The Bottineau pioneer. (Bottineau, N.D.) 1885-1895, 1889-08-01
Its Constitutional Convention Still
Struggling Over the Preliminaries
of Sovereign Statehood. a
Some Of the Matters Discussed In the
Conyention...A Couple Of Completed
Documents Submitted.
SALARIES OF STATE OFFICERS.

reports, now being prepared and submitted.
They are particularly interested in the report
of the committee on the executive. The
committee has agreed on it's report and on
salaries of the state officers, but will not sub
The salaries are as follows:
Governor, 90, 1000; lieutenant, 81, 900; audi
tor and commissioner Of insurance, $4,000
each: secretary of state, treasurer, superin-
tendent Of public instruction, commissioner
of schools and public lands and attorney
general. 1000 each.
The committee also recommend that-the
railroad commission consist Of three men,
bers, who shall be elected md whose salary
shall be 81, O each.
SELLING SCHOOL LANDS.
The convention has also agreed upon q
plan for disposing of the school lands and
has submitted a proposition to the commit
tee on school lands, with the request that it
be incorporated in the constitution. They
ask that no school lnnds be sold for less
than SO per acre without the consent of at
least two consecutive LEGISLATURES: that no
more than one.fourth of the lands shall be
fourth shall never be sold; that lands may be
leased, but not more than one section to one
individual or company, and that no lease
shall be valid unless receiving the sane
ton of the state board Of school lands.
DIVIDING THE PROPERTY.
The commission for the division of prop
erty between the states of North Dakota and
South Dakota is still a long way from an
agreement as to the basis of division. E. w.
Caldwell, of the South Dakota commission,
who states that North Dakota had received
$4,000 and South Dakota $73, 200 of
moneys for permanent improvements in
public buildings outside of the bonded in
d~ebtedness, acknowledged that he was mis-
taken and that the difference in favor of
North Dakota is only $4,000. Mr.. Purcell
Of North Dakota produced figures to
favor of the north. South Dakota had re-
ceived over $4,000 and. North Dakota
$64 ,000, thus showing that the south had
received nearly $4,000 more than the
north. These are simply illustrations of the
wide discrepancies existing. 1t will be some
time before the joint commission will agree,
as an agreement cannot be reached without
q majority of each commission. The COM
mittee on legislative apportionment is en-
barraesed by the delay Of the convention in
settling the question of whether the legisla-
tive power shall rest with one or two, bodies
and deciding Upon the number to be elected.
SOME OF THE MEASURES DISCUSSED.
1t was proposed that state senator's be
elected for q term of four years, and that
they shall be divided into two classes, the
first class to consist of the senator's from the
even numbered districts, and the second
class from the odd numbered. The terms of
office Of the two classes shall not expire on
dates less than two years apart, and hat at
the first election the first class shall be
elected for one year and the second class for
three years. Other proposed articles were
as follows: Providing that the supreme
court judges shall be obliged to give their
0nSni0n nm Srp ~ N~fn - r. ~,,notS0nc ~ o~v -k1n
required by the governor, senate or house
OF representatives; making a three-tourths
majority vote of the petit Jury a
verdict; compelling school treasurers to de-
post oil school moneysin O national or 9TH
er duly incorporated bank: providingf for the
election of two commissioners who shall act
with the lieutenant governor and at
torney general as q board Of commits
sioners for the sale and leasing of school
lands; directing the legislature to provide tor
the speedy sale of o%ne-fourth of the school
lands, and for not less than $40 per acre;
dividing the state into twenty-five senatOri-
al districts, which shall have the same bound
aries as the districts created for the election
of members to the constitutional convention,
and that from each district there shall be
elected one senator n three representa-
tives.
RAILROAD TAXATION
The question OF taxing railroads came up
again, Hegge- proposing that a board of as
SCISSORS be elected by the people to assess
railroads in each county the railroads to be
subject to the same levy as other property.
An effort is being made by some to have the
convention refuse to submit the question of
prohibition to q vote ofthe people, but there
is every indication that it will be submitted.
ACoMPLETE CONSTITUTION PRESENTED.
The convention or the goth, has been
nAuan n ron,,Sn rY,~r~s~n hrr khn characterization
of complete. constitution, which will be
considered during the present week. This
constitution is said to have been prepared
with great care and after consultation with
some of the best constitutional lawyersi in the
Union. In many respects it is identical with
articles already introduced in the con-
v~ention. 1t is O compilation Of the best
provisions of the constitutions of the dit.
ferent states and the United States, fitted to
North Dakota. With regard to taxation
it has mo- specific provisions, en-
bodying the Wisconsin constitutional pro-
vision OF this subject, which provides that
the rule of taxation shall be- uniform upon
lature, leaving the power OF regulating the
method of taxation with the legislature. 1t
also provides that the property of non.resi-
dents shall not be taxed at q higher rate
than that Of residents, allows the legislature
to fix the passenger and freight rates on rail
roads and transportation companies, the
rates to be reasonable and the courts to de-
it's the loaning ofthe credit Of the state t
any association or corporation, vests the
judicial power in u court of impcach.
ment, consisting of the senate,
q supreme court, district, courts.
county courts and justices Of the peace, thus
courts. 1t limits the number Of judges of
the supreme court to three, which may be
increased after five years. 1t, provides
against female suffrage. The house OF repre-
sentatives shall consist of not less than Is
nor more than lao mem bers, and the senate
not less than one-third nor more char one
half Of the number Of the house. Each or
one member Of the house. The senator's are
divided into two classes; one to be elected
for two years and the other for four. 1t
provides for Biennial sessions Of the legisla-
ture NOT exceeding ninety days., to Qnven
ON the first Tuesday, in January after rejection.
1t requires two-thirds Of the members elect
to override the veto power. The governor
Ave days from the time of delivery to him,
and shall have the ten days inter adjourn
ment within which to approve or reject. In
case of objection the sam must be filed with
the secretary of state within the time speci-
fed. Itis against minority representation q
gives the Legislature full power to regulate
iiqupralicensess Any coal lands which the
state'may acquire in the congressional grant
shall neversh e sold, but may be leased; \ The
school fund. shall be invested in United States
bonds, bonds Of the state OF first mortgage
securities Of the state q. not more than.
one-haK the value yOf the land: the school
fund shall be couhidered 70 trust fund, the
interest to be used for the schools. and In
| case of loss Of any part of the principal the