The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1918-11-18
FLAT FAILURE
FOR N0PARTY :
. is. FORECAST
Defeat of Amendments. to be
Followed by Resurrection of
-. ..., House Bill "A
PEOPLE WILL SWAT 1T
Believed That Effort to Cram
Socialism, Down Throats will
..t..., Cause Revolt
PEOPLE WILL SWAT 1T

,A..~ a.. Cause Revolt
Certain defeat for the Nonpartisau
amendments is reflected in returns re-
ceived from 26 counties showing the
principal proposals Of the organization
still lagging 1000 behind the required
ma ajority. This is the opinion Of a high
state official and Lacquer. He also
believes that the defeat Of the lcague
amendments will insure the resurrec-
tion of House Bill No. a in the general
assembly which cOnvenes January J..
The fact that the league program hds
been repudiated by more than so per
cent Of the legal electors Of the state
will have no deterrent Oh the league
legislators, whipped into line by Presi-
dent Townley and his associates, in the
famous league caucus which will be in
stituted several days prior to the open
ing Of the legislative assembly, he be-
lieves. .~
Semi-official returns from 26 coun-
ties as tabulatcd in the office Of the
secretary of state show total vote for
governor of 44,543, while the vote on
the debt limit amendment, probably the
most important Of the ten principal
proposals submitted by TOwnley ut the
recent election, is only 21,2S6. If a
majority Of the vote OH governorship
alone were required, the amendment
would need 22,272 of these 44,545 bal
lots. But the constitutional amend
ment providing for the initiative states
very clearly that proposed amendments
initiated by the people must have the
approval Of Il majority of all the legal
electors voting therefor. The total
number Of votes cast in the recent elec-
tion will be at least two per cent great
er than the ballot on the goyernorship,
thus increasing by ut least 500 the
handicap which the amendments have
to overcome in &c out Of the total Of
SO counties.
The secretary of state is inclined to
believe that at least so per cent Of the
total vote cast in North Dakota on
November now is in. The tabulation
of semi-official returns includes such
large counties as Cass, Grand Forks,
Richland, Stutsman and Ward. If half
the vote Is already in, which mean\ Il
safe. conjecture, the. total number Of
ballots will not exceed 10000.
o. GROOMING OLD "A.
From league headquarters at st.
Paul already come advices Of the
grooming Of old House Bill A which
was laid away in lavender after it's
rough treatment in the senate two
years ago. House Bill No. A includes
everything that was embraced in the
leagues ten amendments and then
Se, Ivv N,fyf yfNV-g
tion for the state Of North Dakota,
built along socialist lines, presented in
the form of an act which would be-
come effective with the approval Of
an a majority Of the electors voting
thereon. AS originally presented, House
Bill Al was to have been voted upon
at a special election to be held in June,
an undertaking which Judge Robinson
pointed out as unconstitutional because
of the fact that the bill did not carry
an emergency clause If President
Townley wants House Bill AZ passed
by the next assembly, little thing like
an emergency clause will not stand in
his way In the house, and it IS possible
that he might obtain the required two
thirds vote in the senate, although such
majority for the league in the upper
house is far from probable on the face
of present returns.
1.-The people might as we'll come to
It sooner or later" said a prominent
league office-holder this morning.
'We're going to fight it out to finish
along these lines. II our amendments
did not carry at the general election.
we intend to give the people another
chance to vote ON House Bill Al. As
sure as shooting you'll see House Bill
islature before the session is Il month
old" .'>' .>r
WOULD MEAN DEFEAT.
It is believed here that even should
House Bill a pass the legislature. the
people will repudiate second attempt
to foist upon them makeshift con-
stitution. framed without reference to
the wishes of the people as a whole
and jimmied through with little time
for thought. The leaguers' hope is that
the referendum provision requiring
only majority of the votes cast on the
proposition will save House Bill Al If
it goes to the people. The opposition.
however, holds that the campaign Of
education conducted by the joint cam
mittee has thoroughly awakened even
leaguers to the dangers which lie in the
Townley program, and that if House
Bill Al does bob up its head it's will
be swatted most numerically by the
electorate.
The defeat of the ten amendments
will disrupt the leagues legislative
program predicated upon a belief that
these proposals would carry. As a re-
suit the leagues entire energies will
be concentrated on an effort to procure
by legislation changes in the constitu-
tion which the organization was un-
able to get by the voice Of the people.
Mnn