The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1920-05-06

We got a. Brinton newspaper grab
BILL" The so-called newspaper bill"
was a bill in the interests Of economy
in that it authorized the people in
each county TO designate which paper
in that county should be the official
paper to publish all official and legal
notices, thus avoiding the necessity Of
subscribing to a large number of pa
pers in order to be kept posted as to
legal notices; it permitted the people
to elect it's official paper the same as
they would elect any county official.
The newspaper situation is diametri-
cally opposed to the situation filled by
the so-called "kept press" Special in
terest cannot nor does not in any way
control the selection of the county Of
fic;al newspaper. Furthermore a
greater amount of democracy is CIV
en- by permitting the people in each
county to say who shall do it's work,
or in other words, who shall be it's
servant. j.
1--WE were promised free speech. We
got the liars" license law" There is
no Glars license law" We have free
speech. The Forum evidently refers to
that law which makes it a criminal Of
tense for any state official o.willful-
ly publish any false statement in re-
gard to any of the state departments,
institutions or industries, which said
false statement shall tend to deceive
the public and create a distrust of the
state officials or employees in charge
Of such departments, institutions Of
industries, OF which tends to obstruct,
hinder or delay the same. Evidently
the Forum believes that this law will
work a hardship on certain State Of
ficials whose chief occupation at the
present time is to SANDER the State of
North Dakota. Free speech is abso-
lutely protected. Unbridled license to
malign, libel and SANDER a State is
not free speech. This judging from
the columns Of the Forum constitutes
free speech in the mind of the editor
of the Forum. Moreover this law will
not be effective until after July first.
eve We're promised representative
government. We got the abolition of
the Australian ballot for part Of the
voters" What has been done, which
is doubtless what the Forum refers to,
is that the absent voters law as form
erly in force for commercial travellers
and for the convenience of CONNER
cial travellers has been extended to
give the same convenience to women
remote from the polls, one-half
mile or more, who would otherwise be
d~isfranchised by virtue Of their inabil-
ity to get to the polls to vote. The law
was alright when it gave this privil-
eye to commercial travellers, but now
it is all wrong when it gives the same
privilege to farmers wives. The ballot
is just as. secret and just as sacred
in the hands Of the absent voter farm
er's wife as it is in the hands of the
absent voter commercial traveller, and
it is not in conflict with the Austria
liam System.
"We were promised democracy. We
got aucus rule" Mroe democracy has
been written into the laws of North
Dakota than any other state in the
Union. Caucus rule is not illegal in
the United States Congress; neither
has it ever been supposed to be lille
gal in any way in the Legislature of
any State; neither is it supposed to be
for any number Of men with
like or similar views to get together
and caucus or agree on the main fea-
lures Of any measure under consider
alton. The trouble with the Forum is
that in the present law there is too
much democracy to suit the powers
that heretofore dominated the 'Legisla-
ture of North Dakota.
"The comparison between promises
and performances could he continued
almost indefinitely. The lest argu-
ments against the Socialist rule in
North Dakota in it's own record of in
efficiency and lack of accomplish
ment." That is a. dogmatic statement
and is of no effect and is moi in ac-
cord with the facts. There is no So
cialist rule in North Dakota. The
farmers and laborers in North Dako-
ia know that they have the rule Of
North Dakota in sAeir own t.andS, and
they are handling the mater as de-
cided by their best judgment, and
when the Fargo Forum can convince
them that they are wrong they will
gladly and willingly change position.
They cannot, however be convinced
by a campaign of Justification now be-
ing carried on by the Forum and the
Advocate. Not one single statement
as Performances" under the title Of
promises and Performances" in the
leading editorial in the Fargo Forum
Of April ~, 1920, will stand up nor
is sustained by the facts. The prom
Uses" have all been fulfilled.
We would suggest to the Fargo
Forum that it "sell it's hammer and
buy a horn.
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