The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, February 8, 1917, Page 21

Petitions Are Piling Up League Senators and Representatives Congratu- lated by Their Constituents zens of towns as well as farmers continued to reach League and non-League members of both houses at. Bismarck, N. D, this week, urging them to support the Leagug constitu- tion plan. Anthony Walton of Ward county has received a number, of which the three following ones are &xcerpts: “I see by your letter and by the papers that you are having quite a struggle on hand to get the senate to pass the revision to the. constitution. It seems to me that the senate should know by this time what the majority of the people want. The people of this state are far enough advanced in knowledge and intelligence to know what is best for them, and there is no longer a need of a constitution to block the wheels of progress like our present constitution. I congratulate you upon Your courage to stand by your convic- tions and hope that you will succeed in your efforts and that the fifteenth legislative assembly of the state of rth Dakota will obey the mandates of the people clearly expressed at the election in November. John Wallin, Minot.” ‘Don’t let the McBride bill trouble you. If it comes to the house, delay it. In the meantime propose the changes you want in the constitution and the quickest way of changing it. Put her through. I can see a little danger in conditions at Bismarck, but if it is handled a little slow and careful it is bound to come our way. : Knut Christenson, Benedict, N. D.” WANTS BASIC LAW VOTED ON SOON “Give us the Torrens system of land titles, state rural credits and 8 per cent Interest. Get the best system of state hail insurance possible, as there is a good deal of difference of opinion about it. The quicker the constitution can be legally revised and submitted to the people the better. H. C. Benning- . ton, Minot.” Senator . Christ- Levang, a strong League member of the upper house, has received a telegram from T. J. Neilson, chairman of the Republican state central committee of Walsh coun- ty, urging support and stating that petitions are heing circulated in that section of the country for the League constitution plan. . Senator Levang has also received a letter from a prominent business man of his county, who has taken the lead in getting signatures -to petitions, and Are Beavers (Continued from page 11) farmers milk a few cows, and -when every calf has a value, their owners do not regard with favor the treacher- ous beaver dams, which invite cattle to cross the streams and lead them to step through a mass of mud and sticks, breaking legs and occasjonally being drowned. & CLASS THEM WITH COYOTES, GOPHERS At least this is the view of the Slope members, who have lost the romantic consideration. for beavers which the children’s natural histories teach, and who are as anxious to rid the country of them as they are of coyotes or gophers. ; PETITIONS signed by scores of citi- is anxious for the constitution bill to pass. He said in part: “The writer, and I think every farm- er among your constitutents, realize and feel proud over the stand you take, and consider that as far as you are concerned, no urging is needed”in re- gard to promotion of the best interests of the people of this state; that is, using your vote and influence to pro- mote the passing of legislation in ac- cord with the League program, includ- ing a draft for a new constitution. ‘While there are only seven League members tributary to this post office my opinion is all farmers will sign the petition if we only can present it to them.” MINNESOTA MAN WRITES LAGESON AS A MONTANA EDITOR SEES IT (Editorial in the Fairview (Mont.) Times). O. K. Lageson, League member of the house from the seventh district, part of Grand Forks county, received a letter of congratulation upon his elec- tion to the legislature from a school teacher of his youth, whom he has not seen for over 20 years, and the state- ment that in Rosseau county, Minne-- sota, the people are longing for the early organizationr of the Nonpartisan League there. The letter is from R. J. Storey, town clerk of Jadis, Rosseau county, and in part reads as follows: “I saw your name in the Nonparti- san Leader. Allow me to congratulate Yyou upon your success November 7. I would like it if we here in Rosseau county had been organized previous to the November 7 election, 1916, but we were not, therefore we failed to land our man from this legislative district. However, we hope to be in —line two years hence. I can not tell you yet just how many have joined the League in the township of Jadis, where I reside, as we have not yet organized, but think probably we have 100 and some of the adjoining townships, such as Spruce, Malung and Stafford, proportionately. “I was more than pleased in reading the last Nonpartisan Leader, which gave an account of the opening of the legislature to see the business like manner in which' everything was un- dertaken without frills or flurry. Speaker Wood’s short speech/on being escorted to the paltform is in my opinion worthy of comment, because it is not how much a person says, but what he says, that counts. “And if the men that we had sent to the legislature in the past had more respect for the friends at home, we probably would not h..ve required the League now.” a Nuisance? Last summer one farmer on Ante- lope creek, a tributary of the Heart river, was so pestered with- beavers that he called upon the game warden for the relief which the law allows. The game warden dispatched to the neighborhood two ‘“experts,” who were to trap the wily animals and remove them to a place where they would do no damage. After about 10 days in the vicinity where beavers had cut down large areas of the growing light timber, they gave it up, unable to find one, andx it was learned afterward that the “ex-- pert” beaver trappers were attaches of the state fish hatchery department, and had never seen a beaver and knew nothing about the methods necessary"- to catch them. . WAR In Europe and at | Bismarck l | \ But the latteristhe GREAT BATTLE for the - FARMERS | | of North Dakota 7 The Courier-News || . THE NONPARTISAN DAILY The best and most complete news- paper in North % Dakota Prints the Real News of all the Impoi‘tant Events of both the European War and - the North Dakota War. It also Prints all the Current News .of the Day—State, National and International. A Great Sporting Page. Cartoons and Funnies. Read | The Courier-News You need no other dailynewspaper as " it fills the bill SUBSCRIBE NOW during these S S— The legislature of North Dakota id turning over precedent in numer- ous ways. The farmers of that state elected a governor, the legislature and supreme court to do things, and they are apparently going to do just some of the things that they were elected to do. They find many obstacles in the way but they are apparently equal to the occasion and will remove all ob- .structions. The constitution seems to be too narrow for them and they are calling massmeetings to decide on a method of changing the constitu- tion so as to meet the needs of the farmers of the state. Since no provision is made for the drafting of a new constitution, the Leader, the official organ of the Nonpartisan League advocates having the legislature submit a con- stitution such as would meet the new conditions and then submit the same to the people for their re‘jection or acceptance, at a special election called for that purpose. / It seems that this method would permit the League to put its reforms in action immediately, and the old method of securing amendments would .. take two, four or six years to get anywhere. The League seems to have the right idea that nothing should stand in the road of the people having the things that they want withox\t waiting a series of years to get them. It is merely a new way of the people getting things done. The special inter- ests have for years controlled legislatures and supreme courts and officials and had so many obstacles in the road of needed reforms, that usually they were able to kill off any reform measures by delays, the people fnally be- commg disgusted and quit. f A few years ago it )ook a revolution and the shedding of blood to ‘ change the government ‘and make it subservient to the people’s will, but North Dakota has demonstrated that they can revolutionize their gevern- ment and place it in the hands of the people by means of the ballot. It is & new step in the march of progress and civilization, and may success 'crown the efforts of the Nonpartisan Leaguers in the efforts in our sister state to make the government responsive to the peoples will by the pea.ce tul method olthe ballot. B - IMPORTANT TIMES o Ohe‘ year...... $4.00 6 months. ..... $2.25 2 months. ..... $1.00 The People’s Newspaper The Courier-News Fargo, N. D. R >