The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1917-02-07
E|lRT'Y.EOUR IS
!. DEAD, AUTOPSY
SETTLES E FACT
Leaguers and Equity Men Deter
mine No Efforts Shall Be
Made to Revive
CONFERENCE HELD THIS
MORNING ON NEW BILLS
House Bill "A, is dead.

House Bill A. is dead. ~
This was the conclusion arrived at
after a friendly autopsy by leaguers
( and Equity men at the. Northwest hotel
last evening.
Political pulmotors, artificial respir'
alton and other last aids to the injured
were used, and the ultimate verdict
was that No. A is gone beyond recall;
that any effort to revive the measure
will prove a loss of time and energy,
and that if the league, is to do any
thing toward revising the constitution,
this year or next, the goal must be
reached through some other avenue.
Then solemnly, seriously and in cold
blood, House Bill Al, which came into
existence. under such suspicious cir
cumstances. and whose friends had
hoped for it such a long and glorious
career, was trotted out and buried in
the graveyard Of lost hopes.
And out Of this funeral pyre rose a
new phoenix-the initiative, which, as
The Tribune originally predicted. the
league will resort to to bring before
the people at the general election in
1918 the vita! features Of House Bill
a.. Referring to The use of the initia-
tive petition as means Of giving the
people an opportunity to act on the
amendments desired by the league,
Governor Frazier said, in addressing
the cOnferees last evening.
1.-THE method you have discussed
here tonight is. believe, the best I'M
der the circumstance. do not believe
we should compromise. House Bill Al
was put up to the senate fair and
square, and few conservative men,
hers killed it. Now the people who
hold the welfare Of North Dakota at
heart should stand by their guns and
not yield one inch.
81 am proud to know that league
representatives and senators had
enough backbone to stand for what the
people demanded. There Is among
you not man who need be embar-
rassed when he goes back home to
give his people an accounting of his
stewardship.
@v Means Of Education.
"This initiative method" continued
the farmer chief executive, "will prove
a means of education for North Dakota
people. During the year and half
that will elapse before the general ell
ection in November, 1918, we can
make them fully acquainted with our
purpose and set them thinking. And
they are thinking now" said the gov
ernor, impressively. There is many a
farmer out on the open prairies Of
North Dakota who knows more about
House Bill A than do some of the SEN
ators who voted to kill it.
zone of the campaign arguments
used in opposition to the league
througout the campaign was that the
Nonpartisans would seek the establish.
ment of state-owned enterprises
through direct taxation, thereby in.
creasing our taxes. Now that their
arguments have been discredited, they
are seeking to make good on them by
proposing to build by direct taxation
-four mills and packing plants.
Bismarck an Example.
''If this little city of Bismarck,
thundered the governor. Can bond it.
self for 100000 to pave its streets,
there is no reason why the state of
North Dakota cannot bond itself for
millions for state-owned, enterprises
and there is no reason why they will
not. The two years which must now
efapse before we can place the league
program in operation will be period
OF education not alone for the farmer,
but for, the people OF the cities, whose
conversion win dosmuch to carry the
program through"
Senate Amendments Hopeless.
contending that the introduction OF
constitutional amendments in keeping
with the league program is bluff on
the part of the senate, which thus
hopes to delay action on the league
program. the conference last evening
went on record as in favor Of oppOs.
ing these amendments to the last
ditch in the senate and defeating them
in the house. It is probable that a