The Ward County independent. [volume] (Minot, Ward County, N.D.) 1902-1965, 1909-03-18
Farmer Reader Grows Caustic
Takes The Independent Task for Our Position the
Initiative and Referendum Bill-Our Reason Why
We Are Not Ready For Il i A,.,ssa55

The friends Of the initiative and
the referendum were disappointed
over It's defeat, and yet we cannot
help but think that the legislature did
the wise thing in turning down this
bill at this time. At some future
time, no doubt, an initiative and
referendum bill will be passed, when
the people are more ready for it, for
now how many would take the trou-
BILE to acquaint themselves with the
intent of the various bills enough to
vote intellgently on them. "
NIinot. N. D., Mar. ID, 1909
The Unrighteous City, N. D., Dear
Sir:-The above, taken from your
editorial page, reminds me of the
lady who said, her boys should never
60 near the water until they had
learned to swim. You seem to think
the people do not know enough to
know what they want; yet, you are
eternally boasting that the farmers
Of North Dakota possess such high
standard Of intelligence. Evidently
that is "hot air."
In the same editorial, you say that
the legilature passed a bill giving
newspapers double price for tabulat-
ed matter. This, you say, was good
thing (for you). Were the people any
more ready for that than they were
for the initiative and referendum?
Wouldn't it have been just as well to
have waited till some future time"
when some of the real estate and
chattel mortgages have been paid.
would respectfully suggest that
you 60 to the Register of Deeds Office
and pick out any township adjacent
to the City of Minot (Tatman, for ex-
ample) and figure up the number of
dollars in chattel and real estate
mortgages recorded against the real
estate and personal property in that
township and multiply it by the
number of townships in Ward county
and you will get some kind of an
idea of what the farmers of Ward
county owe. If the mortgage is a
sign of prosperity, then Ward county
is indeed prosperous.
If the people of North Dakota are
not intelligent enough to vote on
bills, then the question holds, are
they intelligent enough to vote for
men to represent them in the legis-
lature? If the farmers of North Da-
kota are getting rich because of
their intelligence. then are they not
intelligent enough to spend the mon
ey they have made?
You, Mr.. Independent, you know
a well as any one, the coming of the
initiative and referendum means the
downfall of graft. Is that why you
are against it?'
We received the above from one of
our readers, and we presume that he
is farmer, but really cannot say
as to that because the communication
was unsigned. AS rule, all un-
signed articles go to the waste bas-
ket, but it will do no harm to publish
this one and consider it for a short
time.
The reader is a little caustic in his
remarks, makes a reference or two
about hot air and graft, but we will
forgive him for that, realizing full
well the position which we have TAX
en- concerning the initiative and ref
erendum bill. Now as matter Of
fact, we never had one word to say
against the initiative and referendum
bill either thru the columns of the
Independent, or by word to one of
our legislators, until after the bill
had been killed, believing that the
legislators would consider the propo-
sition very carefully, and decide what
was best to be done. We want to
define our policy on the initiative and
referendum proposition. The prin-
ciple is good, because any principle
that gives the people an opportunity
to perform directly political duty
OF whatsoeverkind is advisable pro-
viding that that people can meet the
responsibility that it imposes. But the
best political thinkers and writer's
of this country have grave doubts as
to the advisability of initiative and ref
erendum at this particular period of
our nations growth. The idea can
best be illustrated by the vote and
the interest taken in it, by the whole
people, in the few constitutional
amendments that as rule are at
tached to every ballot at state cleo
tions 1t is admitted by impartial
obervers, that not over twenty per
cent Of the voters vote intelligently
an %hoco nrnnnaftions I'VE are not