The Oakes times. [volume] (Oakes, N.D.) 1906-current, 1917-02-01
STENM0 TELLS WHY
HE IS AGAINST BILL
REVISION OF CONSTITUTION NOT
ISSUE OF CAMPAIGN
Senator Stenmo Had Endorsement Of
N. p. League from Grand
Forks County
Mr.. o. A. Johnson,
Secretary Walle Township Farmers

Dear Sir:
am in receipt of your letter trans
mitting to me the decision agreed up
on by the club. fear the members
have taken snap judgment upon the
matter which is now arousing so
much discussion throughout the state.
Before asking me to support House
Bill No. "A, you should have explained
to me what emergency has arisen
within the last three weeks to justify
the introduction of this bill. During
the year just past, our state went
through the most exciting political
campaign in its history. And yet do
not think that you would be able to
show me in the pages of the Nom
partisan Leader, or from the speeches
of Mr.. Townley and his associates, one
single hint that revision of our con.
stitution along the lines proposed in
H. 3. "A would be attempted at the
present session. 1t must be apparent
to everybody that the issue as an issue
has only come up since the legislature
met, and that it did not originate
among the Nonpartisan members
themselves, but has been created by
Mr.. Townley and his associates. have
put the question up to him squarely
why this revision plan was not
brought up for discussion last sum-
mer, and have received the very
lame answer that he did not know
until recently how difficult it would
be to put through the league program
in the face of the present limitations
in the constitution! Now the method
of amending our present constitution
is we'll known, and it is hard to imag-
inc that man of Mr.. Townley's acu-
men could be unacquainted with it.
That the league program was td' be
enacted into law by the amendment
route was the understanding of every
one with whem l discussed the mat
ter. and that this was the method
contemplated is expressly stated in
the republican state platform last
year.
The only satisfactory explanation
of why the revision plans were kept
secret until the legislature met would
seem to be. that had they been d.
vulged earlier there would have been
time for thought and discussion, and
the people would have been almost
certain to disapprove of any under
taking along the lines proposed. The
deep-laid, preneditated program
seems to have been somewhat as fol-
lows: Have all the details carefully
mapped out beforehand. keep the peo-
pie in complete ignorance of the re-
vision plan until the opportune mo-
ment, spring it upon the legislators
suddenly on their coming together at
Bismarck, have all the Nonpartisan
members bound and gagged by max
ing them "sign up" in the meantime.
keep a strenuous propaganda in order
to intimidate possible insurgents, and
the hold-Over senators, distract the
peoples attention with various acts
of executive authority, and while this
was going on new constitution would
be hurried through the legislature in
double-quick fashion.
In future years the people of the
state will be disposed to raise monu-
ments to the senators who blocked
this nefarious attempt to foist upon
the state constitution which their
representatives not only had not
drawn up, but which they had received
no mandate from the people to
draw up. In my judgment, were to
vote for H. 3. A, would violate the
cath took upon entering office. l
was sent here to aid in securing good
laws, not to tamper with the funda-
mental law OF our state. The distinc-