The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, July 14, 1919, Page 5

- Decks Cleared for Farmers’ Program Approval of Seven League Bills in North Dakota Removes Last Possible Delay—What the Referred Measures Mean to the State HE winning by the Nonpartisan league of the June 26 referen- dum election in North Dakota clears the decks for the com- plete carrying. out of the farm- ers’ program in that state. The referendum against the bills of the last legislature carrying out the program was the last possi- ble attack, the last possible delay tactics that the opposition can resort to. Some of the bills putting in effect what is now universally referred to as “the new day in North Dakota,” carried emergency clauses—that is, they passed the legislature by a two-thirds vote—and - they could not be held up pending the referendum. 26, and is now doing business. / As a result the Bank of North Dakota was started before the vote was taken on the bank bill June Likewise ‘a man- ager has been appointed by the industrial com- mission for the mill and elevator association and organization of that department has been under way for some time, although the industrial com- mission bill, without which the elevator and mill could not operate, was not finally approved by the voters till June 26. And now, since the splendid majorities were piled up for all the measures at the referendum, the farm- ers’ state administration will organize the state home building association and other parts of the farmers’ pro- gram. One of the interesting features of the referendum which the League has come through with such success is the fact that it was precipitated by the League opposition taking advantage of the generous referendum laws that the League itself has given North Dakota. The League opposition wused the League-made referendum in its at- tempt to delay or kill the League pro- gram. Only two of the seven bills voted on by the people of North Dakota June 26 directly involved the industrial pro- gram. The rest were measures passed by the farmer legislators to simplify the state government and to make changes in administration procedure to bring about more efficiency and econ- omy. But all the bills have been ap- proved by huge majorities. The strict- ly League program bills approved by the people were: Industrial commission act, creating a commission to establish and operate the” Bank of North Dakota, the mill and = elevator association, the home building association and other parts of the industrial program. The Bank of North Dakota act, cre- ating the Bank of North Dakota, an institution that combines the functions of the federal reserve and federal farm loan banks and has a third feature, that of loaning money to farmers on warehouse receipts representing farm products stored in warehouses licensed by the industrial commission. The bank will act as a reserve bank and state clearing house for the 800 private banks of the.state and will result in reducing interest rates through mobilization of the state’s .credit. It will have a rediscounting function. The other five bills approved not directly con- nected with the League program proper;, ‘but adopted by the Leagzue majority in both houses' and signed by the League governor, are: ADMINISTRATION BILL CONSOLIDATES BOARDS The administration bill, abolishing the present state board of control, board of regents and board of education, and setting up in place of these three boards one board, to be known as the board of administration. This bill abolishes some 20 state . jobs and ereates five new jobs to take their place. It was passed solely to simplify the state govern- ment in the interests of economy and efficiency, but it was nevertheless bitterly attacked because it was the work of the League. ' The tax commission act. This -act abolishes the state tax commission composed of three members" and turns over the functions of the board to one tax commissioner. It was adopted by the legisla- ture for the same reason that the administration bill was. The immigration act. This act creates a state immigration. commissioner and gives him an ap- propriation to advertise the state and bring in settlers. Many states have such departments and one is particularly needed in North Dakota, be- cause there is much undeveloped land that should be producing, and the cities are anxious to attract industries, many kinds of which ¢an be success- fully conducted in North Dakota. The bill, how- ever; was even more bitterly attacked than the straight ‘League program measures. The newspaper act. This act provides that only one official paper, instead of three, shall be desig- nated in each county to publish official reports and proceedings of the state and county govern- ments. It provides that the official paper in each county shall be chosen by the voters of the county every two years at a regular state election, instead of being named by the county commissioners as at present. The League having a majority in nearly all the counties of the state, the opposition feared that League papers would win out over others for I " . THE SPIRIT OF THE LEAGUE ] Meetings like the one pictured here were held in every county in North Dakota during the campaign. The audience for the League speakers in every case was huge. The people of North Dakota were anxious to know about the new laws, and eager to.learn the truth about the situation in North Dakota. Their vote in favor of all the measures, despite everything the opposition could do to defeat them, was so overwhelming that it was as great a condemnation of the old gang methods as it was an approval of the League program. the official printing, and .this resulted in the bill being opposed by every possible means by the opposmon. The judicial redlstnctmg act. This act abolishes the present court districts of the state and pro- vides new districts, creating in the whole state two more district judgeships than formerly existed. The old judicial. districts were created years ago, many of them were overworked and a few did not have enough business, and the bill was adopted as a common-sense solution of the problem. It was at- tacked because two more Judgeslups will slightly increase taxes. All these measures received the overwhelming approval of the people, vindicating in every respect the work of the farmers’ legislature last winter. The referendum election, while of great’ value to the League as an educational feature, was really a needless expense to the gtate, as the cause of the opposition was really hopeless from the start. The people of North Dakota, after having worked . for five years and given so generously of their money to get the laws the last legislature passed, were not ready, and everybody ought to have known if, to repeal the laws before they eould. PAGE FIVE ! be made effective and tested out. Yet the League opposition insisted on the referendum, principally as a means of delay, and hoped against hope that something would happen before the vote was taken to swing sentiment away from the “new day” laws. The vote of approval by the people comes on top of court action, both federal and state, attempting to block the carrying out of the program, also brought by the minority opposition. The opposition first attempted to stop the laws going into effect in the federal court, the decision upholding the cqnstltutmnahty of the laws being rendered, as re- ported in the Leader, just two weeks before the referendum election. The second court attack on the laws was in the'state court, where various questions based on technicalities were advanced. The state supreme court, as reported in the Leader, found the laws O. K., its decision being handed down the same day that the federal court decision was made public. OPPOSITION SPENDS “LAST BOLT IN N. D. Having failed at two general elections, in 1916 and 1918, to defeat League candidates for the leg- islature and state office, having failed last year to defeat both at the polls and in court the constitutional amendments neces- sary before the legislature could pro- ceed with the carrying out of the pro- gram, having failed both in state and federal courts to stop the carrying out of the laws passed by the legislature, and lastly having failed to repeal the laws at a referendum election—having thus been beaten at every turn of the road, the opposition has spent its last bolt in North Dakota. It has taken five years of stick- ing together, five years of bitter political campaigning, five years of organization dues, five years of intensive educational work .in the- press and on the stump, five years of almost continual fights in the " courts—five years, in short, of su- preme effort—before a majority of the people which has existed for 10 years could have its way. Some may say it was too long a fight—that revolution was the remedy. But the people of North Dakota are satisfied. They have been patient, and the laws that are at last written on their statute books are now there to what they wanted by constitutional methods. Freedom under the law through the ballot is a slow process, some may say, but it is the means provided in our laws and constitutions, and no people is warranted to try other methods as long as that channel is open. ° The epoch-making North Dakota 300 laws. stay. They believe it has paid to get i e A AR U 2= P IR SR A legislature of last winter passed over | Only seven of these were | attacked by the opposition with the | referendum petitions. It must be con- | sidered, therefore, that even the opposition was satisfied with the great majority of the laws put on the books by the farmers. Yet most of the laws which the opposition has approved are as “radical” and as “socialistic” (to use I. V. A. ex- pressions) as those which the opposition took the opportunity to attack. For instance, even the opposition has not attack- ed the “new day” labor laws passed by the farmer ! legislature, including the best workingman’s com- pensation act in the country, an eight-hour day law for women, a minimum wage law for women, full train crew bill, inspection of coal mines act, protection of employes act and others. Neither did the opposition attack the soldiers’ compensation act or the splendid taxation reforms passed by the farmer legislators, such as the in- come tax law, which distinguishes between earned and unearned incomes, the inheritance tax law and taxation exemption law and several others chang- ing the entire taxation system of the state, placing the tax burden so far as possible on privilege and taking it off industry. The law permitting cities to put in the modern city manager plan of govern- ment was not opposed even by the I V A