The Glasgow courier. [volume] (Glasgow, Mont.) 1913-current, 1919-07-11
NORTH DAKOTA EXPERIMENTS.

Our ~neighboring state Of North Da-
kota is about to engage in the state
ownership and operation of industries.
That much is decided by the recent
vote of the people on certain referen-
dunn measures. The margin Of APP
prevail was not so large as the Nom
partisan league majorities have been
in that state of late years, but it is
sufficient to show that a majority of
the people there believe in the pro-
posed experiments and want the state
to try them. The result will be watch
ed with some interest by the people of
other states, and possibly induce even
the radicals in these other states to
be willing to wait and see what hap
pens in North Dakota before trying
out the same ventures elsewhere.
Seven laws were approved at the
recent referendum. The heaviest votes
were cast for and against a measure
providing for a system of state own
ed elevators and flour mills and an
other for the establishment of a state
bank, including a bond issue of ST.
100000. These were the two most
important measures and naturally
brought out the largest vote. The
others change the system of judicial
districts, relate to tax administration,
make an appropriation for immigra-
ton purposes, make changes in the
educational affairs of the state, and
the seventh governs the publication of
legal notices within the state. They
were all Nonpartisan league measures
and all carried by proportionately the
same vote, although there was much
less interest in the last named meas
ure.
The vote brought out was heavier
than yer before cast in North Dako-
ia, and that resulted in a consider
ably decreased Nonpartisan league
vote, but not sufficiently reduced to
affect any of the measures. The last
reports indicated a majority of about
5000 on the two important measures,
with a smaller majority on the others.
One of the results shown by an anal
ysis of the vote is that the league lost
a good many Of it's German supporters
this year, indicating that these vot-
ers previously had been more inter-
ested in the supposed pro-German at
titude of the league than in it's eco
nomic proposals. Last year, for in
stance, Stutsman county, which is
said to be largely German in settle
ment, went overwhelmingly for the
league, but last week the vote was the
other way. Another feature of the
vote figured out by North Dakota
politicians and statisticians is that the
league ran strongest where the crop:
had been poorest-in the northwest
ern se~ction-during the last few years
Where the farmers were most pros
perious they were not so eager to ven
ture upon untried state experiments
Great Falls Tribune.
The referendum on the measures
proposed by the Farmers N%onpartisal
party Of North Dakota proves tina
! this organization is putting over OF
. the people Of the state measures whic1
: at best have the support of a bar
{ majority of the voters; in other word
= that they are not responsive to tn
: popular demand the leaders of the or
i ganization profess to be meeting. BIZ
! for the disposition Of members of tn
: Nonpartisan party to be loyal to tn
5 organization and leadership it is evi
: dent that the proposed laws woul
J not have stood a ghost of a show a
. the ballot box. The scant majorit
4 by which they were approved give
s evidence that the tide of revolutionar
8 radicalism is %receding in the north
west.