The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1917-06-28

stitution, leaving the inference that the drafters and supporters
of the bill possess neither of these virtues?
The Short Ballot Provision.
Senator Sandstrom makes a great fuss over the provision in
videss that the legislative assembly MAY provide By law for the
socalied short ballot, should the people Of the state DECIDE at any
time to do So The short ballot is a distinctly progressive meas
and has been ADJ. advocated ed in North ran Dakota 1ssss1 both II through + 1slan1 party plat
1 Ssr9;sa anf l s 4 wss for eea a sesd %sny z The : peep1s Of sff s&s tHs Hent
counties or townships would not be robbed Of any elective powers,
as Sandstrom processes to believe, except such as they themselves
determine upon.
to Section 100 in House Bill "a, which provides:
s. r.: +: !: !: ; :; 81: !: ;:; St: ST, {: :' : ;i; ;;:;;;: : {: :;;; Is: III i:: g.; !: :: ~: : e. i: ;:$ : Il: E!
b. %es ssrf FIJI u ay %s;sn every ;n {n reference s2sat : t. &c this s1a recall p gFq f5s ;so il
ballot, absolutely protects any political subdivision coming under
its operation against officers that are not satisfactory.
H. B. Al and the Railroads.
has made the assertion that House Bill a.? Il does no not provide ass for
se fs sSn't the n So sns ra''s1& Gsa sas f IS dcmi Gaass ' bs tRe sslSosd ii IN!
t tiess' we Width wsa,d al rs aas sssRfst c ff 5 ths s ssRatSes t f gsc aaa t5 fss ef
the socialist Constitution" This section Sc reads: " ~" o u
in tss:; s:: :! s:; Fly a s:G:ss ssh: 9 e! e.: ?:y .s s' 3: : ::,: e 5:o :sssss
$%ig S%S s s%s ri tSEht 56 r Ssas1s # t. E Ss%.Pe$ ss. sissz,% : d !$ : SCI
power e s@st ~ sssS!stne n a. sen tt h rates q ;s;rsss fs Il tSs
%9 pc ss to # If n sssss { ef tb 5nts sssss from and de- ft zssss s. 9s sssS: but that It: s2 2ss
n es%ain y in ' for tssi pendng 1Ssn deeysi oa e Of the CT eoa las'"o commissioners snail
Did the senator know Of this section in House Bill a? Does
roads?
And while on the subject of railroad legislation, why does not
which would have reduced freight rates throughout the state %
per cent? This is the same law as Minnesota is operating under at
i 81 for its z adoption. This was the }eI bill that the stsndpa{t sen
ate preferred to discuss in executive session, even refusing Mr.:
and explain the measure. Mr.. sandstrom is recorded as voting
to indefinitely postpone" this bill and to make doubly sure that It
would lie still after being dead the "cHncher" was put on.
Progressive Measures Slaughtered.
The standpat senate had a perfectly lovely time" during the
closing hours of the session, chlorofo1ming progressive legislation,
p D% pu ~ rate TiIs they ~ seem sa to Oh have wt thrown discretion to the winds
and progressive measures were slaughtered right and left
ton on the primary and general election ballot, was next taken
out and guilotined. A measure of that kind would destroy the
to hang onto the ship Of state in North Dakota for these many
years, and the reactionary senate was not going to voluntarily
House Bill 78, providing workmen's compensation for persons
@inde6ni e postponement" Senator sandstrom Voting for post
ponement." This bill also got the "clncher" so as to make sure
that it would not be heard of again.
That Famous Section "a.
Section "a in House Bill "A is the change which staggers,"
as the pamphlet "A Socialist Constitution" puts it. And here
painting the most horrible word picture of the ruin, devastation
and Indebtedness that would be visited upon the state IN the
event of the adoption of House Bill "A.
Section "a reads as follows:
The right Of the state. or ora any p, Political naln subdivision shsf Il Thereof REQ de to engage ga er IN
s sS occupation" or business f'r public purposes ''n o De 'snAo y p''-
The senator pictures the "poor grey-haired farmer moving
farm hands and these would Immediately decide to bond the town
ship and go into various kinds of business enterprises, mortgaging
es. Soon the farmer would be a pauper and every other retired
farmer would be a pauper and presumably it would be necessary
state to care for the many destitutes and their dependent families.
There is nothing in Section "a to indicate that the entire state
merely gives the state Of any political subdivision thereof rights
which they are now denied by the constitution. The plans and
is hardly likely that the people of the state would pass such legisla-
ton as would place half Of the population in poor houses-even