The Tomahawk., 1919-09-11

MACHINES SAW 1920 RoUT
Politicians Succeed in Going Back 70
Party Convention Only In idaho
Attempt Made In Nearly Every
League State.

~ 0Otu O1a6S0 TITO CoIST0UoOn
has been invoked successfully
against laws enacted by the legls-
lat',re to repeal the direct primary.
A. the result Of the referendum
action, tho repeal laws will not 90
Into effect, but will be brought
before the people Of the two states
foP vote at tho next general cleo
ton, In November, 1920. There
10 no doubt that the repeal lave
Will be beaten and tho primary
preserved when the people have
4 chance TO express their wishes.
In nearly every state in which tho
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 mem.
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 It 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 mum.
Der Of signatures. In that state it was
necessary 70 get $4,000 signers to pre-
vent the repeal law from going into
effect. More than 800 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 800
volunteers. combined, got 24,O04 sigma
lures, 2,oee more than enough to save
the law. The petitions have been
filed and counted by the Nebraska
secretary Of state and accepted az
sufficient to prevent the repeal law
from going into effect.
How valuable the work of the
League has been in Nebraska is shown
BY the fact that two other organizes
tions attempted to refer other laws
passed by the last session of the legis.
lature. In neither case did the sec.
retary Of state accept these petitions.
The spirit of the League farmers car.
rfed their movement through to sue.
cess, where others failed.
Montana farmers were up against Q
more stringent referendum law than
that Of Nebraska. The Montana law
provides that in majority of tho
counties OF the state the signers must
number more than 16 per cent of the
voters. The last legislature created
. number Of new counties, so that II
was necessary for the League to SO.
cure IL Per cent Of the voters in 26
counties. ,....... ya. as.a..~. .-
Trick Falls In Montana.
The Montana repeal act carried q
provision for referendum, cunning.
", planned By the legislators to be
held in September Of this year, when
the farmers would be busy with the
harvest. Il was therefore necessary
to secure the signatures before the
date get for this special election, in.
stead Of taking the full time allowed
otherwise By law. "
After signatures, amounting to more
than IL Per cent, had been secured in
. number Of counties, the county on.
cials refused to accept the petitions.
It was necessary for the League to
appeal to the attorney general of the
state for ruling requiring the county
officials to accept filing.
o. Petitions were actually circulated
in a Of the 80 counties of the state
Save tho Primary" became the slo.
gan Of the League farmers aud of or.
gahised labor. Placards in red, white
and blue. bearing these words, ap-
peared On the windshields of automo-
biles throaghout Montana.
The campaign has met even s|
greater saccess than that in Nebraska.
Az this - written 30 counties, instead
Of the 2s required, have 20 Tar, sub
mitted Det1tons signed by more than
Is per oeat OF the voters. Petitions
90 Tar ooapted show 33,1S7 signatures,
1000 msre than required. The special
election Dlanned for September has
been omcial1y called of and the pri-
mary repeal bi1l viii come before the
voters Of Montana 1t the general elec-
ton Of November, 1890, at which time,
with . fair vote, It is certain that Il
win be defeated.
Idaho IL the only western state IN
which . hw repeating the direct pri-
mary has gone into effect and the
farmers and orEanized workers of that
state are confident that despite this
handicap they viii be able to elect
men to the next legislature who win
repeal this obnoxious statute and ~
store - primary law.