Courier Democrat., October 31, 1918, Image 6

About Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920

Image provided by: State Historical Society of North Dakota

                
PAGE MX
4
•ywiV'v
PROFITEERS RAISE SLUSH FUND
These are measures which will interfere with the profits
of the gjain gamblers, millers, packers, mortgage-holding
trust companies and insurance concerns, land speculators
and railroads. That is why these Big Business interests
have raised a huge slush fund and are spending thousands
of dollars daily in a desperate effort to confuse and frighten
the people in the hope that the passage of this program
may be prevented.
The grain gamblers, crooked grade jugglers and millers, liter
ally rob the farmers of this state of millions of dollars every
year. Naturally they do not want to see the people own and
operate flour mills or terminal elevators. It would interfere
with their profits, so these interests contribute to the slush fund.
The great trust companies of Chicago and the Twin Cities
hold mortgages against North Dakota farm lands aggre
gating $309,000,000. This money draws an average rate
of 9 per cent interest. In other words, the farmers of
North Dakota are paying an interest bill of $27,000,000 a
year. The establishment of a State Rural Credits land bank
would make it possible for the state to loan money at 4 per
cen1 interest on long-time terms. This would save the
farmers of North Dakota $15,000,000 every year.
WHY BIG BUSINESS CONTRIBUTES
Naturally the men who get this $15,000,000 in unnecessary in
terest object to having this income cut off. That is why they are
helping pay for the dishonest advertisements which are appear
ing in every subsidized newspaper in the state.
The condition applies to the insurance interests, the packers,
the railroads and the land speculators. The program which the
Constitutional Amendments makes possible strikes directly at
itheir profits and they are cheerfully contributing for th§ pay«
ment of the advertisements which are intended to scare the people
'into voting against these measures. It will fae money well in
vested for these Big Business interests if their plan succeeds.
What are the ten Constitutional Amendments which these Big
Business interests consider so dangerous? Briefly they pro
Tide:
For the Initiative and Referendum
For the Campaign Pamphlet issued by the state which will
fairly and fully discuss both sides of all questions to bd
voted upon
For the Emergency provisions which make it possible for
the Legislature to pass emergency laws which may go into
effect before submitting same to the people
That no measure initiated by or referred to the people
may be vetoed by the governor or repealed by the Legisla
ture unless two-thirds of the legislators so vote on roll call
That proposed amendments of the Constitution, if agreed
to by a majority of the Legislature, must be submitted to the
people and that 20,000 voters may by petition also place
proposed Constitutional Amendments on the ballot
That the Legislature may exempt city homes and farm im
provements from taxation
That the Legislature may provide an acreage tax to be
used in creating a state Hail Insurance Fund
That the state may issue or guarantee the payment of
lends for public utilities, provided that all bonds in excess
of $2,000,000 be secured by first mortgages and that no
public utility shall be bonded in excess of $10,000,000
That the state, any county or city, may make internal im
provements and engage in any industry, enterprise or busi
jtess, not prohibited by Article 20 of the Constitution* but
Aouither the state nor any political subdivision thereof 'Shall
^otherwise loan or grant its credit or make donations to ojvin
fU of any individual, association or corporation, except for
She reasonable support of the poor, nor subscribe to or be
come the owner of capital stock in any association or cor
poration.
MAKE GOVERNMENT MORE RESPONSIVE
Six of the foregoing amendments simply make the state gov
ernment more Fesponsive to popular will and safeguard the
people against corporate control
Constitutional
These amendments are not experimental. They already
The TRUTH
vJThe
THE UOUIUKR-DE.JOL^AT, TULUSDAY. OCTOBER 31, U»)8
The Ten
HE passage of the ten Constitutional Amendments is the most important matter to be decided at the election November 5. (Governors and other state official. ci
and go, their power is limited and only temporary, but if these ten Amendments are carried they will remain part of the Constitution of North Dakota and PLACE'
THE REAL GOVERNING POWER OF THE STATE PERMANENTLY IN THE HANDS OF THE PEOPLE, regardless of who their chief executive may be.
Unless tljese ten Constitutional Amendments pass, it will be impossible for the next Legislature to submit for the rejection or ratification of the people laws permit
ting the state to build and operate flour mills, terminal elevators and packing plants to give the fanners state hail insurance at cost or to establish Rural Credits banks which
can loan money to farmers, workers and merchants for long periods at a low rate of interest.
have been adopted by sixteen states of the United States and
long have been employed in Switzerland, Australia and New
Zealand, and in every instance the people have used these
measures with great discretion to put many good laws on
the statute books and to defeat bad laws passed by corrupt
or reactionary legislatures. The Initiative is simply the
spur that drives the balky legislature and the Referendum
the bit and bridle that keeps it from running away or going
in the wrong direction.
The remaining four amendments are designed to end the in
dustrial domination of Big Business monopolists by permitting
the people to own and operate flour mills, terminal elevators,
packing plants and other things necessary to social welfare.
These public utilities are now owned by private interests who
gouge producer and consumer of millions of dollars every year.
Both producer and consumer would benefit by eliminating these
excessive profits and manufacturing these commodities at tost
AMENDMENT HITS TAX DODGERS
One amendment permits the Legislature to exempt city
homes and farm improvements from taxation. This would
compel the great land speculating corporations—which now
own and-«hold in idleness 40 per cent of the land of this state
—to pay the same amount of taxes as the farmer who has
improved his land and is actually putting it to productive
use. Farm improvements are exempted in Australia, New
Zealand, and the neighboring Canadian.provinces of Alberta
aad Saskatchewan, and experience proves that this law puts
a premium on industry, lowers the taxes for the producer,
and results in the breaking up and working of the huge
areas held by land speculators.
STATE HAIL INSURANCE CHEAPER
Another amendment provides for State Hail Insurance at cost.
This will be better and cheaper in every way than the insurance
now issued by private companies.
Montana* Alberta and Saskatchewan all have state ha.ii
insurance and it only costs about ONE-SIXTH as much as
the insurance issued by prviate companies, It also is safer, for
the state never fails, while private concerns have been
known not to pay their losses in time of need.
last two amendment? are intended to permit the people
to build "and operate flour mills, terminal elevators, packing
plants and other public utilities and to establish state rtiral
credit land banks, and to finance these public utilities by the
issuance of bonds, the interest and principle on these bonds to be
paid by the profits on these state-owned public utilities.
This program is not "radical or revolutionary," as the Big
Business advertisements claim nor "dangerous" except to the
profits of the monopolists. It has been tested by time «and ex
perience proves it beneficial.
PROGRAM IS TIME TESTED
pearly every country in Europe owns and operates the rail
road, telegraph and telephone lines. So do Australia and New
Zealand.
In Denmtfrk, Germany, Switzerland, Australia, find New Zea
land the people own and operate packing plaints find flour
/The elevator and warehouse facilities are fowned by the "State
in nearly all European countries. Several Canadian provinces
also own terminal warehouses, fend so does Louisiana and other
Southern states tnd several Pacific coast cities.
[Denmark, Gefmany, New Zealand, several Canadian provinces
aid Australia conduct rural credits banks. So does the United
States government.
gouth Australia has run a state land hank for 23 years. It has
loaned more than $8,tf0Q,000 to workers, farmers and merchants
on long time loans at an average rate of 4 and 4 1-2 per cent in
terest.
The Big Business advertisements say that "rural credits banks
are a dangerous experiment." What has happened in South Aus
tralia
LAND BANK PROMOTES PROSPERITY
After 23 years of this dangerous experiment, 44 per eent of
the entire population, mm, women and children, had de
posits in the state savings banks in 1914 and these deeposits
averaged nearly $200 apiece. No state in the United States
If you feel this way about it, vote "Yes"
for all ten Constitutional Amendments
O "3
can show such a splendid record. The "danger" Big Business
speaks about must be only to Big Business profits., for the
experience of South Australia certainly proves that these
state owned banks promote general prosperity.
State Rural Credits banks will have the same results in North
Dakota. In fact, every plank in the program made possible by
the Constitutional Amendments will not only help the farmers,
but benefit every legitimate business industry in this state. The
only interests injured would be BIG BUSINESS INDUSTRIES
OUTSIDE THE STATE—the Minneapolis and Duluth grain
gamblers and millers, the Chicago and South St. Paul packers,
the Twin City and Eastern mortgage-holding and insurance con
cerns, the railroads and the land speculators.
Honest business within the state would be benefitted.
The farmers and workers are robbed of millions of dollars
every year. These millions go outside the state. If they
were kept here and spent within the state, every merchant,
every manufacturer, every professional man, and every
honest banker, would share in the increased business.
HONEST BUSINESS WILL BENEFIT
Farmers, workers and merchants alike would benefit by cheap
loans for long-time terms.
The construction of great state-owned terminal elevators flour
mills and packing plants in North Dakota cities would build
up industry in this state, bring thousands of workmen here, and
keep millions of dollars in the state that flows to Minneapolis,
Duluth and Chicago every year.
Exemption of farm improvements and city homes would en
courage home building in the cities and by breaking up the
great idle areas, increase the farming population and add to
North Dakota's productivity.
In fact, these ten Constitutional Amendments are the founda
tion which will make North Dakota the most democratic, pro
gressive and prosperous state in the Union.
Don't be decieved by the lying advertisements which Big Busi
ness is paying for in the attempt to frighten and fool you into
vbting against your own welfare. Have these Big Business in
terests ever worried about YOU in the past? They are not worry
ing about YOU now—they are concerned in protecting their own
selfish profits.
And remember this:
Passage of the Constitutional Amendments DOES NOT
PLUNGE THE STATE INTO DEBT or GIVE THE LEGISLA
TURE POWER TO CREATE ANY STATE-OWNED INDUS
TRY WITHOUT FIRST CONSULTING THE PEOPLE.
PEOPLE HAVE FINAL SAY
These Amendments make the PEOPLE SOLE AND FINAL
^[JJDCIES OF ALL LEGISLATION. Under the Referendum the
people have the power to suspend any law or appropriation until
it has been voted on and either ratified or rejected by a MA
JORITY OF ALL THE PEOPLE.
This REAL GOVERNING POWER IS PLACED IN THE
HANDS OF THE PEOPLE and they will be called upon to pass
upon every plank of tl\e proposed program.
.Vole to make it possible to submit this program to the people,
Join"with your fellow farmers, fellow workers and fellow mer
chants, and vote "Yes" on these measures that will make it pos
sible to develop North Dakota into the richest state in the Union
in those only two a 9 ets which really count—the contentment and
prosperity of the common people.
Every vote will be needed, for in order to carry the Amend
ments must have a Majority of all votes cast. So don't forget to
call for the Separate Constitutional Amendments ballot and vote
"YES" for all these ten measures. The man who fails to vote
will be helping defeat these splendid measures just as much as
the Big Business reactionary who opposes them because his pro*
fits a^e threatened.
It is a clear cut issue between Big Business and The
People. Big Business and The People have no interests in
coinmon, Big Business and its hirelings will vote solidly
against .these measures. You belong to The People. Why not
do as Big Business always does and vote solidly for YOUR
INTERESTS?
9
•4 -v
o-Vik.*'t*•
L'