The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, February 24, 1916, Page 12

S e sy e e S SIS Db TWELVE By Leader Staff Correspondent Bismarck, Feb. 21.—E.*G. Patter- son, commissioner of Burleigh coun- ty, owner of the McKenzie hotel, which he named after Alexander Mec- Kenzie, and for years reactionary political Teader of the county, has taken a solemn oath that he is not owner of the Palladium, a weekly newspaper published here which was awarded the county printing with the vote of Mr. Patterson. Because of this oath the temporary injunction prohibiting the Palladium from con- tinuing with the contract has been dissolved by District Judge Nuessle, who held that Mr. Patterson was not “directly or indirectly” interested in the contract which, as a public offi- cial, he voted to give the Palladium. No; Mr. Patterson is not the owner of the Palladium. Mrs. Agatha G. Patterson, his wife, is the owner and hence, says the affidavit of Mr. Pat- terson and the decision of the court, Mr. Patterson could not be “directly or indirectly” interested in the print- ing contract he helped to award. Reveals Connection The Palladium was forced into court to reveal its connection with Mr. Patterson by a suit brought by State’s Attorney Berndt, who alleged THE NONPARTISAN LEADER E. G. Patterson of Burleigh County and the District Court at Bismarck Claim That Ownership of a Newspaper by a‘Man’s Wife Does Not Interest Husband in It---Oh, No! Not at All. that the printing contract was void because of Mr. Patterson’s personal interest in the Palladium, which, as a public official, he has helped get the contract. The suit followed an expose of Burleigh county conditions by the Leader. The Palladium’s last affidavit to the postoffice department, dated September 20, showed that Mr. Patterson owned the paper, which was edited and run by H. P. Knappen and which claims a circulation of 810. But since September 20 and before the contract was awarded the paper was transferred 'to Mrs. Patterson, thereby removing any benefit, even in- directly, to Mr. Patterson by reason of the contract, so the defendants per- suaded the court. This alleged trans- fer of the paper so that Mr. Pat- terson can not have the slightest in- terest in it is not of record, as the following statement shows: Not of Record “Office of register of deeds, Bur- leigh, county, Bismarck, N. D., Feb. 15, 1916; to the Nonpartisan Leader: Geantlemen—In reply to your inquiry will say that the records of this office show no transfer by bill of sale or otherwise of the newspaper known as the Palladium, published in this city, since the date of December 1, 1915. Yours very truly, G. J. Keenan, reg- ister.” : Mr. Patterson and his mewspaper did not rely solely on the above men- tioned unrecorded transfer of the property, which of course, everybody concerned, even the judge holds, re- moves it entirely from Mr. Patter- son’s influence and benefit. In no possible way, even indirectly, the court has now established, can owner- ship by a man’s wife be held to in- terest him in any way in that owner- ship. But that was not enough. The Palladium and its editor went further in order to continue to benefit from the printing contract. ¢ Knappen Lessee “Affidavits were filed,” says the * Palladium, “showing that H, P. Knap- pen ‘is the lessee of the Palladium and that he has been such lessee for more than two years last past, and Politician Gets Away With Fat Printing Contract that E. G. Patterson receives no ben- efit, either directly or indirectly, from the contract recently awarded to this newspaper by the board of county commissioners, as the lease calls for a flat rental, is not dependent on the ross or net earnings of the Palla- ium and is therefore in no way af- fected by the contract.” If the Palladium is right in. this statement and the court is right in allowing the contract to stand, it makes no. difference how prosperous the Palladium is or how great reve- nue it can earn—Mr. Patterson would not base the rent charged Knappen for the plant on these things, and Mr. Knappen would not be willing to pay more rent, or be able to pay more rent, for the plant if the reve- nue from the paper was big. Entirely “Disinterested” In other words, those concerned try to make it appear that a fat printing contract with the county does not make the Palladium a better revenue producer and hence better able to pay more rent to Mr. Patterson for the plant. Of course it could not be held, the court and Mr. Knappen agree, that the Palladium’s ability to pay more rental to Mr. Patterson by reason of getting a mice_public print- ing contract does in any way make Mr. Patterson even directly interested in seeing that the Palladium has the contract. Foster's Weather Washington, D. C.; Feb. 19.—Last bulletin’ gave forecasts of disturb- ance to cross continent Feb. 21 to 25, warm wave Feb. 20 to 24, cool wave Feb. 23 to 27. This and the preceding storm were calculated to cover a period of about 12 days dur- ing which very radical weather events would occur. The cool wave of this period, expected to cross meridian 90 near Feb. 19, moving southeastward will be the controlling element of all the storm features that may occur during the 12 days. Particulars were given in last bulletin. Next disturbance will reach Pacific ecoast about Feb. 27, cross Pacific slope by close of Feb. 28, central val- leys Feb. 29 to March 2, eastern Pa- cific slope about Feb. 27, central val- leys Feb. 29, eastern sections March 2. ‘Cool wave will cross Pacific slope about March 1, central valleys March 3, eastern sections March 5. This will be about an average storm with no very great extremes, but all .conditions are favorable to more than usual precipitation. The heavy rains, however, come with the great storms, including the cold wave foretold for last part of January which brought the destructive floods in the central valleys. A change in the location of the storms and precipitation was predict- - ed for Feb. 12 and expected to con- tinue to near March 10. -During that precipitation month the rains and snows were expected to change from meridian 90 to the.Pacific coast and extend well into southeast sections of the continent. We are expecting dan- gerous floods the last half of March east of meridian 90, - particularly in southern states and eastern sections. These rains will probably begin. not far from March 10 and be at their greatest danger during the week cen- tering on March 25. We are giving these alarms long - in advance and hope our readers will prepare for the events. We may miss the location a little but the storms and floods will come and it is surely advisable for all within apd near thie sections mentioned to prepare for them. March will come in and go out colder than usual; warmest part of it will be near March 11. Dates are for meridian 90; -earlier west and later east. . Leader Best Teacher The Leader is the best teacher for ‘the farmer and the best paper ever published in North Dakota for them. i1 am only sorry that I can’t under- stand all your articles fully as I do not read English the best. If I could get that paper in the German lan- . guage I would be happy, for then I could understand all your splendid articles and what they mean. But 1 like it anyway.—AUG. GERTZ. N 4 a L o Lt L LT 5 transacted. SESSECIEBPDEEIPESEEELE0S SIS LAEA IS LIPS IASFEEPF IS FEIEE S PP ILE S S0 D000 ber 31st, a period of five months. all made in the handling of about 8,000,000 bushels of gi'ain. : > . Our paidup capital August 1st was but $42;939.00. This shows that there is money in the grain commission business, and that it behooves the farmei's to enter this business that they may obtain the enormous profits to be derived therefrom for themselves. ; - The Equity Goopérativé Exchange is -a'fam,l_ers’ corporation, composed of farmer stockhold- ers and managed by a Board of Directors, all of whom are farmers. Its capital stock draws a cum- ulative dividend of 8 per cent and no more. The balance of the net earnings of the corporation are distributed among its patrons; and the amount each receives is determined by the amount of business . The Exchange affords the selves, by consigning their grainto the Bquity Coopera or Superior, Wisconsin. The time to do that ismow. N Jo-operative Advertisement . E‘fl N the first of February last, the Equity Cooperative Exchange paid a cumulative dividend of . <-4 8 per cent on all capital stock issued up to August 1st, 1915. This is the first dividend that has ever been paid by this corporation. It was all earned from August 1st, 1915, to Decem- Qur total net profit during this period was $53,000.00, Home. Off_.ice; Fargo, N. D. General Offices, St. Paul, Minn. and-Superior, Wis. i_ai‘xhers an opportunity ©of marketing their grain cooperatively, enabling them to do on the terminal grain fmarketsfwbfit they have done through their elevatqrs in the local markets, namely to better the prices on grain, In-this way the farmers can ‘help them-. tjfie Exchange at either St. Paul, Minnesota, L % " W