The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1919-04-25
WHO'S BIG BUSINESS NOW?
Bismarck, N. Dak.,
April 10, 1919.

Dear Sir:
Your news columns today carry ex-
tracts from a speech delivered by E..
P. Wells to the people of jamestown
in which he is reported to advising
the people of North Dakota to give the
new laws trial.
This seems to me to be good advice
and that Is what the peope of the
state are trying to do, but unfortu.
nately there seems to be a lot of peo.
pie who are making very strenuous
effort to prevent the logical applica-
ton Of the new laws of the state.
You no doubt will agree with me when
say the constitution is the funda.
mental law of the state and that stat.
utes are based on this fundamental
law. At the last election new in.
itiative and referendum law was writ.
en- into our constitution by a vote OF
the people. The aim and object OF
this law was to give the people a
chance to legislate by direct vote OF
the people instead of by representa-
tives. The last legislature enacted a
number of laws that involve a very
radical departure from the usual and
ordinary course of legislation. Emer-
gency clauses were attached to these
strange measures in order to make it
very difficult for the people to secure
a referendum vote. Why such undue
haste to put these laws into effect?
Why was the emergency put on such
as the Industrial Commits
sion, the Banking and various bond
ing acts? The existence of an emerg-
ency relative to these measures is a
mere fiction that does not exist in
fact, but is simply a device that is
calculated to defeat a. referendum by
the people. In other words the legis-
taure was afraid to trust the people,
and therefore sought to impose diff
culties that would prevent an express
sion of the people by referendum vote.
What are You doing to assist in get
ting referendum vote Of the people?
But getting back to Mr.. Wells, do
you give. his views for the purpose Of
asking the people to take his advise?
If so, are we to understand that you
have gone over to the side of Big
Biz? Mr. Wells is the head Of the
Wells Dickey Company, one of the
largest brokers in farm loans, bonds
and mortgages and is the president of
the Russle-Milled Milling Company
and has various other connections that
without doubt place him in the Big
Biz class.
1t has been presistently rumored
that the Russell Miller Milling Com
pany was willing to trade their busi-
ness to the State of North Dakota for
some of the per cent bonds that the
elevator and mill bonds le-
yally carry. There may be food for
thought in Mr.. Wells remarks. What
do you thing about this? Do you
know that thirty year bonds of the
state of North Dakota drawing IL
per cent should sell at par? II the
state Of North Dakota should sell $17,-
900 900 90 of state bonds as proposed,
at 6 per. cent, in that event the peo.
pie of the state will pay out in ex-
cess interest, $12,75o,0oo.0o. That is
a pretty good sized bonus. Do you
think that there are Big Biz bond
brokers that will deliberately throw
that bonus overheard? Can it be pos
sible that apparent anxiety Of GER
tain people to prevent g referendum
has any relation to this $12,750 100000
bonus !? DO you know that the legis.
Iature omitted providing any system
81 checks Or safety provisions to pro
vide against error or dishonesty on
the part Of those entrusted with the