Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1890-04-04
back to a village government. Some Of
the most prosperous cities of the east
cities of fifteen to twenty-five thousand
inhabitants-have village government.
A WEAK VETO,

'~S AAoN W
nesday on house bill No. 300, providing
for elections in unorganized counties fol
state, legislative and judicial purposes
The following is the governors veto mes.
sage filed with the secretary of state:
The objections to this bill are that, owing
ganized counties, it is impossible to pro
ylde adequate safeguards against fraud in
the conduct of elections. While the great
est care should be exercised in securing to
every one properly entitled thereto, the
free exercise OF the elective franchise. it is
also equally important that that privilege
should be so StriugcntIy guarded that the
vote Of those who are legally entitled
thereto may not be nullified by the posi-
Olllty TT any species or character Of fraud.
The area OF that portion Of the state en-
braced within the ~ui'organiZed counties is
nearly, II not quite, ofr-ttliru of that Of the
whole state. 1t is sparsrly settled by a
occupation, which is largely the care Of
large herds of range cattle and horses,
are necessarily more or less tranSitOry and
migratory and it is therefore rendered diff
hcult to determine who would be legally
entitled to vote. This together with the
the government of elections, the distance
from railroad or telegraph facilities max
ing it impossible to closely scrutinize the
same, the lack of that watchfulness which
comes from the election OF local candidates
and the absence of data as to the probable
number of legal voters. all combine to con
vince me that the provisions OF this bill
would be likely to open the door to results
lnlmlcab'e to the best interests of the state.
l am strengthened in this conclusion by
the experience Of other states where the
elective franchise has been extended under
similar unorganized conditions.
That these unorganized districts are
sparscly settled is apparent from the fact
that under our present law only $50 legal
voters are required to enable a county to
organize. 1t may be urged that, as prOvis-
ion has been made for the taxation If prop
erty III these counties, justice demands
that they a'so be given the right to vote.
me alsument does not apply, with my
more force at the present time than in the
past, as section 2, of chapter 129, session
laws of 1885. provided for taxation in I'M
organized counties, but no provision has
heretofore been made for holding elections
therein.
OF all the vetoes promulgated by Gov
ernor Miller the above is the weakest.
The bill surrounded the proposed cleo
tons in che u~norganized counties with
all the safeguards necessary to insure a
fair and honest vote, and the veto of the
measure is an injustice to the honest
settlers of a vast %region-to a class of
citizens who are as much entitled to a
voice in state affairs as any other people.
The governor says he is strengthened in
his conclusions by the experience Of
other states, but he fails to give names
and dates. He makes a sweeping asser-
ton unsupported by proof. What JUS
tice is there in the policy that taxes the
property of the settlers in the morgan
lied counties and deprives the taxpayers
of a voice in the selection of members of
the legislature to represent their inter-
ests? The governor says the counties
are sparsely settled. This is true, but
what of that? These counties will al
ways be in this condition. It is a stock
region and the nature of the country in
most Of these counties will forever bar
them from reaching the constitutional
number of inhabitants for organization.
The intimation of the governor that only
$50 electors are required to organize a
county is dishonest and deceiving. The
constitution nullifed the law on the stat
ute books and now no new county can be
organized with less than 1000 inhabi-
tauts. To deprive the settlers of one
third the area of North Dakota from a
voice in their government until the coun-
ties in which they live have this number
of inhabitants is a rank injustice. There
are not, at the present time, perhaps to
exceed 500 voters in all the unorganized
counties and it, as has been charged, the
governor is afraid they belong to the
'old gang" and their influence would de.
feat the success of the "new gang then
he is more timid than many of his warm
estifriends have believed.
The bill left it with the governor to
determine as to the business of the claims
of any unorganized county to hold an
election, and the TRIBUNE fails to see
wherein there was danger in the enact.
ing of this law. Take Hettinger county
for instance, where the New England
colony is located. There is as intelli.
gent and prosperous a community as
exists in the state. They have schools
and churches and a live weekly news.
paper of two years standing. It is
doubtful, however, if the county will
have a thousand population for five years
to come. Why should these people be
d~isfranchised?
It is estimated that in the unorganized
counties of the state there is now about
$1,OOO,OOO worth of personal property in
the shape of horses, cattle and sheep.
Something over $4,000 head of sheep
were added last year and the splendid
advantages for stock now being known
this region must increase in wealth at q
wonderful rate during the next few
years. The owners of stock, if they pay
taxes, demand and deserve champions
and protectors of their interests in the
legislature. The legislature by a large
majority passed a bill giving them this