The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1919-08-29
MACHINES SAW 1920 ROyT
Politicians Succeed in Going Back to
Party Convention Only In Idaho
Attempt Made In Nearly Every
League State.

against laws enacted by the Iegis-
lature to repeal the direct primary.
AS the result Of the referendum
action, the repeal laws will not GO
into effect, but will be brought
before the people of the two states
for vote at the next general cleo
ton, in November, 1920. There
is no doubt that the repeal laws
will be beaten and the primary
preserved when the people have
chance to express their wishes.
In nearly every state in which the
league is organized, attempts were
made, at the 1919 Legislative sessions,
to repeal the direct primary laws.
The professional politicians feared
that the farmers would gain control in
their states, as they had in North Da-
kota.
In most of the states League men,
bers of the legislature successfully
resisted these repeal bills. In three
states, however-Idaho, Montana and
Nebraska-the repeal bills were
passed.
Petitions Circulated.
In Idaho 1t is impossible to invoke
the referendum. Nebraska and Mon
tana both have the referendum, how
ever, and campaigns for signatures
were at once started In both Of these
states.
Nebraska was the first state to go
over the top" with the required num-
Der OF signatures. In that state 1t was
necessary to get $4,000 signers to pre-
vent the repeal law from going into
effect. More than 500 volunteer cir
culators of petitions got to work, at
the request of the Nebraska state
committee. They left their own work.
DAY after day, to circulate petitions
to save the primary" One volun
teer, P. o. Nicholson, OF Friend, Neb..
got $50 signatures alone The 500
volunteers, combined, got 24,004 sigma
lures, 1000 more than enough to save
| the law. The petitions have been
filed and counted by the Nebraska
secretary of state and accepted as
sufficient to prevent the repeal law
iiUHi SOlHS ITO eHect.
How valuable the work of the
League has been in Nebraska Is shown
by the fact that two other organiza-
| tons attempted to refer other laws
| passed by the last session of the legis
lature. In neither case did the Sec
rotary of state accept these petitions.
The spirit of the League farmers car
r1ed their movement through to sue
cess, where others failed.
Montana farmers were up against
| more stringent referendum law than
| that Of Nebraska. The Montana law
provides that in a majority of the
counties of the state the signers must
number more than Is per cent of the
voters. The last legislature created
a number of new counties, so that 1t
was necessary for the League to Sc
cure 10 per cent of the voters In 26
counties.
Trick Fails in Montana.
The Montana repeal act carried a
provision for referendum, cunning
ly planned by the Legislators to be
held in September of this year, when
the farmers would be busy with the
harvest. 1t was therefore necessary
to secure the signatures before the
date set for this special election, in
stead CT taking the full time allowed
otherwise by law.
After signatures, amounting to more
than Is per cent, had been secured in
| nnn1hnr Of LD
Gals refused to accept the petitions.
1t was necessary for the League to
appeal to the attorney general of the
state for a ruling requiring the county
officials to accept filing.
Petitions were actually circulated
in AZ of the so counties of the state.
Save the Primary" became the slo-
gan of the League farmers and of or
ganized labor. Placards in red, white
and blue, bearing these words, ap-
peared on the windshields of automo-
biles throughout Montana.
The campaign has met even a.
greater success than that in Nebraska.
AS this is written 30 counties, instead
OF the rs required, have so far sub
mltted petitions signed by more than
Is per cent of the voters. Petitions
SO far counted show 33,1S7 signatures.
1000 more than required The special
election planned for September has
been officially called off and the pri-
mary repeal bill will come before the
voters of Montana at the general cleo
ton of November, 1920, at which time,
with a fair vote, it is certain that it
will be defeated
Idaho is the only western state in
which law repeating the direct pri-
mary has gone into effect and the
farmers and organized workers of that
state are confident that despite this
handicap they will be able to elect
men to the next legislature who will
repeal this obnoxious statute and re-
store the primary law.