The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1911-03-10

The assembly has made a
record on the subject of inita
tive and referendum, adjourn
ing with four measures of that
nature to it's credit. It may be
charged that in passing so
many initiative and referendum
bills, that the assembly has en-
deavored to shift responsibility
upon the next succeeding as
sembly, but such is not the
case. It was the. purpose of
those vitality interested in in
itative and referendum to place
before the next assembly a
variety of measures, thereby
making it impossible. for that
assent bly, to avoid certifying to
the people for their approval
some sort of bill embodying
this bill. The bills that have
been approved by this assembly
are the Bessessen statutory
measures, the Gibbons con-
stitutional bill, the Plain con
stitutional and statutory and
the Doyle-Ployhar constitional,
statutory and recall.
In connection with the inita-
tive and referendum bills there
is also an independent recall
bill which will go to the; next
succeeding assembly for DIP
proval and then to the people
for their ratification. ByS rea-
son of the numerous bills cover
ing these questions, it is quite
certain that the people of the
state will have an opportunity
of gaining a great deal of In
formation covering the matter
in which these principles have
| worked out in other states, and
by the time two years have
elapsed, sentiment will doubt
less have crystalized arolsAd
one or the other of the p1ea-
sures proposed.
| Railroad Legislation.
Railroad legislation w a s
prominent in the output of the
twelfth assembly.
The anti-pass problem which
has been an issue in North
Dakota during several cam
paigns, and upon which sub
ject both parties we're pledged
to about the same effect, was
the subject of a lot of legisla-
tive effort and resulted in the
passage of stringent anti-pass
law which goes into effect on
July 1. Few exceptions are
made in the bill, these being
farmers institute workers, those
engaged & on good farming
trains, those engaged in the
geological survey and, of course,
those actually employed by the
transportation companies.
Greater power has been
granted to the board of railroad
commissioners in the control of
railroads and provision has been
made for more funds with which
to carry on the work, also this
board has been given control
over telegraph and telephone
companies, and while, this may
not be all important at the
present time it is. an excellent
measure.
In the passage of the wye
bill. the state has taken long
step toward enforcing the con-
struction of connecting wyes at
points where railroads cross
One provision of this measure
which is to the effect that rail
roads must grant a rate upon
the shortest haul possible if a
wye had been constructed will
result in the measure becoming
| operative IN a more marked
degree than any other measure
would make possible.
Affecting the employees of
railroads there is the full
Istrength caboose bill. This
bill provides that all cabooses
must be constructed of stand
ard strength, equal to that of
the 10000 capacity freight cars.
It has been contended that since
the passage of the anti dinkey
caboose-bill, two years ago,
that the railroads have adopted
the policy of using two of the
dinkey cabooses in the con
struction of one OF the larger
cabooses, thereby placing in
operation a caboose which is
not nearly as strong as the