The Devils Lake world and inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, N.D.) 1915-1920, 1915-03-04

volved, of the intervention of the Lib
erty league and the legal representa-
tive of a railroad. Whatever the talk
is. the fact remains hat the senate.
wrestled with the question three days
and the upshot was that the resolu-
ton still lies on the table, in the
senate, with small prospects of ever
being we'll enough to sit up and take
notice again. There is a chance that
the house may get in it's own resolu.
ton and pass it, thus embarrassing
further a thoroughly harassed senate.
j. < !.
Terminal Elevators-The house told
the farmers plainly that as far as
building a terminal elevator in st.
Paul with state money there amt
goin' to be no core" The PROPOSE
ton was voted down, SO to 3G, after
some impassioned oratory. Not only
will there be no elevator. but the
money now gathered under The one
eighth mill tax will be turned into the
general fund and the tax abolished.
An argument against the measure was
that, while the people voted for the
constitutional amendment, such vote
was merely the granting of permission
to build, should the Legislature see tit,
II was not-as its proponents claim
ed-a direct mandate from the people
to the legislature to build. The amend
ment reads, The legislative assem-
bly, is hereby authorized and empow-
cred to provide by law" and goes
on to state that the elevator is to be
maintained and operated lin such
ann as the legislature SHALL pro-
vide" Section 81 OF the constitution
would seem to rather block this argu-
ment: THE provisions Of this consti-
tuition are mandatory and p%rohibitory,
unless by express words they are de-
clared to be otherwise" In other
words it would seem that when the
people voted for the amendment they
commanded the legislature to build,
for there are no express words de-.
claring it otherwise, or leaving it to
the legislative Judgment or discretion.
4 !. !.
Congressional Districts-House bill
No. 3T1, which would have changed
the boundaries of the Second and
Third congressional districts, so that
the line dividing them would run east
and west instead of north and south,
as now was put to death. AS origi-
nally drawn the bill did not affect the
First district, but when it came from
the committee it was found to have
distracted Griggs county from the
First district. Until that time IT
looked as though the plan to put Con.
gressmen Norton and Young in the
same district and annihrlate one or
the other would be successful, for the
members from the First district We're
complaisant and inclined to keep
hands OF. Bnt when the change was
discovered the First district men
awoke and swhhg their war clubs.
!. !. Il
lndustry-The house is deserving OF
| some commentator for what, at an.
other session. would be viewed as an
alarming indnstry. 1t was in session
W%ashinston's birthday. feverishly
passing or killing house bills, and ii
stayed On the job till midnight the
neXt night, rounding up and cleanin.
up the lasr struggling measure. This
was necessary. for in order to have
house bills considered by the senate
they must be in the sanate's hands
for Wednesday morning. The house,
having a membership of liz, con.
m more time in roll calls and
there is more debate and argument
because there arc more men-many
men, many minds-hence it worked
hours and rcvered the Father of our
Country by loa1ing. The house has
now only senate bills to consider, and
the senate has only house bills tt
consider. And, at that, some of them
will receive scant consideration.
j. i. +
Spending the Money-To the limo
cent bystander who could view the
house putting through" appropria;
ton bills, apportioning out $4,000,
900 among the institutions of the
state, the state officers and boards, il
would appear that the members tool
the matter very lightly and did moi
feel deeply the responsibility involved
in their action. But that action was
but the brief and formal ratification
of a careful investigation and study
of the financial situation that hat
taken the entire time of the LathroI
committee and had involved every OF
fee where state money was used o.
expended. And this method is full!
one hundred times better than the
old system of logrolling and trading
that made the last night Of the session
a nightmare of crookedness anG
treachery. Also it does not leave the
governor to face the necessity of trim
ming down the appropriations to fl
. the states pocketbook. There were
few amendments proposed to the
measures and these were not impor
tant. One was occasioned by the
finding of an error which would GU
of $4,000 from the Valley City state
normal; another was the raising O.
the salaries OF the deputies in the