The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1918-09-09

the little brush, you see. But would
you believe 1t that disagreeable old
Magpie flew after the little rabbit
---s--~-~~-~-~-~.~-A~.~
all earnings, be it days labor or
other source of income, everything
and everybody in the state will
stand pledged to pay the bonds
would you give any political boss
who may control the press and other
machinery for molding public opin-
ion a power Of attorney to put a
first mortgage lien on you and all
that you possess? If you vote to
amend the state constitution you are
doing this very thing and more. You
willie extend the mortgage to enslave
your children, and their children for
generations to come. The debt
limit in our constitution is the most
sacred guarantee of liberty; 1t
stands as a barrier against folly and
greed and corruption: it says to the
charlatan. or the fool: Thus far
shalt thou go, but no further.
Remove all Local Limits.
"Third: Do you know that if you
vote for this amendment you will
absolutely remove all the debt limi-
tation against counties, cities and
all subdivisions less than the state
itself? r~
Fourth: Do you know that this
will destroy all private chedit? Be-
cause if there is no restriction, no
limit to public bonds, then your prop
erty stands subject to sale and seiz-
ure to pay public debts unlimited,
which leaves you no equity; even
your earnings become subject to
seizure so long as you remain with
in the borders Of the state? This is
the most far-reaching question that
can possibly come before any peo-
pie. Stop your work and read, think
and understand. The question is:
DO you want to continue to do busi-
ness in your own name or let soras-
one else control you?
Forging Chains of Bondage.
What will 1t profit YOU to DESTROY
autocracy and free the world il you
forge chains of bondage unlimited
with which to shackle yourselves
and your posterity? Shall we give
to professional political bosses the
power to despoil our state and the
thousands Of happy homes? This
state is a. great corporation, and you
are a stockholder. You and your
family are the corporate property.
The constitution is your guaranty Of
liberty. Without its protecting re-
strictions, anarchy will overtake and
destroy you. The restriction against
mourning public debt is the most
essential safeguard in the constitu-
ton. Without it. the protection to
liberty, life and property becomes a
hollow mockery. The experience that
older states have had was the guild
ing influence that caused the makers
of our constitution to fix the debt
limit just high enugh to allow
public improvements to be under
taken on reasonable basis. It has
stood the test so far. Beware of
any policy that opens the door to
folly and fraud; let well enough
alone To remove the debt limit
means conf1scation of all property
by the tax route. Do you know that
liz you vote for these amendments it
will be possible to tax one class and
one big enough to be trusted with
such power?
Our bonding limit is high enough
to permit needed public improve
ments, but not high enough to open
the doors to the looter and exploiter,
as was the misfortune of the older
states, who paid the price in fraudu-
lent bond issues voted on the people
by hired thugs and bond election
Bonds Issued FrauduIentIy.
Mr.. Hellstrom then cites a num-
Der of instances in which bonds have
been fraudulently issued. Away
back in the early seventies, one
county in Kansas voted 1886. 900 in
aid of railroads that today are a.
joke, and some were never built. In
fact, this county today has only go
miles of track built by the roads to
which aid was voted and on which
the only train service now maintain
ed is. one round "trip daily except
Sunday by a combination motor
driven car on one of the three roads
to which aid was voted. One road
was never built and the other at
one time. had "a miles Of track which
was abandoned, and later the track
was taken up.
There are hundreds and thous-
ands of cases similar to this all over
the United States. Leavenworth
county, Kansas. was mixed in the
same railway bond scheme that
caught Douglas county, and they
were also compromised. Keokuk,
Ia, Carpenter, Wis. Clay county,
MO-, ElLLSDurGh, Ia, ana ST. ClalP
county, Mo, are few of the early
victims,
Stands for mo Debts.
The only reason there are not
such outrages to be recorded in
North Dakota is because of the debt
limit in our constitution. Do you
want it removed? So long as we
keep the debt limit down, N. d.
viii stand for No Debts as well as
for North Dakota.
There is also another good reason
to let well enough alone, at least
while our young men are away fight
ing to keep our flag afloat. They
will be unable to cast their vote on
this question, but they and their
children will have to do the paying.
When these gallant young men re-
turn, let us be able to say: Here
Is the good old state OF North Da-
kota just as good as it was when
you left What. excuse would we
have to offer IL we mortgage the
state for all 1t will stand? How
would you feel if you are forced to
say: Well, Bill, the old state Is still
here. She couldn't get away. We
tackled her down with o mortgage,
"a