {hers in this city to attend the mect- ings of the legion and also to use the (Elks club for their meeting place on ‘such nights as the legion mects there. |The legion also volunteered to’ pre- | serve and keep the records, cherished ‘flags and other property of the civil ; War veterans. | "During the discussion on the World War Veverans members of the legion stated that that organization was more or less socialistic, and undemocratic in that its formation was imainly to split the legion and destroy its usefulness as an Americanization factor, that buttons were being sold to people who bought them in the be- 'Kef that they represented the Red Cross or the American Legion, that i had no national offic or organiza tion. that former service men in the country were inte din the World War Veteran's thinking it was the le- gion and that publicity matter and parts of its constitut‘on were similar in character and purpose with 1. W. 1 W., literature. | ANARCHISTS MADE FREE TEMPORARILY Berkman and Goldman Out On Habeas Corpus New York, Dec. 5.—Writs of habeas corpus in behalf of Alexander Berk- man and Emma Goldman were grant- ed by Federal Judge ‘Mayer this after- noon upon application of Henry Wein- berger, consul for the anarchists sent to Ellis island early today for deporta- tion to Russia. Weinberger said he would insist upon his cl'ents’ presence in court when argument was heard. BISMARCK MAN IS FINED FOR BOOZE St. Pau}, ‘Minn., Dec. 5.—James Cas- serley, Watertown, S. D., and Claud :M. Rosson, Bismarck, N. . pleaded guilty in United States district court today to charges of violation of the Reed amendment in shipping. liquor into dry states and were fined $50 each. The fines were paid. WHISKEY AND WINE FLOW IN ST. LOUIS; TRAINS OVERTAXED Federal Judge Grants Tempor- ary. Injunction Making Missouri Town Oasis St. Louis, Mo., Dec. 5.—Federal Judge Faris in the l!n'ted S*-*-8 district court here today granted » a temporary injunction scousg the district attorney and the col- lector of internal revenue from enforcing the Volstead wartime prohibition enforcement act as to . whiskey and wine. i The restraining order was grant ed to four St. Louis whiskey deal. ing firms and corporations. ‘Assistant District Attorney White said the effect of the deci- sion would permit the sale of Whiskey and wine thruout the eastern district of Missouri includ- ing St. Louis and 54 counties, Interstate Commerce PEACE DELEGATION ‘SAILS WEDNESDAY Only One American Remains in Paris Paris, Dec. 5—The members of the American delegation wich the excep- tion of thre@_ will leave Paris next (Monday night™“for ‘Brest. The three remaining delegates will leave Tues- day night and the entire personel of the-delegation will sail on the steam- ship America for the United States on Wednesday, Hugh C, Wallace American ambas: sador will thereafter be the only rep- resentative of the United Svates in *| the supreme council, FARGO RAISES BIG SUM IN SEAL SALE More Than $3,000 Obtained in Tuberculosis Fight In the sale of Red Cross Christmas stamps to aid in the fight against tuberculosis in the state which was started last Saturday. largo raiséd $2294 in the drive according to re- ports received here today by offi oft the Anti-Tuberculo: a which has charge of the drive’ over the state. The amount raised in ‘g0, which, is the largest reported in the state, does not include pledges from church- 3, women’s clubs, most of the lodges r the hospitals. These, it is believed, will add another $1000 to the Fargo fund. Tae success of the one day cam- pa‘gn in Fargo was due to a large ex- tent to the talks delivered by a num- ‘er of women who made “two minute” speeches in favor of the drive. JENKINS FREED BY MEXICANS AS SENATE DEBATES Bandits Raid American Ranch In Texas as Carranza Releases Consul LL TALKS WITH, WILSON Delicate’Situation Improves and Then Becomes Acute After Robbery Washington, Dec. 5.—The Am- ericah embassy at Mexico City notified the state department to- | day that America consular agent William, O. Jenkins at Puebla. Mexico, had been released from custody. RAID TEXAS RANCH Zapata, Tex., Dec /Mexican ban- dits last night the Clareno ided ranch on the American side of the Rio Grande 11 miles from here escaping with provisions from a store on the ranch, The number of bandits in the raiding party was not determined but they reported heavily armed. The only person molested was the storekeep- er whom they bound and gagged he- fore leaving the store. All provis‘ons in the place taken, the bandits passed them on to several horses taken from the ranch and they crossed the Ito Grande again. into ; Mexico. No clue to the identity of \the bandits had been obtained up to noon today. CAVALRY COMMANDER INFORMED Houston, Tex., Dec. 5.—General J. F. Wolters commanding the Texas cavalry with headquarters here today received adv:ces of a raid by Mexican bandits on a store near the bowler 11 miles south of Zapata, county seat of Zapata county. The information is that the owner of the store was bound after which the place was looted and the bandits ‘fled across the border. The report was telephoned by. W. (M. Hanson a captain in the ranger service who is serving as spec‘al examiner for the senate investigating committee. PRESIDENT INTERESTED Washington, Dec. 5—President Wil- son will see Senators Fall, republican, ‘New Mexico and Hitchcock. democrat ‘Nebraska, at 2:30 p. m\ today to dis- cuss the Mexican situation. ‘Senator Fall announced that imme- diately after the conference he would make public the evidence on which he based his charges in the senate that the Mexican ambassador and consuls in the United States were circulating “red” propaganda. The senators will go to the White House after the president's cabinet has: held a special meeting at which the Mexican situation Will be discuss- ed, PAN MOTOR CO. IS IN JURY’S HANDS Officials Will Know Their Fate Soon Chicago, Dec. 5—The case of thir- teen officials of the Pan Motor Co.,, St. Cloud, Minn., accused of misusing the mails in stock selling operations will go to the jury sometime tomor- row, Judge Landis announced today. Introduction of testimony is almost completed and attorneys for both sides agreed to hold their arguments to six hours. ‘There will be a court’ ses- sion tonight. GERMANY TRYING T0 EVADE TERMS BY NOT SIGNING Military Leaders Gather at Paris as Council Threatens Occupation MAY RENEW BLOCKADE London, Dec. 5.—Official announce- ment that Field Marshal Wilson has, gone to ParisAn response to “an urg- {ent summons to consult Marshal Foch in connection with the peace treaty | “is regarded by some morning news- 's as of considerable significance is suggested that steps to exert | ure on Germany may be immi- nent. : “Vhere has been enough solemn fin- ger wagging at the Germans who come to believe it safe to defy the allies.” says the Daily Mail in commenting on the situation. “A wise and merciful cou would be to tell them plainly that if wichin a fixed time they do not comply with the allied conditions and ‘} fulfill the treaty terms the blockade will be renewe MARKET HEARS OF REFUSAL London, Dee. 5.—There was a per sistent rumor in the stock exchange this morning that the supreme council of the peace conference had threaten- ed Germany that unless the final peace terms were agreed to allied troops would occupy Essen and Frank- Up to this time the market had the report. fort. not been affected. b, DROPPED BECAUSE ; EVIDENCE FAULTY |New Complaints Will Probably Be Drawn—One Man Held On Snuff Charge At the request of State’s Attorney E. S. Allen, the charges against sev- eral ‘Bismarck merchants charged with selling cigarettes or cigarette papers contrary to law were dismissed _yes- terday before Justi of the Peace George Dojan. It was claimed by Allen that testimony to convict could not be introduced because of the way the complaints were drawn, In all probability new complaints | will ibe raade out. and. the cases tried again. Solomon Nicola charged with sell- ing snuff October 18 was found guilty [in the justice court and Judge Dolan tordered him held for the district i Nicola was also charged with arettes but that complaint ised with the others, sif and Mike Saba charged | with selling snuff will be tried e‘ther jtoday or tomorrow, it was announced this morning. ! All the complaints were made by F. LL. Watkins who claims he personal-j ‘ly made the various purchases over | a period starting July 4 this year and continuing thru last month. RECENT STORMS KILLED | HERDS OF RANGE HORSES | Great Falls, Mont., Dee. 5.—Hun- dreds of range horses died in the re-| cent storms in this state, it is believed.) The value of the beasts had fallen] so low that it did not pay to feed them, | lin many counties, and they were allow- ‘ed to. shift for themselves. Drouth had left little feed on the range and the unusually deep snow buried this, It is said that many carcasses have been found on the range as the chinook winds melted the snow. FAMOUS TRAIN IS DISCONTINUED TO SAVE COAL SUPPLY Twentieth Century Limited New York to Chicago Included In Order New York, Dec. 5.—Passenger serv- ices on railroads in the eastern region {extending as far west as St. Louis and Chicago was reduced to a wartime basis today by drastic orders effective December 10 issued by A, T. Hardin regional director. In some aspects the order was even more sweeping than those issued dur- ing the war. For the first time since {the famous twentieth Century limited was put in operation between New York and Chicago by the ‘New York Central about 20 years ago it was cut from the schedule to save fuel. Frenchman Once a Junk Dealer Gets | Francs With Ease Resale of United States Army Supplies Enriches Humble Garbage Picker \Paris, Dec. 5.—A rag and bone dealer who formerly gained a meager livelihood by picking over garbage boxes has become weal- thy by trading in American army supplies bought by France. He purchased a large number of wa- terproof coats for 2,000 francs at a government sale and made a profit on the re-sale of 160,000 francs. With this sum he bought boots. shoes and blankets. Now he has. a bank. account of more than 1,000,000 francs, jcold weather hampered the fire fighters jcantile Co, suffereed a loss of about OF FELONY STANDARD OILCO. IS MADE GOAT IN TAX LEGISLATION Trust Contends in Committee Hearing It Is Discrimin- ated Against HALLIDAY HAS BAD BLAZE WEDNESDAY Fire Destroys Garage and Does $4,400 Damage Halliday, Dec. 5.—Fire from an un known cause destroyed the garage building belonging to Ole Veiken at Halliday, causing a loss of about $4,400, The garage building was used for the storing of machinery /and. was 1lo- cated right back of the Mandan Mer- cantile Co, The fire apparatus at Hallt- day is very Umited and a bucket brigade was quickly organized but the PUBLIC UTILITY BILL UP and it was building or impossible to its contents. save the The Mer-| Conference to Be Held Tonight On Measure That Estab- lishes Precedent $800 through the burning of lath and other lumber but the further spread of the fire was checked by the wrecking of a couple old shacks between the gar- ’ age and the yard. The building was ‘haret ‘ valued at about $1,500 and the ma.| Charaing that tb te DF ODer Ly es chinery at $2,100, all being fairly well |¢criminated against in the classification covered by insurance. for taxation of gasoline manufactured by the several processes, the Standard DECLARED ON THE several hearings this week, seeking to fight. The Standard uses the Burton declared an open season on newspa-|carbons, which would place the Stand- ot tthe Hownarof newspater’ men, If: the Independent Oi] Men’s association 3 have emininated from the amended oil tax bill 2 provision which assesses. a tax of one cent per gallon against the Standard Oil Co. while independent companies, using other processes, ar2 required, to pay but 1-4 cent per gallon on gasoline, House Appoints Gunning Com- mittee to Exterminate process in the manufacture of gago- . line, producing what is known in the Newspaper Men trade as a “crack” gasoline. None : of the independents uses this process, but in. the committee hearings this BATTLE ON PILL BILL week they have signified a willingness that there be eliminated from the oil per correspondents. Lowe. “Weld ofjard on a plane with the Independents Wells and Nesvig are the official/wnder nena Here gunning committee. They are iM-) 6) company and association repre- structed to bag offending press rep-|<ontatives here for the hearing. are resentatives without regard to creedjJohn PD. Reynolds, secretary of tha race, color or factions, glasses, or}American Independent Petroleum C. CG. Smit t les ane spakes ang, other c Byung MaatgS (national association of mail: oll .pro- andre, ea udera ont ee bill ree (ueers: including the standard as well pealing the anticigarette act, boin|*s the independents; J. H. Shipton of of which were considered along un-/<{innenpolis, district manager for the partisan lines, to some extent at least | Sinclair Refining Co,; F. W. Lehman, siding with the Standard Oil Co. in its The house of representatives has}jine containing unsaturated byrdo- this league; EF. E. Grant, si at: Proposed exclusion from the floor ne eR EUS. rant. secrelaryaoe The independent oil companies are tax bill the provision penalizing gaso- the absence of the same. league; ©. LL. Maguire, president of Faerie excilement for the house |#eneral counsel for the Western Petre- afternoon's session. The bill which would, license the; sale of cigarettes, which was indefi-| nitely postponed on report of the tem-| perance commitiee Wednesday, final-{ ly was recalled for réconsideration by; a vote of 64 to 45, Nonpartisans vot- ing with Nonpartisans aga‘nst recon-| sideration. Walter J. Maddock, chair- during the early ‘hours. of Thursday} Jéum,, Roffucrs...association;... Clifford, TThorhe genGhHT eouneAl for” the Tad pendent Petroleum Jeague; H. M. Wits son of the International Oil Co. of Mis not, and A. W. Lindquist of Fairmount, representing the Independent Oil Co. ‘These and other representatives wera present last evening when a joint com- mittee held a hearing upon a bill which would declare oil companies publi man of the state affairs committee, |utilit s, place them under the control made the motion for reconsideration, of the state railway commission, and while Representative Miller, chair- Meee board power to regulate man of the temperance committee, op-| Prices. - ole i posed the motion. Boch are Nonparti- NATIONWIDE INTEREST sans. _ Senate Pill 6, which declares pipe "The shortcomings of newspaper men line, compan for the transportation were brought before the house by of gas. oil or water and oil Companies Rep. J. F. T. O'Connor, who declared engaged in the business of selling or dis- correspondent had placed in his’ tributing petroleum products or by pro- (O'Connor's) mouth a speech on the ducts used for the generation of light, free love disclosures of Burtness heat or power, is said to be without which he (O'Connor) had never made, precedent in America, an dthere is na- and that the Frand Forks American|tionwide interest in pending iggislative had then proceeded to adversely com-|action ion this measure, It is‘a bill in- ment upon the speech which he, the; troduced following approval in the Non- aforesaid newspaper man, had made|partisan league’s secret caucus, whica for O'Connor, O'Connor declared hejmeans that it is an administration could get 109 affidavits from mem- measure. bers of the house proving that he had| “In the case of oil companies,” never made this speech and had in| the bill provides, “the commissioners fact had not spoken upon this mat-jshall regulate the selling price of pe- ter at any time. jtroleum products and by-products, on He asked for the appointment of a the basis of refinery quotations, and committee of five to determine into/shall fix the schedule of such price, the facts, to inquire into newspaper |which they may change to modify from reports which are emanating from)time to time, so as to keep North Da- press representatives of both factions | koa prices as nearly as possible on the in the house, and, if these reports v|erican’s revort and comment of the were found to be false and unfair to the members of the house thatt he courtesy of the house be denied these | press correspondents and that the committee recommend such other) punishment as it might consider fit- ting. O'Connor declared he would be the first to vote for the exclusion of} any newspaper man from either side! who seeks to malign members of the! house by spreading false reports and | that he stood ready to go before the investigating committee and defend | !any member of the majority unjustly; attacked by newspaper men enjoying the courtesy of the floor. He declared that “we have heard} from one end of the state to the other} that you cannot believe anything that! appears in the so-called independent; press. You have been told that, gen- tlemen of this house. You have been told that you must read only what] apnears in the Grand Forks American | and the Courier-News.” ‘O'Connor read the Grand Forks Am- address which O'Connor declared fabricated from whole cloth. ‘. In reply to Hoare'’s question as to whether he had asked the Grand Forks American to rectify its mistake, O'Connor related an instance of sim- ilar misrevresentation which he de- clared had been promptly brought to the attention c\ the editor and had never been corrected. : O'Conner referred to newspaper men. who spread false revorts behind a legislator's back as ‘snakes that. bite end sting in the dark.” Patterson of Donnybrook, taking up the cudgels in behalf of the league press and against the independent press. embellished (Mr, O’Connor’s serpentine oratory to a marked extent, but suggested that winter was coming on wher the snakes would craw! into their holes without heln of a levislative investi- gation which he declared would de- mand a spec‘al appropriation and cost much time and money, Patterson re- same level as the prices in adjoining states under similar e lions, and so that such prices shall at all times be reasonable and just; provided that in No case shall the North Dakota pric exceed a margin of more than thirty percent above such refinery price, after paying all taxes, freight charges, in- spection fees and reasonable local stor- age and distribution costs; and provid- ed further that the commissioners may require any oil company to furnish them with the data necessary for the determination of the prices on, such schedule.” ‘ CAN REGULATE BOTH WAYS The commission js given power to fix a lower price for any petroleum pro- duct or by-product whtn in its judg: ment conditions shall warrant “and the public interest shall require such lower price,” and the commission may establish minimum as well as maxi- mum prices for the purpose of prevent. ing unfair or destructive competition, The bill is regarded as aimed pri- marily at the Standard Oil Co., toward which hostility has heen evident in the committee hearings held on the amend. ed bill. The company is objected to, apparently, on two counts, first becuse it is a trust and secondly because it 1s charged with making big profits, TRAPPING SEASON OPENS South Dakota Men Expect to Reap Rich Harvest Pierre, S. D., Dec. 5—The trapping beak has opened in Sotth Dakota and the record price for furs is stimts lating the activities of professional and. amateur trappers, according to reports to the state: game department, South Dakota is a great skunk state. Expert trappers are attempting to obtain permission from owners of great tracts of swamp lands to operate ex- clusively in these frozen wastes on a percentage basis. Yt is understood ferred .feelingly to what he. termed (Continved on Page Two.) = that some owners are holding. for big. increases over their last year’ tale CK TRIBUNE ==] }