The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, January 18, 1917, Page 3

) e I Tonpa In the interest of a square deal for the farmer isan Teader National Paper of the Farmers’ Nonpartisan Political ‘League FARGO, NORTH DAKOTA, THURSDAY, JANUARY 18, 1917 Behind that door the senate of North Dakota is in session. The people have been told by enemies of the farmers’ program that a majority of these senators, WHOLE NO. 70 - The Péofile df North ‘Dakoté -A:re Listening, Gentlemen! THE 90,000 VOTEjrs e D HO WDOR Gy lf.“\_. not elected as League men, will block the plan of the farmers’ senators and representatives for chapging the constitution. And so the people of North Dakota, who rolled up 90,000 votes for the farmers’ reforms November 7, are listening. What will they hear? It is up to you, gentlemen! The People’s Mandate Must Be Obeyed perfect harmony and with the single idea of redeeming their pledges to the people, have decided on the best -and quickest way for changing the North Dakota constitution to meet the require- ments of the League program. It has been decided that the present legislature draft the necessary constitutional changes and submit them to the people at a special election early next summer. Besides making it possible to carry out the League program, the constitution to be sub- mitted to the people will include a few of the most important new, progressive reforms, such as the Torrens land system of title registra- tion, simplified provision for future amending of the constitution and lengthening terms of state officers to four years. = This procedure will eliminate the delay and expense of an elected constitutional convention, will result in one election instead of two or three, and is legal and regular, according to the expert legal advice the League senators and representatives have at their disposal. The constitutional changes proposed are simply to carry out the over- whelming verdict of the people last November in regard to the farm- ers’ program, and to give the state the best and most progressive gov- ernmental machinery possible. A constitution along the line indieated will place North Dakota in the front rank of the states. The nation, $which has its eye on North Dakota,’’ will not have been looking te North Dakota for leadership in vain. * & @ WILL THEY BLOCK THE PROGRAM? FOR the non-League senators, who have a majority of five or six TEEE farmers’ senators and representatives at Bismarek, acting in / in the senate, to oppose this reasonable, conservative and honest plan of constitutional amendment would be public betrayal at a time when the people are in no mood to stand for it. It would be, thwarting the people in a way that would make for anarchy and the subversion of free institutions; it would be a repudiation of the official Republican platform of North Dakota, which deelares for the Nonparti- san League reforms, and practigally all - of the non-League senators were elected as Republicans. : Despite what has been said by enemies of the farmers, who -hoped to line up the hold-over senators to repudiate the orders of their constituents, the Leader does not believe that the senate will further stand in the way of the wishes of the people of North Dakota, so un- mistakably expressed November 7. The Leader is ready and willing to believe that these senators want honestly and fairly to represent the people of their districts; that they want to redeem the pledges of the Republican platform, the platform of the party that elected them ; that™ they will not be influenced by the frantie efforts of the gang press, . progressive state in the Union. which is now bringing pressure to bear on them; that, in short, tfxey will bow to the verdict of the people, no matter what their own per- sonal opinions may be. > % 8 LAUGHING AT LEAGUE ENEMIES HE Grand Forks Herald, ancient and.honorable enemy = of the I farmers’ cause in North Dakota, which has been running column after column of editorials under Bismarck date lines, instead of news accounts of the legislature, got in pretty bad in its stuff on the League constitutional amendment plans. After playing up day after day the alleged fact that the League senators and representatives were seeking revolutionary changes by improper procedure, the Herald edi- torialist at Bismarck suddenly discovered that the plan of the League senators and representatives was reasonable and conservative. So the Grand Forks Herald admitted its mistake—not 8o you could notice it! Instead of doing so, it reported the League’s plan as a ‘‘backing down’” by League legislators. It tried to cover up its own foolishness, printed as news, by the statement that the League had changed front, instead of admitting that it had been mistaken in its wild-eyed editorials from the state eapital. A lot of those who have opposed the farmers’ program including the Grand Forks Herald, were let down pretty hard when they heard the details of the real plans of the farmers’ representatives. They now - realize, however, that the League house majority and the League sena-~ tors at Bismarck are solving the problem of constitutional changes with care and much thought, and that what is being asked is most reasonable and sensible. The League representatives are going to stand firm on getting constitutional changes that will enable all the League program to be carried out, and they are going to work steadfastly to get those changes before the people and approved in the shortest time possible consistent with thorough diseussion by the people before they vote on the changes. In addition the farmers’ men are attempting to get a few other recognized reforms demanded by the people into the new constitution, to make North Dakota the best-governed and most * & = *MEDDLING’’ IN POLITICS The Farmer, published at St. Paul, says that a paper “seriously helpful to the real interests of the farm and the farm home” will not meddle in politics, It then covertly advises against farmers_joining the Nonpartisah League. We have hearc this argument about farmers keeping out of politics before, Let's see, was it the grain combine, the big financial interests, the gang politicians or equally influential sources that gave (and is giving) this same advica? THREE el *