The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, January 11, 1917, Page 7

'\ ,. - f Farmers’ Legislature is Opened Amending Constitution to Comply With Mandate of the People One S of Chief Prbpositions Before Both Houses ISMARCK, N. D, Jan. 6.—North - Dakota’s ‘new state ' officials elected by the farmers through. the' Norpartisan League have béen Inaugurated. The state’s first farmer legislature has convened and complet- ed its first week’s work. 2 Working harmoniously and in full accord with the political ideas so over- Wwhelmingly approved’ by ' the people ‘" last Novem- ber 7, the farmer ma- jority in'the house of re-. presen t- atives h'as organized the house and set; about the great work: of fullfilling - their prom-=, ises to: the" people. The house elect- - : ed Howard R. Wood of 2 H. R. WOOD_ ‘Ward coun- ty, a Nonpartisan, speaker by a prac- tically unanimous vote. Mr. Wood had been selected at a caucus of the League members in the house. He is a son of F. B. Wood, vice president of the Non- partisan League and director of the Equity Co-operative exchange. Speaker ‘Wood “named as committee chairmen men ‘jn sympathy with the political program indorsed by the vot- ers last fell, so that the farmers have full control of the house and are ifi'a Position, so far as that body is cen- cerned, to make “‘g60d their promises to the people. ' 4 The Nonpartisan League’ elected 18- of the 25 senators elected-last fail and it has been fully expected by the farm- ers that the 24 hold-gver Senators would practically all be in accord with the League program and would facili- tate the legislation so unmistakably demanded by the people. g Interests opposed to the farmers and their cause are, however, making a -Strenuous. fight ‘through lobbyists and the gang press of the state to line up the hold-overs in the senate to delay or block the League program. SENATE MAY NOT BLOCK THE FARMERS How successful the fight will be to tie up the senate against the League brogram remains. to be seen. Oppo- nents of the farmers in glee have seized upon the fact that the hold-over. senators did not enter the farmer mem- bers’ caucus. They say this means that the senate stands 23 to 26 against the farmers program. More comfort was given-those hoping for a holding up of the farmers’ program in the senate by the fact that the committee appoint-. ments in the senate have given hold- over senators a majority of the most important committees. On the other hand it is argued with force that the hold-over sena- tors, no matter how they person- ally feel about it, will not attempt to block the progressive measures this legislature is pledged to pass. They say that practically’ every one of these senators was elected from a district which went overwhelming- ly for the League program last fall, and that they wiil not betray their constituents by a policy of delay or blockade. Also, it is point- - ed out that all these hold-overs, with one exception, are Republi- cans, and that the official platform * of the Republican party in North Dakota, adopted last summer, spe- cifically calls for the enactment of the entire program of the farmers as expressed in their own platform. It is argued that the ' hold-over senators will not be guilty of party. treason. However, so far they have kept silent and no test vote has been taken. HAVE TO AMEND THE CONSTITUTION By far the bigéest proposition loom- ing on the horizon is the proposition for the amending or revision of the state constitution, which the governor and legislators elected by the, furmers are pledged to carry out. The matter has been talked over in conference by League members in both houses and it is expected a bill fulfilling the prom- ises to the-people and making possible the full carrying out of the League program will be introduced next week. * The farmers’ program for state- owned utilities such as cold storage plants, packing plants and mills must, of course, await tHe amendment of the ..constitution, as was strongly brought campaigns - before'-the - olit in the primaries and before the election. The legislature, also, can not go forward at once with the proposition of state- owned terminal elevators, because the constitution stands in the way of prop- er bond issues. - On the proposition of constitu- tional amendment or revision the attitude of the senate is important™ Enemies of the farmers’ cause are hoping that at least on that prop- osition the-senate will prove. a stumbling block to carrying, out _the wishes of 'a majority of the { Miss people who supported the Leag"é_e < program by such a big vote last fal. 3 % X ) Farmér members of both houses realize ‘that their election was a mandate to provide speedly and efficient machinery for the amend- ment or revision of the constitu- tion, and it is generally agreed-that - the method of amendment or revi: sion is not important so fong as it - will be sure and reasonably quick. ‘Whatever method is adopted 'the legislature itself can not amend the constitution or authorize a convention to amend it. The legislature or persons authorized by it can merely propose amend- ments or a new constitution.and these must be voted upon by the League Bismarck Headquarters EGISLATURE - HAS A NEW JOB AND THE FARMER 1S DICTATING HIS OWN LAWS, laying procedure, taking three or four years. On the other hand the legis- islature can put the state to the great expense of calling an election for dele- gates to a constitutional convention, which can frame-a new constitution to be submitted’in a subsequent elec- tion to the people. A third method of amendment would be for the legis- lature itself to s:bmit a new consti- tutior or name a representative body to do so, letting the people then ap- prove or reject .the new- sonstitution so framed at a special election, This would involve only one election. The constitution is silent on the mat- ter of procedure for ‘a new -consti- tution and it therefore remains for the legislature to find the best and most efficient ‘means. Farmer mem- bers of both houses express an ear- nest desire to provide the best con- stitutional ‘amendment procedure pos- sible. - | - When ‘the hands of the clock reached 12" on Tuesday, W. D. Austin, former chief clerk of the house brought down the speaker’s gavel with a bang and called' the house to order, for the first session, = A few members of former sessions .had already gone inside the rail and had taken accustomed or fav- ored seats, but most of the farmers stood outside until the gavel fell. Then they walked inside and sat down '1n little groups, scarcely more than half filling the hall, but there were only two or three absences. Anthony Walton, who had been chosen by the Nonpartisan League caucus as tem- This is a picture of.the Nonthwest hotel at: Bismarck, leased by the Non- partisan members of the ‘house and senate of the first' farmers' legislature as headquarters during the session now on. people before they can become ef- fective. Therefore, it is pointed out that it is not a question so much_ of procedure, but of giving the people full opportunity to vote intelligently on a new constitution or amendments. THREE WAYS OPEN FOR AMENCMENT The constitution can be amended by the submission of amendments by this I-gislature to the next legislature two years hence, which, if the second legis- lature approves, then go before the people. This is a long-drawn-out de- porary floor leader, took a front seat. The session was opened by a short prayer by Rev. J. G. Moore of Bis- marck, who expressed the hope that the present session would enact laws for the grdatest good to the great- est number., g WOOD IS NAMED BY A BIG VOTE ' Judge Christtanson was summoned from the supreme court chambers nearby, and standing on the speak- er's rostrum, repeated the oath of office to the members, as soon as the first roll call had been concluded SEVEN and swore the house in a body to ob- serve the constitution of the state of North Dakota. Clerk Austin announc- ed that nominations for speaker would be in order, and Representative Wal- ton of Ward county was on his feet with the name of Howard Wood of Deering, that county. Mr. Walton had known Wood mnearly all his life, he said, and he could recommend him as a young man of Integrity and courage. No sooner had he taken his seat than Representative Keitzman second- ed the nomination, and then from all parts of the house began to come the seconds that showed how complete- ly a unit that branch of the legis-~ lature is going to be. When the list was seconded, only two or three dis- tricts had been omitted from the list of seconds. Someone moved that the nominations be closed and Mr, Wood be declared clected, but this being contrary to the law . of choosing a speaker, the . _rollcall was had, and every vote but seven were for Howard Wood. The seven were absent, Mr. Wood was escorted to the plat- form by a committee of three mem- bers, and delivered this short address: “Gentlemen: | want to be ab- solutely fair in all my decisions, and in every oase. While we are here, we mant to remembher. the brothers, friends and neighbors back in the cities .and on the farms, who-sent us.here, and who will have to foot 'thel bills. They sent us here to make North Dakota a better place in.which to live; to make it a state that the people of- the nation can be proud of. “Now, gentlemen, we are here to do business. We don't want to play horse. | being one of the youngest members of the house, will ask you to co-operate with me to make this pos'tion as éasy as possible. The next order of busi- ness is the nomination of chief clerk.” CLERKS ARE APPOINTED BY LOWER HOUSE - Mr. Walton nominatéd A. E. Bowen as chief clerk, it was seconded, the rolicall was held, and Mr. Bowen was elected by a vote of 103, to nine noag voting, and received the oath from Speaker Wood. Mr. Austin and Ed. Wood were almost unanimously chosen assistant chief clerks, and following this, a list of employes was submitted, and likewise approved without a dis- senting vote. The rest of the businessg of the session- was the appointment Of “routine committeeg to notify the senate the house was in session, to supervise and correct the Jjournal, and the house adjourned untit Wednesday to meet in joint session with the senate and listen to the addresses of Re- tiring Governor L. B. Hanna, and Gova- ernor Lynn J. Frazier, ONLY ONE FOR FARMER Chebanse, Ill, Dec. 24, 1916. Editor Nonpartisan Leader: The Nonpartisan Leader is the only paper for the farmer. It has every- thing right down pat. I certainly give that Minnesota: man credit for his write-up in the last issue about how the renter got relieved of his personal property. The North Dakota land sharks are the worst kind of swindlers in exist- ence. I am not just guessing. I had over two years experience. I went up in Cavalier county with a real hon- est young land man that never could do a bad trick. Now this fellow direct- ed me to what he said he knew to be a real farmer who would give me good, honest advice, and I was made ac- quainted with a very pleasant gentle- man. He said he would do anything in the world to help me out and he took me through the country. Oh such big crops and never a failure. Land going higher by jumps. Farms paid for every year or two. The truth was about the bum piece of ground they wanted to sell me that it hadn't had a crop for nine years, and what they did have the grain gamblers stole. GEORGE W. LUKOW. WANTS THE DAILY Temple, N. D., Dec. 25, 1916. Editor Nonpartisan Leader: Enclosed please find subscription for the daily paper. I am a member of thig great movement (Nonpartisan League) and I think we have our bandwagon moving in the right direction. Come, let-us all climb on while the going is good. X T. L. SAGUSER. o e S 1S s S