The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1917-12-08

| our aim to be the attainment or de-
mocracy IN government, in industry
and in our international relations.
We favor such politics on the part
of the government as will secure the
/ fullest individual liberty and the
most widely diffused equality OF OPP
pOrtunity In all that concerns the
| lives Of our citizens"
With this declaration Of intent as
a basis the conference proceeded to
! declare for woman's suffrage; for
the initiative, referendum and recall;
| for the short ballot; for adoption Of
an executive budget schedule OF
proposed expenditures prepared am
nually in advance by responsible adj
ministrative officers and submitted
to the legislature for discussion and
modification for the purpose OF
throwing upon the legislature the
burden OF responsibility OF increas-
| ing the amount required for govern
mental purposes; for proportional
representation by some plan which
would give to the minority voice in
| the government which might be
heard, thereby providing for express
sion OF minority opinion and giving
that minority such q hearing as will
do away with the desire to antagon-
ize governmental policies but rather
bringing to the support Of the gov
eminent all Of the people OF the ma
ton; for the furtherance of full rep
resentation by the passage Of cleo
ton laws that will afford minority
parties a fair chance TO nominate
their candidates and place them be-
fore the people, for allowing absent
voters the right throughout the ma
ton which they have in North Da-
kota and a few other states Of .ex-
pressing their views at election re-
CARELESS Of their presence or absence
from their polling places; for cabi-
net membership responsive to con-
gress by giving them seats in that
body and subjecting them to intI:-
pellation, thus giving the members Of
the cabinet the right to give their
views to congress and the right Of
congress to question them as to the
acts of the administration; for such
freedom of speech and Of the press
as may be possible without giving aid
and comfort to our enemies in time
Of war or suggesting or aiding in vice
and crime-in this connection
declaration was made demanding
that the powers of censorship be
taken in a measure from the post
office department and Ieft with the
courts in whom the power originally
lay; for aid toward better health
more happiness, more industry, more
prosperity, q higher patriotism by
the absolute outlawry Of the liquor
traffic; for prison reform looking to-
ward the rehabilitation OF the Grim
inal and the cure Of his disease rath-
er than the present system OF
punishment which takes from the
man, who through mental or moral
failure has committed wrong
against society, any opportunity to
obtain for himself a place in that So
ciety; for uniform marriage and di-
Ivorce laws. the determination of
polygamy and the complete suppress
sion Of the traffic in girls and women.
In addition to these plans for i'm
proving our political democracy. the
matter OF industrial democracy was
also discussed and passed upon. II Is
| fundamental to Industrial democracy
| that there be equality Of economic
opportunity. 1t has become manifest
that within the past century-in fact
within the knowledge OF many men
now living-our country has seen a
great percentage Of its capital con-
trolled by a small minority of its citi-
gems. The quaci public industries Of
transportation and communication
and the natural monopolies of land,
timber, minerals and water power
and the grea. ulk Of the manufac-
turing machinery Of the nation are
owned and controlled by the mil
nority and are available to the work
ers and to the-public only on the suf-
ferance OF those who own and con-
troll these monopolies. For the pur-
pose OF remedying this condition
without undue violations to any per-
son now living who has fairly and
honestly spent his life in labor In ac-
cordance with the accepted laws and
usages OF our country Ii was urged
that while the beginning Of reforms
should be immediate that any remedy
should be a gradual and progressive
remedy rather than revolutionary
and drastic.
For the extinction Of land monopo-
" Ii is proposed to work toward abo-
lition of the taxation upon improve
ments on real estate; for public own
ership and democratic control Of
mines: water power railroads, of
means of communication, Of terminal
warehouses and elevators and all
other basic industries whose opera
tons depend upon and whose values
are based upon the franchise val
ne given to them by the government.
In order that there be no difficulty
in the governments plunging into
any proposition OF this sort with
wasteful unpreparedness, IL is pro-
posed that there shall be expert
mental public ownership Of such bus
mess and organizations until the
feasibility and practicability Of such
business operations on the part OF
the government be fully and accur-
ately determined. The platform fur
Their declared for. the encouragement
of the fullest individual liberty and
initiative in industrial enterprise,
and specifically set forth that such
net incomes as result from private
undertakings should not be regarded
indiscriminately as unearned incre-
ment for the reason that such in
comes as are received from Industrial
enterprise are in most cases but fair
wages due for the useful experiment
performed and the special services
rendered. The difference which lay
between such accommodations Of prop
erty and the acquisition Of monopo-
lies for the purpose OF exploiting the
puSlic lay In whether or not such ac-
cumulations were acquired by some
special privilege or actually earned
by the person who holds them. In
order to avoid the establishment OF a
political bureaucracy which might
obtain control Of the government IL
Is proposed that there shall be pro-
lection to the workers and the. ex-
pert business managers OF industry
from tyranny Of unenlightened pub
lie officials by administrative boards
upon which the workers, the man
ayers and the government be all rep
resented.
For the assistance OF the farmer IT
IL proposed that the federal loan law
privileges be extended as far as pos
sible commensurate with the safety
Of the government funds loaned up
On farm aae1lritv and that the .ZoN-