The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1918-05-18
47,000SIGNERS
OF P EDITIONS
ARE. PROBLEM
Politicians Wonder How Many Of
These Signatures Repre-
sent Stickers
10000 VOTES LOST STATE

Petitions are coming in Tor state Of
ficers later than usual this year, and
1nasmuch as three full tickets will
be placed in the field, the number
of petitions will be at least third
greater than ordinarily. At the, pri.
mafies there will be the Nonpartisan
and Independent Voters association
tickets fpr nomination on the Repub-
lican ticket, and the Democrats will
have In tie, field, an almost complete
ticket which will have no opposition
The only candidates upon whom two
organizations have doubled up is C. ].
Fisk OF MinOt, candidate for justice
of the supreme court, who has been
endorsed by the Democrats and the
Independent Voters association. Fisk
will be opposed for the non-party nom.
inati0n by Harry A. Bronson of Grand
Forks, the Nonpartisan candidate, but
II the MinOt man should fail to receive
majority of votes from the Repub-
lican, he IS certain of a majority from
the Democrats, and in any event,
the ronpaGtisan judicial ballot system
provides for the nomination Of two
candidates, and it is certain to be Fisk
versus Bronson in the finals next
November.
The Nonpartisan league is seeking
to nominate on the Republican ticket
James H. Sinclair of Kenmare, demo-
crat, for congress, to oppose Pat Nor
ton Of Hettinger, Republican candidate
for reelection The Independent Vot-
ers' association, which will do most
Of its fighting at the primaries, will
endeav0r to put Norton over again.
Fisk Is the Independent Voters asso-
cations only democratic nominee.
The League has endorsed for nomina-
ton on its ticket Congressman John
M. Baer Of the First district, who is
a democrat.
The League Strength.
The fact that the leagues initiative
petitions through which it is seeking
to submit to the voters at the gen.
eral election ten radical amendments
to the constitution contain ,aproxi-
mataly $4,000 signatures us giving
opponents of the Nonpartisans food
for thought The leagues famous ten
amendments embody all that was most
revolutionary in the Nonpartisan house
Bill A which created such furOre
at the last regular session. The adop-
ton of these amendments would en-
able the legislature and the state ad-
ministratiOn to open the money bags
of the commonwealth and to invest
these funds in oil wells, gold mines,
chain stores, packing plants, terminal
elevators, newspapers or any other bu.
siness venture in which private capital
may engage At the regular session
in 1917 when the conservative element
in the house attempted to fix the max
imum which the state might invest at
$15,O00,000. league leader on the
floor sounded the Nonpartisan slogan
when he said, well make the sky
the limit" Virtually this would be
true. were the ten amendments to the
constitution which the league is pro.
posing adopted.
Will They Stick?
1t is reasonable to believe that only
the deepest dyed Nonpartisans, The
most radical faction of the party,
signed the petitions proposing these
amendments, as they are considered
the most socialistic doctrine ever
propounded in an American common.
wealth, say conservative opponents
of the leagues new constitution. 1t
is doubtful whether so per cent of all
the league members in the state back
ed up these resolutions with their sig
nature, and if this is the case. the
league must have a voting strength of
nearly $4,000. Two years ago 121,-
900 votes were cast in North Dakota.
The war. has taken from the state
10000 votes, the vast majority Of them
from the cities, where the league
strength would be less than in coun-
try districts. The democrats are max
ing q determined effort to make a
showing which will convince the ma
tional administration that the North
Dakota machine is worth perpetual
ing. Even with the N0npartisan land
slide two years ago, when Frazier
pOlled 1866 votes, D. H. Macarthur,
democratlc candidate for governor,
captured 2O,351, and if the democrats