The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1918-10-17
BIG BUSINESS FIGHTING TO
DEFEAT PEOPLES
PROGRAM.


election Of state officials. They
realize if these amendments pass
the real governing power Of the
state will be permanently placed
in the hands of the people, re-
gardless of who their chief ex-
ecutive may be, and that it will
be impossible to defeat or long
delay the peoples program.
If the Constitutional Amend
ments should be defeated, how
ever, it will be impossible for
the next Legislature to build and
operate state owned flour-mills,
terminal elevators or packing
plants, to exempt farm improve
ments from taxation or to give
the farmers state hail insurance
at cost. This program is what
really threatens the profits of
monopolists who have been ex-
plotting this state for years.
Every Citizen Should Vote.
More than $4,000 voters sign
ed petitions placing the Consti-
tutional Amendments on. the bal
lot. This is a majority Of all
votes cast at the primary elec-
tion and may be enough to in
sure a passage Of the amend
ments on Nov. 18th. But the
amendments require a majority.
Of all votes cast in order to pass.
This means that a man who does
not vote on the amendments re-
ally is doing as much to defeat
them as the reactionary who
votes against them. This ex-
plains why Big Business thinks
It has q chance to beat these
measures. It hopes to befog the
issue so that many people will be-
come confused and not vote at
all. Every man who does not vote
is helping defeat the amend
ments.
Big Business politicians and
Big Business newspapers are
CARRYING on a campaign of mis-
Representation which has no par
. allel in this state. The Consti-
tutional Amendments are long
and written in legal phraseology
difficult for the average laymen
to understand. Big Business is
taking advantage Of this to bold
" misrepresent the facts and. to
deliberately lie about the purpos-
es and powers granted by these
measrres.
People Made Real Rulers.
The first six amendments are
intended solely to make the state
government more responsive to
popular will. These six amend
ments provide for the Initiative !;
the Referendum; the campaign
pamphlet issue by the state; the
emergency provisions which
make it possible for emergency
legislation to go into effect be-
fore submitting same to the peo-
ple: that no measure initiated
by or referred to the people may
be vetoed by the governor or
amended or repealed by the Leg
islature unless two-thirds OF it's
members so vote on roll call !;
that proposed amendments to
the Constitution, if agreed to by
3. majority Of the Legislature,
must be submitted to the people
for ratification or rejection and
that 20, 900 voters by petition al
50 can place proposed Constltu-
tional Amendments upon the
ballot.
Mr.. Doyle and the other Big
Business apologists assert these
amendments fare revolt utionary
and dangerous. !" This is untrue:
Sixteen states Of the United
States already have adopted In
itiative and Referendum meas
ures and they have been operat-
inr ia Switzerland and Australia
for many years. These acts are
not experimental and are merely
designed to provide a means
which can be used il case 2 re-
dictionary or corrupt Legislature
refuses to pass laws demanded
Nv The people or does pass meas
Ires which the people dlsap-
prove. Under the Initiative and
Referendum the people have q
remedy il either event. Zen