The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, December 21, 1916, Page 3

R . s i National Paper of the FamerS"'Noh_phrtlsan Political League. - : ) VOL:B, NO.,_25,;‘;»‘ A "% FARGO, '‘NORTH DAKOTA, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 21, 1916 - mo 1S ;.om‘.;r "cp-ucxa‘” FEED(E)AND I WILL . SWE YT THE POoREST_D- FEED-GRADE. | ~ WHEN THE FARMBR BRINGS ITIN TO SELL| f ~ “D’-Grading the Wheat Before Buying It ~ing disrespect on the part of the people for:the courts.” A situation in - S e - North Dakota at present will throw some light on - ~ this subject:’ The people have delegated high _powers to judges - ‘ness and an appreciation of their vast responsi- b put Dbilityshould mark tHe acts and govern the words h- - BUE— “of ‘men who sit on our benehes, clothed with B .= = power that is almost too great to be delegated but ‘which must be delegated under our political system. = =~ . - = b - sovereign people to these high places engage in an unseemly and dis- { .27 “honorable struggle to maintain office and the compensation thereof * people have invested them, we begin to find a reason for the growing - .| © court to try their own ease and take refuge in a decision which makes ; a scrap of paper of the conistitution of the state, we have just about got ~ holdof that reason, = ' 'THE PEOPLE OF North Dakota have read wi ~daily newspapers of the s eir high court has made for the .. .. . world to gaze at. {But they have considered with - not a little satisfaction that they made no mistake entlemen: of the bench have andJGent’évle_n'lén, ahd See HoW» It is I)ggé_ - When, therefore, men elected by the suffrage and trust of the ', beyond their terms of office, dragging in the dust the ermine in which the . disrespect of courts, -When, also, these judges set up an uncohstitutional - 7 A Kangafioo.(]dlilrt__ and.j Its Scrap of Paper . MUCH IS SAID and written these days about what'is called “the grow- giving him a term of office beginning on the first Monday in Decemiber, The terms of thé~fi;'st judges elected under the constitution began on that day and the terms of their successors began on that day, and so on down to the present time.. - =S N : : ; THE THREE JUDGES elected by the people last November 7, Birdzell, Robinson and Grace, likewise receiving certificates of election from the SR 7+ > <governor and canvassing board, entitling them to “La!V and . office’ and requested: their seats on the specified Order” in day. Retiring Judges Burke, Goss and Fisk - North refused to vacate their places. ' They said it had RS ; - been custorhary-for judges to ignore the constitu- Dakota tional provisions and take office the first Monday G .. in January, when other state officers took office. They announced -their intention of remaining on the payroll another ‘month under. this custom. : - SSa : 3 _ /" The custom referred to could not, of course, destroy or supercede the constitution. - It was not really a custom, for the matter of the date P % on which the term of office started had usually been immaterial, J udges - were elected and re-elected and held office continuously, so it made no ‘difference except ‘when new judges were elected: The judges: elected November 7 believed it' their duty to obey the constitution. They did not.anticipate the retiring judges would object. They were elected for six years and their certificates stated that their six years began the first = - Monday of December. They did not look for the startling demonstra- % e g ton of “law and order” that the retiring judges have caused to be ring judges, asked the supreme court for a writ, summioning: the ~— " “HP-Grading the Wheat When Selling It - office the first Monday of December, qualified for STAGE fhé;att&fx'x‘e;gexiem]:,- #ppdréhfly wit'l"{'k_,tlji‘e consent of ewly- elected and retiring judges before the court ,.._—,,._,_H___.N_..‘...._..,m,.,.._,u.m e A