The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1919-01-30
New Constitution Practically As
sured for FIickertaiI State,
Following Fight.
PEoPLESANCT|ON MOVE
Sweeping Reforms Provided In Amend.
ments-Provlslons Made for State
Operation Of Food Marketing
Facilities and for State
Hail Insurance.

p r'
Bismarck, N. D.-This state will
practically get a new constitution from
the present legislature.
One of the first steps that the solons
will take will probably be ratification
Of the ten constitutional amendments,
passed at a referendum vote last fall.
This ratification will mean that the
legislative reforms for which farmers
Of this state have been fighting for
years will be enacted into constitu-
tional law by the present legislature.
Although the amendments received
Z majority vote of the people and we're
declared passed by the regularly con-
stituted canvassing board, yet the re-
dictionaries have attmpted a court a c
ton, to prevent the measures getting
to the legislature for ratification It
Is we'll known that the legislature, run
ming for election on a platform declar-
ing for ratification Of the amendments,
overwhelmingly favors the amend
ments. Since the people, first by their
vote upon the amendments themselves
and secondly by their vote upon legis-
iators favoring the amendments, have
declared themselves, by large MAORI
ties, to favor the new constitution, It
is believed that the efforts of the reac-
tionaries to block their enactment will
only be temporary.
Amend Constitution.
Legality of the new constitution was
accomplished through passage, by a
referendum at the fall election, Of ten
amendments to the old state consti-
tuition, which was framed by the rail-
road interests and the grain combine
of Minneapolis, when North Dakota
was admitted to the union. A major
Ny of the voters approved each Of the
ten amendmentsA although some of
them did not get a majority Of all
votes cast in the election, as provided
by the old trust formed laws. Basing
his opinion upon a decision of the
North Dakota supreme court in 1908,
Attorney General William LANCER and
the state canvassing board declared
oil of the amendments passed. There
Is no doubt that the amendments will
be ratified by the Legislature by an
almost unanimous vote. They will be-
come constitutional law almost imme-
aiately.
One. of the measures provided by the
amendments permits the state to en-
gage in the business of marketing food.
This program calls for state owned
terminal elevators, state owned -four
mills, state owned packing houses,
state owned creameries and state
owned cold storage plants. Ten mil
lion dollars, to be issued In bonds, to
erect these plants, is provided in an
other amendment.
Permits Hail Insurance.
Two amendments provide for the
state entering the business of insuring
it's residents against loss from hail.
One provides for the institution Of
state hail insurance and the other pro-
vides for payment of indemnities, from
funds secured by taxation of all land
used and unused-in the state. This
provision for taxation is a particular
blow at land spectators in the state.
improvements in North Dakota are
to be exempted from taxation, accord
ing to another provision of the amend
nents. The trainers of this amend
ment went upon the old single tax
theory that it is improper to fine a
man for the thrift and industry that
he has shown In improving the land
on which he Aves. The amendment,
however, is not operative upon farm
improvements only. It works upon the
general theory Of placing taxes upon
the basic essentials of property and
not upon the improvements.
A new and more progressive initia-
tive and referendum law is provided
by the amendments. Still another
measure provides that four Of five su-
preme court judges must concur to
make an act Of the state legislature
unconstitutional. Another measure
provides that emergency measures
may be put into effect when signed
by the governor, but provides that no
franchises or special privileges grant
cd corporations shall be regarded AZ
emergency measures.
Cooperation Permitted.
One Of the most conclusive proofs
Of the influence that corporate con-
troll exerted on framing OF the former
constitution Of this state, came In
the former laws on voting In corpora.
tions, which have been nulliied by an
amendment. Under the old laws q
stakeholder Of any corporation, wheth-
Or or not cooperative, had as many
votes in arrangement Of the corpora-
ton "a he had shares. It was Illegal
- organize q cooperative corpora
t1on which gave one vote only to each
shareholder, irrespective Of the shares
~ held. Under the new amendment,
. shareholder has one vote, ii accord
ancs with the cooperative plan. IN
AsS the old plan, corporate interests
20 Minneapolis. having tho larger
smou1t q monsy. controlled ~ corn