The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, June 15, 1916, Page 22

L—v——wm?mn s o e fim A, ey tog b e Entered as 'D. C. Coates, Managing Editor. Advertising rates on application. Farmers. and up-to-date farmers. ‘The Nonpartisan Leader PUBLISHED WEEKLY—EVERY THURSDAY.. Pk T N N e o e S S T e X T e S o L V5 A Offigial Paper of the Farmers’ Nonpartisan Political League of North Dakota second-class matter Se tpl:eml'nar 38, 1189195' at the postoffice a.t Fargo, North Dakota, under the Act o Subscription, one year, in advance, $1.50; six months, $1.00. ~ Communications intefided for the paper ’should be partisan Leader, Box 941, Fargo, North Dakota, and not to any individual.. The Leader solicits advertisements of meritorious articles needed by Quack, fraudulent and irresponsible firms are not knowingly ad- vertised, and we will take-it as a favor if any readers will advise ‘us promptly should they have occasion to doubt or question the rehab!hty of any flrm which patronizes our advertising columns. Discriminating advertisers recognize the Nonpartisan Leader as the best medium in the state of North Dakota through which to reach the wideawake Herbert Gaston, Editor. = addressed to the Non- ASKED and ANSWERED The Leader will be glad seeking information within its ability to give. It is especiall to answer the questmns of any of its readers y glad to answer the questlons on the legislative record of candidates. JUDGES’ “EXPENSE MONEY” Dawson, N. D., June 6.—Among the wvarious appropriations made by the last ! Jegislature, I notice an allowance of $500 per year for each supreme court judge. i This strikes me rather strange, as the supreme court judges do not travel any i ore on official business, since the cham-. :bers were established at Bismarck and .each judge lives at Bismarck. However, 'we know that during the summer months some of the judges go on. fishing trips ito the lakes or visiting with relatives ‘and friends. Will you please explain to the satls- i faction of the state if the judges can \draw this expense money allowed them l:-md who pays the freight?—A SUB- NOT ENTITLED TO “EXPENSES” "The judges of the supreme court, of course, are not entitled to any expense {mnoney, as you point out. Their homes !are at Bismarck, or supposed to be dur- iing their term of office, and all sessions iof the supreme court are held there. iNevertheless the general budget bill of i the last legislature (Chapter 43, Laws of {1915) carried an appropriation of $500 a year for each supreme court judge for the biennium as expense money, in addition to the salaries of the judges, which are $5000 a year each. The total appropriation for this “expense” of the judges for the two years was.$5000, as there are-five judges. The taxpayers,: of course, foot the bill. This “expense” is appropriated for the supreme ,court judges at every session of the legislature.. It is provided for in section 720 of the Compiled Laws of North Dakota (edition of 1913) and is a law adopted by the legislature in 1907. The important feature of it is that this law provides that the judges do not have to account for the expending of this money. The law says the $600 a year to each judge shall be paid in quarterly installments “WITHOUT. THE FILING OF ANY ITEMIZED STATEMENTS.” . In other words the judges spend this expense money without in any way ac- counting for it to the state auditor or anybody else. . Other state employes, of course, have to account for all they spend when on trips at state expense. They must file itemized statements, but the judges do not have to. -JUST A BIT OF GRAFT The $500 a year to each judge, there- fore, is frankly a bit of personal graft for the judges. to have any compunctions about accept- ing it. It is a nice little tip from the legislature to the supreme judges in ad- dition to their salaries. Like' their sal- aries they do not have to account for the spending of it and it doubtless comes in handy. As to how this “expense” graft for judges originated in 1907, the facts -are probably that the legislature desired to - increase the judges’ salaries. The con- stitution gives the legislature power to fix the judges’ salaries, but it prohibits raising them during their term of office (Section 99, State Constitution). of 1907 wanted to give the judges more * galary and hit'.on the plan of. yoting : _/them’ expense. money for which they None of them seems It is. probable, therefore, that the legislature : would not have to account, so as to defeat the ‘intent of the constitution.” Since then all the judges have continued - to benefit from this original act of the legislature in 1907, devised to dodge the constitution. In regard to your question as to the legality or constitutionality of the ex- pense money appropriation, it is practic- ally certain that it could have been knocked out after it was first passed,” while the judges to whom it was origin- ally voted were still holding office. It that time it was clearly increasing the compensation of the judges during the term for which they were elected, which is forbidden by the constitution. But now, of course, it would not be increasing their compensation during the term for which they were elected, for all the judges getting this graft have been elected or reelected since the expense law was passed, and hence they have not had their compensation increased during their term of office. Whether it could be knocked out on other grounds is a legal question. HYLAND’S RECORD Will you please give me the record in the legislature of Senator Hyland, now running in Ramsey against the League candidate, W. P. Faulk?—A READER, Starkweather, N. D. Frank H. Hyland of Devfls La.ke, who represented legislative district No. 21 (Ramsey county) in the upper house of the last legislature, voted with the old stalwart political gang on most of the important bills and was a consistent op- ponent of farmers’ legislation. He was one of the senators composing the minority of the judiciary committee who attempted to delay and prevent the passage of the compulsory state hail in- surance bill, one of the chief farmers’ measures before the - legislature. = This bill merely proposed an amendment to the state constitution and was'to give the people the right to vote on the mat- ter, but Senator Hyland was not even in favor of letting the people themselves express themselves.. He worked against the measure as a member of the judie- iary committee and then voted against the bill itself when it came before the senate. WITH THE STALWARTS He worked with Senator W. B. Over- son, a Hanna politician and stalwart, in the fight on the hail insurance bill. Overson, also on the judiciary committee, was “the man unconstitutionally ap- pointed by Hanna as a member of the - state board of control. He was forced * . to resign this position because, ‘under. - the constitution, a state senator can not be. appointed to -civil office. = He is now - president of the Burdick-for-Governor = ! club of Williston.- = Senator Hyland even opposed the €o- operators mcorporatmn bill, a measure of farmers’ cooperati that bill, an nnportant one to farmers; he placed lumself in a class with such men - ghes' of Bxsmarck a notor- © it up. (Continued from page elght) cated” on - the schedule. Speeches will be made from the rear. platform or other convenient place near the depot. If persons at these places want to hear a more extended talk by Franer or want to hear the other speakers they can buy a ticket from their station to Hillsboro- and ride on the Special to that point, where a stop of about an hour will be made. ; Or, if they want to ‘attend an even * bigger meeting, they can buy a ticket to ~ Grand Forks and ride on the Spetial to that place for the big massmeeting . there in the evening. =Of course, besides being able to take in the bigger meet- ings at the larger towns to which they buy tickets the people taking advantage of the chance to ride the Special can see all the meetings held on the way to Everybody Happy-at the Picnics (Continued from page nine) present in the most-interesting way the different features of- the League’s pro- _gram. Sergeants Flannigan and M. C. Caddell, Joe Marsh, Joe Bm:kley and other pioneer veterans will be ‘there, as will Red Tomahawk, a warrior chief. All will join in the flag raising. LEAGUE SPEAKERS FOR ANNUAL EQUITY PICNIC Another-of the important picnics will be that’'at Maddock, June 17, when Mr. Frazier, John N. Hagan, candidate of the League for commissioner of agri- culture and Iabor, and N. C. Macdonald, candidate for state _sfipezintendent of public instruction, will join with ‘other speakers of the League to address an audience of farmers. At Juanita lake near Graee Cxty, one ‘a8 printed anybody at any ‘hold its anmml picnic at Sf hkefortwodzya,Jmmmdm, Rlde on the 4 Fraz1er Specml” - -,the place to which they hzvepnrehased Bystudymgtbemhednledthemn‘ can figure out for himself where the ne big meeting is to be held, for the s ule provides long stops- at. such'p Then, if he wants to, he can buy a fick atthedepot,mstashemldxfhe erey there. Be there to .see and hear the farmers’ candidate for governor. Then, if you want to take a ride on the Spec- ial to the next place where a long stopy sndabigmeefingishotnkeplnoe,,bnzj ~ your ticket to that placeoand get ‘on. i ofthepopuhrlakensortsaffie ern part of the state, will be beld a I picnic - June 20, and it is believed froms, prospects that 2000 to 3500 will be there. Mr. Frazier will be ane of the principal speakers here-also, as he will' beatotherpla’oesthxt‘hem:e&ch. i il %-E' bt indorsed ' candidate for ~the . supreme court, M. V: Boddy of Fargo; Haxnu Johnson of Kimball, Minnesota, L. McGahan of ‘Minot a.nd others. o Y "“‘————""—1——'——_9—-——" T farmers’ cooperators incorporation bill and both voted against it. Hughes was the only state semater to oppose reduc- ing the miximum interest rate from 12 to 10 per cent. Senator Hyland helped put through the bill drawn for the public service cor- “porations to provide a fake system of rate regulation for the consumers of gas, electricity, etc. - He was against the amendment to the bill put forward to prevent corporations - having - everything their own way when it came to rate reg- ulation, and he afterwards voted for the bill itseif. The measure was introduced by Representative Harty of Omemee, on behalf of Ployhar of Valley City, a mem- ber of the house and also a “public ser- vice corporation magnate. AGAIN WITH GANG - Senator Hyland stood in with the gang that killed the terminal elevator and he voted to.repeal the tax levied by the 1918 legislature to build terminal ele- vators. This measure passed both sen- ate and house and was signed by Gov-- ernor Hanna, but it was such an outrage that the farmers ‘of the' state got out referendum petitions against it and held ple at the election this November. Kq,;ma gang in the legxslatnre to even ‘making a pretense of helping the farmers out on the terminal elevator proposmon he opposed by his vote referr- ing the project to the railroad commis- sion; which had ‘not-expressed an opinion on the matter and was supposed to be neutral. “Instead he voted fo have it re- ferred to the state board of control, ap- pomted' by Gevemor Hanna and kmown undertakmg “.mat ; f the that paper have been lmg i the Mountameer’s R o SN It will be voted upon by the peo-' That Senator Hyland was with the : standpat is shown by the fact that when it came - halftone of Lynn J. Frazier, the Non- partisan candidate for governor. But Editor Lee added a little “pep” to the concession made to the League’s. guber- natorial candidate from Pembina county by somethmg found in other colummns of that issue of the paper«—LANGDON COURIER-DEMOCRAT. ; BIG LEAGUE VOTE George. T. Murray, the assaoorm % Mandan township, finished his work last week and reported 34 Bepubhms, 20 Democrats and 3 Socialists in that town- ship. He states that “all the Democrats will vote for League nominees, and 90 per cent or more of the Republicans.”— BERTHOI:D TRIBUNE. V. E. BEAUDRY su-udmwmn—m Plumbing and Electrical ‘'Weork. w.m..mmam:m systems for country homes. New Rockford North Daketa .Kodak Films 5 All ‘Work Guaranteed e Camera Supplies - ' L.P. WELLER New: Rockford, ‘N. ‘D. Nonpartlsans Attention If ‘you are looking for a sqnnr' le deal We are, here to_serve yon. € .?.‘