The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, January 18, 1917, Page 5

League Drafts a Constitution Farmers’ Senators and Representatives Ask Submission of New Basic Law for North Dakota to the People at Special Election _ Bismarek, Jan. 15.—The new constltutlon which Nonpartisan League senators and representa- tives have drafted and will ask the legislature to submit to the people at a special election in June, not only permits carrying out the League program for state-owned packing plants, terminal ele- vators, cold storage plants and mills; not only makes possible the redemption of League promises to the farmers for state hail insurance on the Canadian plan and exemption of farm improvements for taxation. It provides in other respects for the most progressive and up-to-date ideas in govern- ment. If submitted by the legislature and adopted by the people it will give North Dakota the best It retains provisions for state-wide prohibition on the present plan. It makes elective offices in’ county and state for terms of four years, instead of two, saving the ex- County and state elections would come half way between national elec- tions, preventing national politics and national campaign funds from influencing state affairs. It makes possible a short ballot in North Dakota by permitting the election of only a governor and one or perhaps two other state officials and the appointment of the rest of the state officials by constitution in the Umon. pense of biennial elections. the legislature. senators. présent, making possible extensive loans to farmers at reasonable rates. increased $500,000, to permit trying out state-owned projects. The legislature would meet only every two years and there would be no hold-over State permanent funds must be invested in the state, not mostly out of the state, as at The bonded debt limit is A four-fifths vote of the su- preme court is made necessary to declare a law unconstitutional, and no law adopted by the people can be declared unconstitutional. - ceedings requiring only 10 per cent of the voters. (By Ralph L. Harmon, staff correspon- dent- of the Leader.) ISMARCK, Jan. 15-—True to ‘the B platform upon which they were sent to make laws, the Nonparti- san League ‘members -in house and senate have taken the first steps to in- - gure enactment into law of the League program. They have done this by out- lining a new constitution to be submit- ted to the people some time in June at a si)ecial election. If the people are as firmly united as the League legislative members on this measure, they will have within the next few months, a chance to vote on a constitution that will allow~them to have state hail in- surance, exemption of farm improve- ments from taxation, state owned terminal elevators, packing houses, flour mills and the like, and better methods of participating in the gov- ernment of North Dalkota. This, it is believed, will be satisfactory to a ma- jority of the members of the senate. The first draft of the proposed con- stitution was read in the house of re- presentatives Friday and Saturday of last week. Instead of proposing a few disunited propositions as amendments which would have to be voted upon separately, the League decided in a unanimous caucus of senate and house members Thursday that the best plan would be to take the old constitution as a guide, and rewrite it, making the changes that would be necessary, as they came to clauses dealing with those things. This is what has been done. League attorneys, the best in the state, were busy for several days, night and day, drafting these proposals in ac- cordance with the wishes of the people as expressed at the November election, and the promises of their representa- tives. - Then Thursday night, at a cau- cus, theoutline was read and approved, introduced ‘into the house Friday, and oen Saturday the reading was com- pleted and the whole matter referred to the house committe on state affairs. NEW CONSTITUTION ‘TO BE PROGRESSIVE Briefly stated, the important changes in this new draft, were as follows: 1. State and county officers would be elected for terms of four years instead of two years. 2. Provision is made so that at any future time when the people Public officials can be recalled, petitions to initiate such pro- The initiative and referendum is changed to .make it workable, the petitions required being only 10 per cent, against 25 at present. Provision is made for putting in effect the Torrens system of land registration, one of the up-to-date things in government. The new constitution was 1ntroduced in the house by Reprecentatlve Hagan (League) as House Bill No. 44 Lynn J. Frazier, the farmers’ governor of North Dakota, in his executive offices at Bismarck. B or legislature desired officers now elected could be made appointive. 3. School funds would have to be invested in North Dakota securi- ties instead of outside bonds, unless the legislature should ™ especially provide that they could be invested outside. 4. All property would be classi- fied for, taxation purposes or for exemptmn from taxation. 5.-Any officers elected by the people could be recalled if they failed to carry out the will of the people. 6. The people would have the right to initiate new legislation or to vote on legislation referred to them by the legislature under much more lenient terms than at present. 7. The supreme court would not be permitted to declare unconsti- tutional any law that the people themselves had approved at an election. 8. It provides that the state could enter into manufac’uring or agri- cultural industries if the legisla- ture or people so desired. 9. It provides a way by which land would be taxed, the rate vary- ing with different sections, for the purpose of establishing a state hail insurance fund, in general similar to the ‘excellent one of Saskatchewan. NATIONAL POLITICS - TO HAVE NO EFFECT The object of the first provision is to take state politics away from con- tamination with national politics. The state elections would be held between the presidential elections, so that the state issues would stand out by them-- selves, and the people would not have the overpowering influence of national campaign funds interfering in their state elections. With an effective re- call provision it is believed that there would be no danger of officials getting “too far from the people” in four yearss The terms of all state officers, repre- sentatives and senators would expire at the same time, and there would be no menace of “hold-over senators” to block the will of the people. They would come fresh from ‘the people at (Continued on page 20) The constltutlon framed by the Nonpartlsan League senators and representatives will give North Dakota the best government possible, better than any other state has. Do you want this constitution submitted to the people at a special election in June? Some of the non-League senators and representatives think you do not. Write your representatives and senators at Bis- marck what you think of it. You must act if you want action. rmen * i LIS AR