Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1907-06-20
REFERENDUM
PROF. AAKER WRITES PERriN-
ENTITY ON THIS SUBJECT
AS TO PROHIBITION.

The following communication from
frof. H. H. Aaker, prohibition can
didate for governor in 1904, will
prove interesting reading:
Over in Minnesota the anti-saloon
league and prohibitionists, and es-
pecially the latter, are indulging in
a great deal of criticism, and just
~ so, because the legislature refuses
to give the state local option by
counties whereby it would have been
possible for probably more than
three-fourths of the state to free
| itself from the licensed saloon
curse. 1t is claimed that more than
fifty per cent of the representatives
| and senators to the legislature were
pledged to vote for local option, but
the legislators forgot their pledge
under the party lash and turned
down the wishes of the people. Such
a slap at self-government is hard to
bear and it does not surprise me
that they are loud in their protest
against such usurpation of power
and such total disregard of republic
can principles on which the govern
ment was founded. They claim
the people by the people, and for the
people by the people, and for the
people" the people have a right to
vote on the saloon question or any
other question. 1t seems that the
people ought to have the right: if
they don't, this country is a repub-
lie in name only. The temperance
people of Minnesota who are in the
great majority refuse to be govern
ed by the salon element which is in
the minority, and justly SO, and they
are now travelling up and down the
state arguing the absurdfty Of the
situation that the people should be
refused an opportunity to vote on
the saloon question. The prohibition
lists of Minnesota are unques-
tionably5 right in their contention;
but what seems peculiar to me is
that there is tendency among the
prohibitionists of North Dakota to
take just the opposite position as re-
CARDS the Initiative and Referen-
dunn; because there is a possibility
that the prohibition law might be
submitted to a vote of the people
It seems to make a difference whose
OK is gored.
The prohibitionists of North Da-
kota cannot afford to take that po-
sition after our brethren in other
states for the past forty years have
been loud in their. claim that the
people have a right to vote on any
question. II the temperance people
claim that right, they must concede
that right to the resubmission ele-
ment
consider the prohibition law of
great Importance; but the initiative
and referendum Of far greater in-
portance. The legislature of North
Dakota could have. made the prohf-
bition law imperative every session
since its adoption; butt has rather
chosen to strengthen the law nearly
every session, which shows that pro-
hibition is not a settled question,
but that we have voted for or
against the law every two years.
! Would it not be better under the
/ initiative and referendum to settle
the question for at least ten years
at the time ? Resubmission under
the referendum law cannot possibly
come for six years and by that time
j the prohibition law will have beer
4 tried for about % years, and II ths
4 law cannot command majority vote
! at that time, the prohibitionists hay.
i no right to complain. We must b,
fair even II it goes against 4 oul
4 wishes. If we are not fair, we hur
n OuI GduoC NY adhIdSOAt1iMS SAOSC WA'
are guided by the right and fgh
for the right. g.
The temperance people shoul'
think twice before they oppose tn
Initiative and Referendum. w
need the law and need It badly
q which is quite forcibly brought {
our mindst BY the supreme cour
3 decision, which knocked out th
j temperance cimossmcmfwypbgfwkq
Temperance commissioner The grea
majority Of the people Of this stat
were behind the temperance con
!, missioner law and still they are no
/ helpless until the constitution "a
!, be amended which will take 81
i years and two years more before
vote can be hadeight years. Dul
+ Ing the eight years we are not, 9
this question government Of ii
: people and by the people but
government OF two members Of I'll
~