Grand Forks herald., 1917-02-07
QUITE POSSIBLE.

Let the constitution of the state be
changed, as proposed, so as to au-
thorize the conduct of business of any
kind by the state or any OF its po-
litical subdivisions. and providing. al
Sc as proposed, for the issuance of
bonds up to any amount for the fl
nancing of such enterprises, or for the
unlimited guarantee Of bonds issued
by others, and it is impossible for the
imagination to grasp the full nossibil-
tiles. Among them would be the fol-
lowing:
Certain business men in an unincor-
porated village in a wealthy town
ship, realizing that in the general dis
organization and destruction of credit
which are certain to follow the adop-
ton Of unsound principles, determine
to unload. The local drygoods and
clothing man, the grocer, the drug
gist the blacksmith and the proprie-
tor of the ice cream parlor, enter into
a combination to have their businesses
taken over by the township. The to-
tai vote Of the township is 200. of
which about two-thirds Is in the VIII
lage settlement. There being no viii
lage organization, the township votes
as whole. and the village can out
vote the country district on any prop
osition. In order to provide against
any possible local defections. the
members of the combination import
from the neighboring city, 80 days be-
fore the township election, few doz-
en- unmarried men who, in return for
being given light work and good wag-
es for few weeks or months, agree
to vote as they are told. At the cleo
ton there is chosen n township board
prepared to carry out the plans of
the combination. The new board
arranges to buy out all the men in
the combination at highly inflated
prices, to carry on these various lines
Of business in the name Of the town
ship, and to issue bonds with which
to raise the necessary funds. Through
the votes Of those local residents who
have an interest in the scheme, with
the colonized vote added, the plan is
approved at the polls. The bonds are
issued and are taken in payment by
the men who have sold out, or are
sold to the board Of university ands
school lands. The former owners of
the esta blishments taken over are
employed by the board at salaries
which are double their former in
comes
Should the constitution be amended
as proposed, that procedure would be
both possible and legal. There would
not be flaw in it at any stage. Bus
mess enterprises threatened with
ruin would have been sold to the
township at a fictitious price; their
former owners would be employed as
managers at exorbitant salaries; the
respect, and they would operate as a
mortgage on every foot Of land, agri-
cultural or otherwise, and on every
dollars worth Of property of every
kind in the township.
1t may be objected that the issu-
ance of such bonds would in effect
be impossible because the interest
"Oulu eNceeu tle amount IndL COulQ
be raised within the limit of taxation
permitted for townships. The obJec-
ton does not apply. for permission to
issue bonds without limit would i'm
ply permission to levy. also without
limit for the retirement of those
bonds. Limitations placed on tax lev
les do not apply to levies made to pro-
vide interest and sinking funds for
bonds.
The above is merely a sample. in
rough outline, Of what would be pos
sible in a single direction under the
constitution which It is proposed to
fnflict on the state. The number Of
schemes Of this character which could
be operated under the law is without
limit. And there are enough walling-
fords in the country to make it GER
tain that not many Of these opportu-
mites to make easy money would be
overlooked