The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, March 1, 1917, Page 10

A The Week at Bismarck, N. D. Closing Days of Session See Host of Bills Acted Upon by Both Houses —League Bill to Guarantee Bank Deposits Gets Through By Staff Correspondent ISMARCK, TFeb. 22.— More work was packed into the do- ings of the past week than into any other week of the present session, not except- ing the historic seven days ending January 30, when the senate killed House Bill-44. If the legislature can grow excited over alleged unconstitu- tional constitutions, it can stir up a brainstorm over green trading stamps, the right of patent medicines to be or not to be, and whether county seats on railroads should have a chance to move every two years or every four years. Important me ires got considera- ion. After listening several fateful nurs to the pleadings of fat, sleek railroad lawyers and railroad man- agers, the senate killed Senate Bill 79 by a vote of 24 to 23, with two absent, and ended the “fuH crew” bill for this session. Twice during' its precarious career Lieutenant rovernor Kraabel had saved its life when the vote was 24 to 24 to indefinitely postpone it, or to send it to a committee that would strangle it. But if they were short on labor bills they were long on fake terminal ele- Loyal Thorwal4 Mostad, North Dakota senator, a Democrat elected by the farmers through the Nonpartisan League, who has . stood loyal to the farmers’ interests. vator and vagrancy measures. The senate passed three bills for terminal elevators and two bills directed against itinerent laborers. One of these de- clares any man a vagrant who occu- pies any premises which he does not own or have a lease for, and the other punishes him by fine and imprison- *ment if he does not unbosom himself to any employer who asks him what labor organization he belongs to. And while it was at it the senate also killed two proposed constitutional amend- ments, Senate Bills 120 and 119, which aimed to perfect the now clumsy initia- tive and referendum la¥%. BANK GUARANTEE DEPOSIT BILL PASSED But it passed quite a number of bills of great importance, among them these: Senate Bill 217, establishing guaranty of bank deposits; Senate Bill 214, es- tablishing negotiable warehouse re- ceipts for grain and other things; Senate Bill 1, the Torrens land regis- tration act; established the new insane asylum at Rugby; appropriated $50,000 for a dormitory at Mayville normal school; passed two bills relating to prisoners, one apportioning their pay while in prison and the other providing funds to catch them if they get out. It also passed Senate Bill 298, a bill to provide for liguidating state banks that go broke; and Senate Bill 100, to pro- " vide for retiring Tax Commissioner Packard at the end of his present term and substituting the governor; also 315,000 for establishing . uniform gsys- tems of bookkeeping for puyblic ac- counts; and Senate Bill 250, authorizing school districts to build “teacherages” for their pedagogues. The senate also passed Senate Bill 132 to reimburse Dr. Ladd for the expenses he has sustained fighting fake medicine concerns and others opposed to his line of work, who have tried to get him for libel; and a host of other important and unim- portant measures. In fact both houses were under so much of a strain during the past week, that they entirely neglected the bills coming to them from the other house and hammered away on their own, for fear that the fiftieth day, which mark- ed the limit of time for getting bills across from the house of their birth to the house of their death, would catch them with a lot of bills still in their basket. Up to this time it is a unique and remarkable fact that the bills that seen good enough to get by one house seem so bad they can not get by the other. This is particularly true of bills born in the house of representatives and left to struggle for existence in the gang senate. But both houses “cleared” with a little time to spare. GUARD BILL GETS BY THE SENATE The senate had 20 minutes to spare when it had passed the last senate bill on its calendar, and Senator Heckle used up that 20 minutes passing an unpedigreed senate bill to appropriate $50,000 to pay the national guard for its services during 1916 and 1917 on the border. The senate unwound red tape so fast in order to get under the wire in time that it looked like a kitten with a ball of yarn. This $50,000 docu- ment went through its three readings, was referred to the military affairs committee, unreferred, engrossed and draggzed through a rollcall and a clinch- er so fast that it must have made the heads of senators swim who have been engaged for seven weeks in urging the virtue of calmness and deliberation. But it got by. Over in the house similar troubles were staring the members in the face. But they had not exercised the good judgment of the senate and kept down the Dills. The senate had to wrestle with only 324 (many of which it inde- finitely postponed with neatness and dispatch) but the house had 437 and then some that weren't counted, and it did not possess nearly the skill in in- definite postponement that the senate possesses. (Consequently night sessions and morning sessions, and the Dboys from the prairies were wading through parliamentary procedure up to their walists, and never noticed it. But they evened up by sending over a waste- basket full of bills on the last day or two, some of which had so little wvital- ity left they may not survive the rigor- ous atmosphere of the senate. OTHER BILLS THAT GOT CONSIDERATION Take House Bill 123 for instance. This is a license on patent medicines and there were only 58 members who liked it well enough to vote “aye.” If two more had dodged into the cloak- room it would not have passed. Also House Bill 427, the “green stamp bill.” That was something to warm the cockles of the heart of the most reluc- tant debater. Nearly everyone came to the aid of the poor grocer who-has to give away “green stamps” in order to sell his goods, or the poor consum- ers, who have to pay an extra 3 per cent for these scraps of paper. But it finally passed, and all the store keep- ers will be in the dumps and their customers delighted, or all the custom- ers will have the blues, and the store- keepers will perk up—whichever it is. The house passed House. Bill 298 by An Impartial View (:f It Pioneer Farming Paper Sees No Menace in Farm- ers’ Organizing for Benefit of People (Editorial in the Farm, Stock and Eome) Critics of the Nonpartisan League program, representatives, for the most part, of the House of Have, are busy predicting disaster if the plans of the League carry to completion. F., S. & H. i s adverse to disaster as anyone possibly can be but it frankly wants to be shown how and where and why the program of the League courts such an end. Here is the situation: Some forty thousand farmers in North Dakota de- clare for public ownership of those utilities that affect their business and they demand a readjustment of the tax burden. They want their Agricul- tural college kept free to serve the farmers in the largest possible way. They want lowered interest rates. These are the essentials. IExamine them carefully and see if they are not worthy things to strive for. The House of Have doesn't object to their ‘wants. In fact it barely men- tions them. It objects to and calls at- tention to the way the farmers are going about to secure their ends. It says the leadership of the movement is in bad hands. Supposing this be grant- ed—F., S. & H. doesn’'t profess to know—how long can one-half dozen men fool forty thousand, and how long will it be before any grafters, if such there be in the movement, are cast aside? The House of Have says that this is a class movement, and that class movements can not succeed. The farmers of North Dakota are fairly well informed, and know just as well as their advisors that any reform movement in order to succeed, must be as big as all the legitimate interests of the state. If their leaders forget this fact the farmers may be relied upon to depose them and get leaders that can see both sides of the road. “But it's_ Socialism!” ‘says the House of Have. What of that? Every new extension of government in behalf of the people is “Socialism,” in the opinion of the established order. If better tax laws, better transportation, better markets, better profits to the farming business of the state are “Socialism,” then F., S. & H. and all its readers are “Socialists.” That defi- nition of Socialism is one that doesn't scare the farmer one bit. And finally the House of Have says “It's unconstitutional!” As though that ends the matter. Bear in mind this fact, gentlemen of the House of Have, that constitutions are for the welfare of the people. When they cease to function they become like dead skin, to be cast aside, replaced, and forgot- ten. Don't worry gentlemen, the farm- ers of North Dakota are neither chil- dren nor lawbreakers. They have quietly determined upon having certain things for themselves, and - those things they will get in due and orderly fashion. This fashion may not please those who heretofore have had the runnings of things but that it will make for a better-expressed and bet- ter understood dgmocracy there can be no question. IN IT TO FINISH Glasgow, Mont., Feb. 12, 1917. Mr. A. C. Townley: 5 . Let me say at this time that I am thoroughly in sympathy with this movement and have watched the prog- ress of the League in North Dakota, where I lived for 30 years. Since I have been in Montana I have noticed that this state is in the hands of the Big Interests and the actions of the legislature show that the farmers have no chance to get any legislation in their favor. However, the result in North Dakota is a revelation to us out here and two years hence there will ne doubt be a different story to tell. I am talking this movement to all the farmers I see and I believe they are nearly all in favor of the League. If there is anything I can do to advance the movement let me know. I am in this game to the finish. G. J. ECKER. T — ¢ ADMIRES THE WORK Columbus, Mont., Jan. 10, 1917, Mr. A. C. Townley: Please allow me to express my admiration for your work for the emancipation of the farmer from political, financial and industrial bondage. It is just the thing we want. | have been preaching co-opera- tion and | am proud that | am one of the farmers that started a farmers’ co-operative elevator, the first of its kind in Stillwater coun- ty. But your program of state- owned public utilities is better. | am pleased to hear you are or- ganizing Montana. | have not seen anything in our county yet. May we hear from the Nonpartisan League? ' D. ROODE. —— T s WEN Dupuis, putiing the Minnesota Cashe man rates into effect in this state to supplement Senate Bill 77, which it passed a week ago. It passed several bills drawn to give cities more self government, allow them to fix the rates to be charged for light, water, tele- phone, etc,, and numerous other mat- ters that were urged by urban repre- sentatives on behalf-of city populations. The child labeor bill, 118, also passed, A Friend Obert A. O!son cf Bowman, N. D., who defeated a League candidate for a seat in the N. D, house of representatives, but who has joined the League caucus at Bismarck and has been a friend of the League and the farmers from the start. He will not be ashamed to meet constituents when he goes home. and House Bill 95, to compel railways to make a fair distribution of cars to shippers without discrimination was passed during the week. ; Others were a bill to increase the reimbursement to owners of tubercular cattle Killed by state authority; several bills to.regulate insurance companies, mutual, fidelity and surety; a series of educational bills drawn by Superintend- ent Macdonald providing for state examination of teachers, state exami- nations in high schools and public schools, and prescribing the duties of county superintendents; House Bill 131 making every child the legitimate child ‘and heir of both its parents whether born in wedlock or not; several bills relative to prisoners and the distribu- tion of their earnings while in prison; House Bill 274 to make unlawful allow= ing trees to lodge in streams and hold- ing abutting property owners respon= sible therefor (this in the interest of preventing floods), and legislation rela- tive to keeping roads in good condition and some minor criminal matters. -AMENDMENTS FOR CONSTITUTION PASS The 'house also took a fresh grip ot constitutional questions and passed a new set of bills designed to assist in constitution-making and amendment; House Bill 425 to provide for future amendment; 373 to make more clear and effective section 202, the present initiative and referendum clause; and 363 relating to advertising of constitutional amendments, being among them. A concurrent resolution for a nation- al park on the Fort Berthold reserva- tion and another calling on the govern= ment to seize all munition -plants and manufacturing plants of all kinds in case of war, were also sent to the senate, and a miscellaneous lot of ap- propriation bills for current and regu- lar expenses, salaries of the legislature and its employes and a host of less im- portant bills were passed. The house finally put to sleep one of its most troublesome measures, House Bill 37, which was one of a number providing for stricter enforcement of the anti- liguor laws. This would authorize spe- cial officers to see that regular officers enforce the laws. It was finally indefi- nitely postponed after over a. month of excitement and hair-breadth escapes. »