The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-07-10
NORTH DAKOTA CONSTITUTION.


taking a hand in forming the constitution of
the coming state of North Dakota. AS our
dispatches noted the other day, the Alliance
informed the convention of some things
which it wanted placed in the fundamental
law. The list includes some excellent suE-
gestions. and some not quite so good.
Among the propositions are these:
Government control of railroads and of
all public securities;
Prohibition of the liquor traffic;
The election of United States Senators by
the popular vote;
Courts of arbitration:
The adjustment of the contract system
in public works;
Self-sustaining criminals;
Woman suffrage;
Few appointive and many elective offices;
and
The Australian system of voting.
Experience has taught the farmers that
private control of railroads is most unsat
isfactory Pools and combinations and
discrimina lions are constantly recurring,
and in all the arrangements the farmer is
the sufferer, he being the one who is help
less in all fights with the corporation. The
railroad can make his business unprOft
able, keeping him out of the market with
his produce by prohibitory charges The
railway, as a rule, estimates the percent
age of the farmers earnings that he will
require for his maintenance, and combining
him to that takes the remainder. Govern
ment control of the roads might not help
matters, but it would not make them worse
for the people, whatever might be the effect
on the railway companies.
1t is somewhat surprising that prohibi
ton should be demanded at this time,
when it is being voted down in those states
which have tried it, and is generally adj
mitted to be failure by all save the
cranks and those who are Incorporate on
the subject of temperance 1t is not doubted
that the great majority of the people of
North Dakota are in favor of strict temper
ance: so are the maiorities in Pennsylvania,
New Hampshire and Rhode Island; yet
realizing that prohibition is impossible, the
proposition has Just been emphatically
voted down in those states, as it will be in
Iowa, Kansas and Maine one of these days
when the people get chance to express
themselves on the question. 1t will be
better if the people Of Dakota let Judgment
instead of sentiment control in this matter,
and not put vain and idle provision in
their constitution.
Two of the suggestions by the Alliance
are especially commendable, namely: that
United States Senators be elected by
popular vote, and that criminals be made
self supporting. With the utmost respect
Fo,- 4ba loho plo thair fn
prison labor approaches very closely to
idiocy. 1t has ever seemed to US that if
any class should be made to work and work
hard, it is the criminal, and when labor
organizations protest against it on the
ground that prison work deprives them of
labor and the consequent wages, they ex-
press peculiar ideas, to say the least. 1t
will never be made plain to intelli gent
minds why good men should toll in order
that thieves, burglars and offenders against
the law generally may live in idleness. At
the demand of the workingmen the New
York legislature repealed the law by (which
the prisoners in that state were required to
work, and which made the prisons not
only self-supporting but source of revenue,
and the result is increased taxation to sup
port the convicts, who live in idleness and
grow in viciousness because neither their
minds nor their hands are employed. If
the Farmers Alliance has sufficient in
fluence to get it into the Dakota constitu-
ton that convicts must earn at least enough
to support themselves, the organization
will do good service to the state.
Everybody, except the political schemers
and wire pullers, and the men who buy
seats in the upper house of Congress, long
since came to the conclusion that the United
States Senate should be abolished, or the
members should be elected by the people
We don't believe half the Senators have
honest titles to the commissions they carry.
and few will admit that fifty per cent. of
the gentlemen would be in the Senate If
their election depended on the popular
vote. The Senators do not pretend to ac-
knowledge responsibility to the people:
their allegiance is to the political bosses
who control legislatures. The use of the
Senate is questionable, but if that branch
Of the national legislature is necessary
to good law making, the Senators
should be chosen by the people who would
select representative men, and not send
money bags to make laws for the govern
ment and protection of society. 1t is to be
hoped that North Dakota will do what it
can towards inaugurating the desired re
form.
Having the experience of hundred
years of popular government to guide
them, and thirty-eight constitutions, each
containing many excellent provisions, to
select from, our Dakota friends should be
able to frame amodel constitution, as nearly
perfect as human wisdom can make it. If
they make mistakes and commit blunders.
under the circumstances, it will be almost
Criminal.l