The Glasgow courier. [volume] (Glasgow, Mont.) 1913-current, 1919-01-24

sm,s 10 the stock Of various public and
asssa:e utilities, enterprises and indus
.-tes were opened by the recent action
II she Nenpartisan majority of the
esm>assiag board in declaring, in spite
q: .r,e fast that they did not obtain
: majority III all the legal votes polled
=. she las. general election, the five
proposed constitutional amendments
initiated ty the league were carried
by y majority II the votes cast there
for.
The constitutional amendment COW
ering the submission OF constitutional
amendments by initiative petition spe-
officially provides that such amend
ments or proposals must be approved
by a majority Of all the legal votes
cast at the general election at which
these questions are submitted. The
league, from President Townley down
to William Lenke. chairman of the
North Dakota republican state central
committee. which is controlled by the
league, so held until an informal can
yass was made a few days prior to
the meeting of the state canvasslng
board revealed that only two of the
seven amendments initiated by the
league received a majority of all the
votes cast.
Then LANCER Gets Busy.
Then Attorney General William
LANCER, a Lacquer and a member Of
the canvassing board, on one days no
tice, submitted to Governor Frazer,
also a Nonpartisan, a lengthy opinion
in which he held-and he quoted su-
preme court decisions to sustain his
contention-that "a majority of all
the legal votes cast at such general
election" meant a majority Of all the
votes ~severally cast for and against
the amendments.
A league majority on the anvas
sing board, including the state auditor
and the state superintendent of pub
lie instruction-the latter recently de-
feated by a woman running %independ-
ently-agreed with the attorney gen
eral and united in a majority report
declaring the amendments carried.
One league member of the board
Secretary of State Thomas Hall, re-
elected without opposition by the larg-
est vote given any candidate in the
recent election-held that the consti-
tuition meant exactly what it said, and
he Joined with State Treasurer John
Steen, an independent, in a minority
vote declaring the five amendments
most essential to the league program
lost.
James F. Robinson, elected asso-
ciate justice Of the supreme court OF
North Dakota by the Nonpartisan
league two years ago, when he receiv-
ed a higher vote than that given any
other candidate ever elected by the
league with the exception of Cover
nor Frazier, in an informal opinion
given wide publicity in the independ-
ent press, agrees with Secretary of
State Hall that "even though u good
N%onpartisan court may sustain the &C
ton of the canvassing board, it is by
no means certain that when we have
walked the plank four years hence a
new court will not reverse this de-
cision,' asserting that nothing is de.
cided until it is decided right, and that
buyers of North Dakota bonds or of.
ficers who proceed under these amend
ments do so at their own peril.
In spite of these adverse opinions
which are given nc publicity in the
Nonpartisan press, the league is pre-
pairing in the sixteenth general as
sembly, which convenes January 5, ane
in which the Nonpartisan socialist or
ganization has a good majority il
both houses, to carry out it's econom
ic program.
What is a little thing like the con
stitution between friends?
What the Amendments Are.
Three of the lost amendments mos
necessary to the league program AM
which failed to receive a majority o
all the votes cast at the recent gen
eral election, but which the c%anvassinl
board has declared passed, are:
Taxation: Providing that "the leg
islature may by law exempt any an
all classes of personal property iron
taxation, and within the meaning o
this section, fixtures, buildings an
improvements of every characte
whatsoever upon land shall be deeme'
personal property" (This is tn
single tax idea advocated by tn
league.)
Debt Limit: Changing the presen
constitutional provision limiting tn
states bonded Indebtedness to $4,000
to read: "The state may issue or guar
antee the payment of bonds, provide
that all bonds in excess of two mil