Williston graphic. (Williston, Williams County, N.D.) 1895-1919, 1917-01-25
HOUSE TO PASS
BILL A At ONCE
SUDDEN ACTION IN THE HOUSE
CAME AS SURPRISE TO OPPON.
ENTS OF MEASURE
Act Revising State Constitution Rec.
commended For Passage Without
Debate

constitution passed unexpectedly from
the committee of the whole house this
morning onto the calendar for third
reading, when Rep. c. p. Peterson's
motion that the bill be recommended
for passage was adopted without de-
bates, after the house had spent a
brief period considering an amend
ment.
Under the house rules, when the
bill comes on for third reading, men,
bers are limited to thirty minutes de-
bate, and Speaker Wood said this
morning the majority would not raise
such rules to permit of longer debate.
1--WE are going to pass this 'bill,''
he said "and put the matter up to the
senate. Whxt's the use oT spending a
week debating this bill in the house" "
The sudden action of the house COM
mittee of the whole came as a COM
plete surprise.
Representative Divet's motion that
the proposed constitution as relates
to education, be amended to include
the words, "patriotism and morality ~
as this is for educational work, had
been voted down, when Peterson made
his motion. It was PUT and carried
without debate. The committee dis
solved moment later, and house bill
forty-four is now before the house
for final passage as amended.
Representative Dvet, supporting
his motion for the inclusion of the
words, "patri6tism and morality" de-
clared he knew Of rlo order from, his
people to drop such words out of the
present constitution, in defining the
aims Of the states educational sys-
tenn. He arraigned in scathing terms
the man who had dropped such words
"The hand chat held the pen would
nut poison in the wells in front of his
army, and lead his sister to the
brothel" said Divet. 49,.
Discuss Question of' Limit
During the latter portion of yester-
day afternoons session, the legisla-
ture gave itself over to the consider
alton of the debt feature of the new
constitution, as set forth in he pro-
vision with respect to the issuance Of
bonds and mortgages on public util-
ity enterprises.
"A series Of motions were made, pro-
posing first that the state be limited
to an expenditure Of $1,000,O0 and
political subdivisions to ten per cent
of their assessed valuation, but the
propositions were turned down by the
majority.
Successive amendments were then
offered, proposing finally that s10,-
OO0, 900 be the maximum amount that
the state might bond for such enter
prises. ten per cent Of Che assessed
valuation of the political subdivisions
being also offered.
The discussions waxed warm at sew
eral stages.
Representatives Divet, Tenneson,
Blanchard, Hendrickson, Mackof.
speaking for the minority all insisted
that the constitution should carry
some provision whereby expenditures
could be limited. They maintained
that in the making of a constitution,
it was generally recognized that the
purpose is to fix boundaries within
which the legislature might operate in
the future.
Representative E. E. Cole of Far
go, Stair of Bottineau, Fraser Of Nc
Lean. and Peterson of Towner. spoke
for the majority, and opposed the
propositions put forth by the minor
ity for the fixing Of any limit.
Representative Cole thought that
the provisions as it stood, was salts
factory, maintaining that he was
quite willing to trust future leg!sla-
tive assemblies to use discretion in
expending moneys for the utilities and
enterprises CONTEMPLATED under the
proposed constitutional amendment.
Arguments on the question of the
proposed limit occupied about an
hour and a half, and when the house
committee of the whole dissolved, it
had accomplished but little.
One amendment proposed by Rep
resentative Walter Maddox was
{ dopted. It provided that in the case
Of political subdivisions, no bonds or
should be issued except as
by the vote of the people,
pressed at a special election.