EXPANSION AND DECLINE I9 1 



had been blocked by the conservative senate in 1917 on the theory that the 

 state lacked the constitutional authority to engage in industrial activities. 19 

 The new legislature immediately busied itself ratifying all the proposed 

 constitutional amendments required to obtain the constitutional authority 

 needed. 



Correspondence exchanged by Arthur Le Sueur, legal counsel and per- 

 sonal adviser to A. C. Townley, and Frederic C. Howe, writer and ex- 

 ponent of progressive legislation and platforms, throws light on the pro- 

 cedure used in the early stages. On April 22, 1918, Howe wrote to Le 

 Sueur that he was expecting "to begin gathering material for the legisla- 

 tive program of the League early in May." 20 Howe was planning to ac- 

 quaint himself with "the material in the libraries" and then "go to the 

 country in order to get away from the distractions of the city, and . . . 

 remain there for a considerable time familiarizing [himself] with the 

 . . . achievements of Australia, Denmark and some of the more progressive 

 legislation of our own states." He added: 



The underlying idea I have in mind is the economic and political freedom of 

 the state not only from exploiting but from the unnecessary distributing agencies 

 that now control the economic and the political life of the state. 



This involves shifting distribution to the producers, acting either through 

 political or cooperative agencies. It also involves shifting political control to 

 the producers. In other words, I have in mind a producers' commonwealth in 

 which privilege in all of its forms will be either exercised or reduced to a posi- 

 tion of service within the state. 



In so far as it is economic it should, in my opinion, where possible, be worked 

 out along quasi-cooperative rather than state-socialistic lines in order that the 

 program will not be jeopardized with every election. 



I should not be so fearful of state socialism if the political machinery were 

 better adjusted to our purposes or if the producing classes had more cohesive 

 training, as they have in some European countries. In addition, there are sub- 

 stantial ethical reasons for emphasizing the cooperative as opposed to the state- 

 socialistic motive. 



On July 8, 1918, Le Sueur informed Howe that Townley had agreed 



19. Gilbert W. Cooke, "The North Dakota Industrial Program" (unpublished 

 doctoral dissertation, University of Wisconsin, 1936), pp. 17-18. 



20. F. C. Howe to Arthur Le Sueur, April 22, 1918, in the Minnesota Historical 

 Society. All letters cited hereafter are in this depository except as noted. 



