The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, May 12, 1919, Page 3

In the interest of a square deal for the farmers ' VOL. 8, NO. 19 ‘The following resume of the work of the Minnesota legislature and the third in a series of articles on the work of legislatures in states where the League is organ- ized, was written by Fred A. Harding, editor of the Minnesota Leader. Mr. Harding, who is an experienced newspaper man, was in_constant attendance throughout the session, and compared carefully the work of the Min- nesota legislature with that of the North Dakota body. BY FRED A. HARDING HE Minnesota. legislature has adjourned, after being in ses- sion nearly four months, with 1,2 record of having killed every progressive bill that was sub- mitted to it. The record of the Minnesota legislature is so re- actionary that it is worth while comparing it with the record of the North Dakota legislature, which adjourned two months ago. Both the ‘Minnesota and North Dakota legisla- tures started on the same day—January 7. The North Dakota legislature adjourned March 1, with a record of having enacted more important meas- ures than had been enacted by any previous legis- lature in the United States. The Minnesota legis- lature adjourned April 25, eight weeks' after the North Dakota adjournment, with the record of hav- ing done less work than any other legislature since Minnesota achieved statehood. The North Dakota session—45 working days— was the shortest in the history of the state. The Minnesota session took every minute of the 90 working days allowed, and on the last night for the passage of bills the legislators turned the clock back in a vain effort to catch up with neglected work. The North Dakota legislature was the most ‘economical in-the history of the state. Employes were given civil service tests and were engaged on the merit system. Returned soldiers who had seen active service were given the preference. . The Minnesota legislature was the: most expensive in the history of the state. The legislative jobs all went to discredited politicians, friendly to the Burnquist machine. To give jobs to ‘these “lame ducks” ‘it was neces- sary to turn out of their places a number of war veterans who had been given employment temporarily. PUBLIC OWNERSHIP MEASURES DEFEATED The North Dakota legislature enact- ed a sweeping series of public owner- ship bills, -providing for staté flour mills and grain elevators, a state- operated banking system, a state home building association and the like. Similar bills were presented to the Minnesota legislature. Every one was killed. 4 2 The North Dakota legislature pro- vided for the issuance of $17,000,000 of state bonds to carry. its .program ‘into effect. Only $2,000,000. of these bonds, however, are a direct charge against the state. The proceeds of these bonds will go to provide cheap money for farmers, to build terminal elevators and other enterprises for the benefit of all the people. . The Minnesota legislature provided for the issuance of $100,000,000 of state bonds, all to be a direct charge against the state, for the purpose of building automobile. roads. for tour- action. Nonpartisn Teader Official Magazine of the National Nonpartisan League ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA, MAY 12, 1919 Minnesota Kills Progressive Measures Reactionary Record of Lawmakers in St. Paul Compared With Achievements of North Dakota Legislature—People Taxed More ists. These roads will benefit farmers only inci- dentally, and the branch roads to connect with them can not be built for many years. This pro- posed bond issue will be submitted to the veters before it becomes effective. So will the measures on the North Dakota program. Both North Dakota and Minnesota were faced with the necessity of raising more money to meet rising state expenses, caused largely by increased prices for everything and special war activities of the two states. North Dakota met this problem by levying a modern income tax, which will bear heavily upon possessors of large and unearned incomes and lightly upon those of small means. In Minnesota it was proposed to raise $14,- 000,000 during the next two years by a tonnage tax on iror ore, which has been very lightly taxed, and several millions more by a tax on iron ore royalties, which have been escaping taxation altogether. The legislature, after be- ing visited by lobbyists of the steel trust, turn- ed both propositions down. As the result Minnesota’s direct taxation, borne in the last ° analysis by the farmers and workingmen of the cities, will be higher during the next two years than ever before in the history of the state. In North Dakota, war work had been done with good effect by the state council of defense. North 1 GIVE THE BALLOT BOX A CHANCE \- Tl P 05 Tat i HIG M’”a ¥ ngnfiqs J 5,215""1 e QeoY HERE 1S THE PLACE FOR US TO SETTLE OUR GRIEVANCES, 1 "PEACEABLY AND PERMANENTLY | Bolshevism never can be fostered by progress. Revolution is the child of re- Of all the states in the Union, North Dakota alone has no fear of bolshevism and has never passed laws tended to curb “bolshevism.” North Dakota gave labor a square deal by passing more constructive and beneficial legislation than any other American commonwealth. - has proved to workers that it is easier to accomplish reforms through . the ballot box than through any amount of violence. A magazine that dares to print the truth WHOLE NUMBER 190 Dakota, in its war record, was second to no state in the Union. It got every class behind the gov- ernment in the winning struggle. As soon; as the . war was over, however, the work of the state coun- cil of defense was brought to an end and the or- ganization has now gone out of existence. In Minnesota the public safety commission was organized for war work and given $1,000,000 to spend. The commission, by taking a stand against organized labor and permitting organized prosecu- tion of the farmers of the state, undoubtedly did a great deal more harm than it did good. With the war over and all excuse for its existence past, the commission is continued by the Minnesota legis- . lature, with $250,000 urgently needed in other lines of work. MINNESOTA FAILED TO PROVIDE FOR SOLDIERS North Dakota was the first state in the Union to make some provision for returned soldiers. In connection with the home building plan the legis- lature authorized a credit of $25 for each returned soldier, sailor or marine, for each month of service during the war, to be applied toward payment for a city home or farm. Provision also was made for continuing these payments on a plan which will make the buying of a home cheaper than the pay- ing of rent. The Minnesota legislature first considered a bill providing for $256 a month, cut the amount down to $5 a month and finally killed the bill altogether. The session adjourn- ed without making any provision for relief for the returned soldiers except for sending a group of politicians on speeches of welcome to members of one Minnesota organization. North Dakota passed a series of la- bor laws described as the best on the statute books of any state in the Union. Among them was a work- men’s compensation act which is eas- ily the best in the United States. Minnesota labor asked a compensa- tion act on the state insurance plan, such as was adopted in North Dakota, The Minnesota senate killed it. The North Dakota legislature au- " thorized a state banking system, in which every cent of deposits, princi- pal and interest, will be guaranteed by the state. : Fourteen Minnesota state banks were closed during the session of - the legislature, but the legislature refused to pass a bill providing’ for guarantee of bank deposits. Instead of doing anything for the interests of the people the Burnquist machine in the Minnesota legislature started to carry out a program of re- pressive measures designed to kill or- ganizations of farmers and laboring men. Among these bills were measures to kill the direct primary law and sub- stitute the old convention system, bills to establish a motor corps state con- stabulary and a battalion of negro troops to put down labor ' “disturb- ances,” a fake “red flag” bill- that would have prohibited the use of Non- partisan league pennants, and ‘a -hill that would have made it impossible for farmer or labor organizations. to spend more than $10,000 in support- (Continued ‘'on page 14) Instead, North ‘Dakota OO H TS0 e Sl Y LA e CT UL W o p—— a junketing trip to New York to make