The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, January 18, 1917, Page 2

., per cent. An Important Statement in This Crisis By President A. C. Townley TO THE NORTH DAKOTA MEMBERS OF THE LEAGUE: On another page of the Leader you will find a letter to you by your representatives and senators. This letter explains to you the situation at Bismarek. The let- ter is signed by praetically all the men whom you indorsed and elected to carry out the League program. Only one of the senators whom you indorsed and a very few of the representatives whom you indorsed, have refused te sign this letter. THE 99 MEN YOU INDORSED AND ELECTED TO CARRY OUT YOUR PROGRAM ARE STANDING FIRMLY TOGETHER. They are a unit—they act in a body. There is ne disagreement among them. Your representatives and senators are determined to follow the governor who told them in his message to “‘LET NOTHING STAND IN THEIR WAY' IN CARRYING OUT THE LEAGUE PROGRAM. All the influence big business can bring to bear cannot swerve these men from their duty. They are not the kind of men that can be bought, bribed or brow beaten by the agents of special privilege: ¥ . THESE MEN ARE DETERMINED This alone is a wonderful vietory, It proves that ihtmens can pick men-who will stand by the people. It proves that 49 times out of fifty you selected men that you can depend upon. Never before in the history of the state has such a body of men assembled to make laws. These men are determined, and they are not afraid. They will go through if they can. But unless they have your active support now they may not be able to do very much. Here is the situation: the present eonstitution does not permit the League program to be carried out. This constitution was framed and adopted when the state was new. Men who ought to know say it was wriiten under the direction of big business, and appreved by -the railroads before being submitted to the people. Anyway, it serves big business now because it prevents the League program from being carried out; and big business does not want the League program earried out. Many people think that to build a state elevator or flour mill or packing plant the money would have to be raised by taxes. This is not true. If the constitution permitted the state could issue terminal elevator bonds or flour mill bonds and borrow the money at about 4 These terminal elevator bonds would be secured by a first mortgage on the terminal elevator itself. The state would mertzage the elevator to get the money to build the elevator. True, the state would be in debt for the money to build the elevator, BUT THE STATE WOULD OWN THE ELEVATOR. Just as a farmer might go inte debt to buy cattle. He would mortgage or bond the cattle to seenre the loan. BUT OUT OF THE INCREASE AND PROFITS OF HIS HERD HE WOULD PAY OFF THE LOAN. SOMETHING ABOUT PROFITS Now the packing trust is making more profits in the packing business than the farmers are in the cattle raising business. There is more profit in selling the produets of a packing plant at 25 cents per pound than there is in raising eattle and hogs at 7 eents per pound. And North Dakota, besides giving both producer and 2ensumer a bet- ter deal, can easily lay aside enough of the profits of a packing plant to pay the interest on the bonds and in the course of a few years pay off the bonds. The same is true of a flour mill, terminal elevator or any other provision of the League program. 9, 0, & o8 ow.w,m“»w‘,w,ww»»»w,“,“» XX »W % What About That Battery? 00 00 00 0, 9, O KX g X ‘N‘“‘“ ¥ Ca 7 9 If you are having any Batbery frouble, con- sult us. 7 REXTXIRE LI 9, o8 8 Visitors in the city are invited to call and inspect our facilities for Superior Work. ROR IR ) Xa> ¢ g afoageededeioedes * Consumers Battery Co. 313 N. P. Ave. FARGO, N. D R R W&M’%"”‘:"‘““ o .“&‘M Wention Leader when witing advertisers R < Doss 0 TWO' The legislative assembly of 1899 authorized the issue of 4 per cent bonds to establish a twine plant at the penitentiary. Qut of the sale of bonds the state advanced $169,000 to construet buildings and purchase machinery to establish the twine plant. The last of these bonds were made payable May 1, 1921. But OUT OF THE PROFITS OF THE TWINE PLANT the last of the $169,000 advanced by the state was paid off in 15 years—January 14, 1914 —SEVEN YEARSV BEFORE IT WAS DUE! . The state records show that besides returning to the state all the money advanced, this twine plant has returned a further prefit 1o the state of $141,005.55., Further, Mr. Helstrom, former manager of the plant estimates that this plant, by compelling the twine trust to compete and sell twine at a more reasonable figure, has already saved the people of this state more than SIX MILLION DOLLARS! A GREATER SAVING CAN BE MADE TO THE PEOPLE THROUGH STATE OWNED ELEVATORS AND MILLS TO HANDLE THE WHEAT, THAN HAS BEEN MADE THROUGH A STATE OWNED TWINE PLANT TO MANUFACTURE THE LIT- TLE STRING THAT BINDS THE BUNDLE. CONSTITUTION STANDS IN WAY But big business has cleverly guarded against state owned pack- ing plants and terminal elevators, or anything else that would protect the people against the trusts, BY PROVIDING A CONSTITUTION THAT WILL NOT PERMIT THE STATE TO DO ANY OF THESE THINGS. ; Before the League program can begin to be carried out a new constitution is necessary. Your representatives and senators can do nothing unless a new econstitution permits the League program to go through. Therefore they have introduced in the legislature a redraft of the present eonstitution of North Dakota. Only such changes in the present constijution have been made as womnld make the new consti- tution progressive and permit the League program to be carried out. Your representatives unanimously prepose that this draft of a new censtitntion pass both the house and senate and be submitted to the voters for rejection er approval at a speeial election in June. They believe they were sent here to do sometmg now—not two or four years from now. When this new coenstitution has passed the house and senate, and been submitted to the voters in June and adopted by a majority, your governor and legislature can go ahead and begin to carry out the Leagune program. Until that time they ean do hothing. BIG BUSINESS INFLUENCE FELT Your representatives here have complete control of the house. - But the senate is in control-of those held-over senators who are op- posed to the League pregram and some senators who were elected not pledged to the League program. Many of these senators are opposed to this legislature submitting a new eonstitution that will permit the Leagne program to be carried out. All big business interests are back of these senaters. One semator reperts having received 100 telegrams from business men in one eity demanding that he oppose submitting a new eonstitution to the people. These senators elaim they have no way of knowi ing whether the people want submitted to them a new constitation that will permit the Lieague program to be carried out. They propose to call a special elec- tion next November for the people to decide wether they want a new constitution or not. Then later, hold another election to pick delegates, hold the convention, and finally, nearly two ‘years from now, submit the new constitution to the people. Meantime, no part of the League program can be earried out. BIG BUSINESS HOPES BY THIS DELAY T0O BREAK UP ‘THE LEAGUE AND DEFEAT THE LEAGUE PROGRAN. Your enemies know that if they ean bring about delays they can wear out the voters, cause dissatisfaction among the League members, and win in the end. Right now they are predicting that the League will not last a year., IT IS A TIME FOR ACTION If you want the League to live and the pwgram to ‘be carried out you must get busy. You are the masters in this erisis. You can have it as you will, Cut out the petition on page 6 of the Leader. Get as many gigners as you can and mail at once to the seeretary of the senate. Let the senators know that you want a new constitution submitted to you for-approval or rejection in Jume. A sufficient number of senators will vote with the senators you elected if they ecan be sure you want them to. Get busy at once. Call some meetings and talk it over. Get the petitions signed, send them in, and write your senator a personal letter, Suecess or failure here depends on what you do. %fi“‘?‘&;