The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1919-05-15
GOVERNOR A
LITTLE PREVIOUS

The governor is a little premature
with his announcement of the refer
endum election date I know of no
provision in our state constitution that
would authorize the governor to call
a referendum election on any law or
set of laws that he might see fit with
out there being a petition filed asking
for such an election. There has been
Independent Voters Association.
The governor is quoted in the morn
ing paper as saying, IF I permitted
this unfair initiative to be held at the
same time as the referendum the vot-
tiers would have before them at the
same election two mill and elevator
bills, and two home building bills. For
instance, the people might, not under
standing the proposition, vote for both
the legislatures and the I. V. A. mill
and elevator bill" If he is correctly
quoted in this, he comes very near
being a deliberate falsifier when he
says that the people might vote for
both the legislatures mill and eleva-
tor bill and the l. V. A. mill and ele-
vator bill, unles he intends to arbi-
trarily mix into the proposed election,
the. mill and elevator law that was
enacted by the last legislature.
At the Initiative and Referendum
Election which is proposed by the In
dependent Voters Association, the vot-
ers of North Dakota would vote for or
against the initiated mill and elevator
bill. If majority of voters vote for
the bill, it becomes a law and takes
the place of the mill and elevator law
that was enacted by the last legisla-
ture. They could not vote for both
because both would not be on the bal
lot. The voters would only have to
decide whether they preferred the ini-
tiated bill to the one that was enacted
by the legislature. If so, they would
vote for the initiated bill, if not, they
would vote against it. That is sim
ply enough is it not and fair as any
thing can be?
The initiative petitions in this case
; provide the only means by which the
people will have chance to vote on
the subjects involved in each initiated
measure. It is referendum by pro-
cess of initiation and if the governor
ignores the initiative petitions signed
by more than 10000 voters, he might
as we'll say that he is opposed to Civ
ing the people chance to vote at all
There can be only one mill and eleva-
| tor bill, one home builders bill and one
rural credit bill. They can vote fol
or against each one. They cannot
vote for two bills on the same subject
when there is only one bill. to vote on
It is very evident that the governor
is afraid of letting the people vote or
the various laws in this way, fearing
that they might vote for what they
want and get it without turning the
state into a socialistic experiment OF
! building up political machine which
when once established, would be prac.
| tically impossible to change without
revolution and bloodshed. a.s
The governors announcement is
!! consistent with his veto of the ter.
minal elevator bill two years ago. In.
! deed, it is consistent with the whole
procedure of the gang that is trying
, to fasten its tentacles on the people Of
this state for the next generation OF
more. They are not satisfied to try
out the new notions q step at the time
as did the pioneers of this state wher
gradually transforming the barren
prairies into splendid homes which
they now have. They tried out q few
things ut the time on small scale
and then went in q little deeper and
deeper on what proved to be food and
discarded what proved to be bad.
The governor il trying to create 8