The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1918-10-22

bu1 league literature, have been OPP
ened
Socialists Give Up.
There seems no longer to be any
question in North Dakota that the
most important Of the Socialist
amendments will be rejected. A ma
jority OF ali tile votes cast at the
November election is required to
bring these amendments before the
next legislature assembly for its rat
ification. The Socialists quite gem.
orally have given up any hope of OBJ
tanning such majority for the amend
ments which make the sky the limit
for bonded Indebtedness; which re-
move from the present constitution
the provision restricting the levy
ing of taxes to public purposes" and
the amendment which would enable
the state to embark in and finance
all manner OF business and indus
trial enterprises. "
Not a Socialist Proposal. ,.>
The constitutional amendment
whose approval would enable the
legislature by law to provide for the
levying OF a general land tax for the
payment of state hail insurance pre-
miums is not a league measure, but
was initiated some time before the
league became a factor in state poll
tics and was approved by the last
Legislature assembly. 1t comes be-
fore the people in November for final
ratification. There appears to be no
general opposition to this amend
ment. whose adoption would enable
the state to embark upon an expert
ment which has been attempted with
varying degrees Of success in several
Of the Canadian provinces and in one
or two of the American states.
There is much antagonism to the
Socialists proposal to amend the
provision covering initiative posi-
tions so as to reduce the number
of signatures required from at least
ten percent OF the legal voters to be
secured in a majority of the counties
OF this state, to "ten thousand cleo
tors at large" and reducing the num-
Der of signatures on a referendum
petition from ten percent of the yot
ers of the state from majority. of
the counties to 1900 electors at
large"
One effect of this amendment, a
high constitutional authority of the
league points out, would be to enable
any one division of the state to mi
might have a direct local interest,
without consulting the state at large.
The amendment would make it pos
sible for a very small percentage of
the voters to indefinitely suspend the
operation of any legislative enact
ment not an emergency measure or
to constantly clutter up the ballot
with sectional matters in which the
state as whole had no interest and
upon which it would be difficult to
gain an expression.
Suspend the Constitution.
The same argument would obtain
in the matter of adopting constitu-
tional amendments which the league
proposes, by constitutional amend
ment, proposes to initiate through the
medium of 10000 electors at large,
instead of requiring at least Is per
cent OF the local voters in each of
not less than one-half the counties
of the state, as at present. All Of
these amendments would tend to
make it easier for the Socialists to
disturb or suspend legal or consti-
tutional authority with which they
did not agree and would tend to give
the entire state government a lack
of stability which does not appeal in
prospect to the average conservative
voter. .~
League managers now are worry
ing over the possibility of opposition
to this carpetbagger program devel-
oping to such an extent that the
small margin which the league has
claimed as a safe majority for Gov
ernor Frazier and other members of
| its state ticket will dissolve into
lnothingness. The situation in North
Dakota is such that very few. votes
changed from one camp to another
will decide the issue.