NORTH DAKOTA. 





the way of divorce trade. The sentiment of tlio 

 citizens is entirely in favor of the 'industry.' The 

 matter is looked at purely from a busine>- stand- 

 point. The conditions which exist in Karu'o are to 

 lie encountered in all the other larger cities of the 

 . lint the business is conducted on a smaller 



Bismarck. Fort Yates is to lie removed to I'.is- 

 marck. and a site south of the Penitentiary has 

 been <elecled. 



A bill passed Congress j n }[ a y ^ranting the city 

 the right to use or lease Sibley island, in Missouri 

 river, for public assemblies of a religious, literary, 

 political, or scientific character, to use or lease the 

 same for fair grounds or a driving park, together 

 with the right to erect buildings and make im- 

 provements. The leases are to be for a period not 

 longer than ten years, and it is forbidden to fell 

 any timber on the island, except for the purpose of 

 improving or beautifying the grounds. 



The Prohibitory Law. The following is taken 

 from the report of the State Enforcement League : 

 "The services of an experienced detective were 

 secured, and he was placed in charge of a force of 

 detectives who have gone over the State from 

 Hamilton at the north to Havana at the south: as 

 far west as Minot, on the Great Northern Railway, 

 and Mandan.on the Northern Pacific. Evidence was 

 found in '-274 case*, injunctions were successfully 

 served in 2no cases, oo arrests were made. 10 have 

 been fined 200 and ninety days in jail. '2 broke jail 

 and left the State before trial, 5 await trial. were dis- 

 charged in district court. Total disbursements. $2.- 

 268.71. Receipts, sl.772.oo. Indebtedness, $406.16, 

 which is more than covered by uncollected mem- 

 bership subscriptions. IT was not the purpose of 

 the committee to see how many we could punish 

 for breaking the law. but. rather, our aim was to 

 create such a public sentiment in favor of sustain- 

 ing and upholding the law that there would be no 

 offenders." 



Defective Laws. An action was brought in 

 April to determine as to the legal existence of dis- 

 trict assessors under the new code, all provision 

 for such assessors having been inadvertently omit- 

 ted from the law. It was believed that the Gov- 

 ernor would be obliged to call an extra session to 

 remedy this defect, but the court held that the 

 broad language of the repealing act which went 

 into effect with the revised codes must be so limited 

 by the obvious purpose of the new revenue law as 

 to leave unaffected such portions of the laws as re- 

 late to the office of district assessors in unorganized 

 townships. 



An act of the last Legislature, establishing in 

 cities of 5.000 (Fargo and Grand Forks) municipal 

 courts having the jurisdiction of police magistrates, 

 was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court, 

 because it took from the police magistrates and their 

 courts certain powers given to them by the Consti- 

 tution. 



Political. The Republicans held a State con- 

 vention at Fargo. April 13. and chose delegates to 

 the National Convention. The convention was de- 

 cidedly opposed to free coinage. The delegates 

 were instructed for McKinley, and the following 

 resolution was adopted : 



" The Republicans of North Dakota are unyield- 

 ing in their demand for honest money. We are 

 unalterably opposed to any scheme that will give 

 to the country depreciated or debased currency. 

 We favor the use of silver as currency, but to the 

 extent only and under such restrictions that its 

 parity with gold can be maintained. We are there- 

 fore opposed to the free and unlimited coinage of 

 silver until it can be arranged by international 

 agreement." 



The second Republican convention, at Grand 

 Porks, July 23, approved the national platform, and 

 on State issues said : 



"We favor a just and impartial system of ap- 

 praisement of all taxable property. Railroad com- 

 panies and all other corporations should be treated 

 the -anie a- farmer- and mechanics in the apj. 

 ment of real estate and per.-onal property, -o that 

 all classes share alike in a just and impartial tat 

 ment: and believing that the valuation on railroad 

 property in the State is below that placed on other 

 property, therefore we pledge ourselves to un- 

 its valuation to such an amount as will pi.-, 

 upon an equality with all other property in tin- 

 State. 



"We renew our pledges to the support <f tin- 

 present prohibitory law and urge the strict observ- 

 ance and enforcement of the same, and that ina~- 

 inuch as North Dakota was received into the Tiiion 

 with a prohibitory amendment in her Constitution. 

 we demand of Congress, as a right, that a law be en- 

 acted that shall prevent the obtaining of United 

 States liquor licenses in States that have declared 

 or shall declare for prohibition." 



The ticket follows: For member of Conir 

 Martin X. Johnson; Governor, Frank A. Bri__- 

 Lieutenant Governor. J. M. Devine; Secretary of 

 State. Fred Falley ; Treasurer. George E. Nichols : 

 Auditor, N. B. Hannum : Attorney-General. John 



F. Cowan : Commissioner of Insurance. Fred B. 

 Fancher : Superintendent of Public Instruction. J. 



G. Halland : Commissioner of Agriculture and La- 

 bor, H. U. Thomas : Railroad Commissioners. George 

 II. Keyes, L. L Walton. John F. Gibson; Ji; 



of the Supreme Court, Alfred Wallin. 



A convention of the People's party at Grand 

 Forks. June 17, chose delegates to the national con- 

 vention. 



The second convention. July 20-30. adopted reso- 

 lutions declaring that the money question was the 

 supreme issue of the campaign, and that the party 

 was resolved to sacrifice every prejudice and per- 

 sonal ambition to the settlement of this great ques- 

 tion. A pledge was made to support the present 

 liquor law of the State. The action of the present 

 State Board of Equalization was condemned for re- 

 ducing the tax valuation of all railroad property in 

 this State, and the practice of hiring out convict 

 labor was unequivocally condemned. 



The report of a committee on a plan of fusion 

 with the Democrats was adopted, according to 

 which a part of the nominations were left to be 

 made by the Democrats. Following are the Popu- 

 list nominations: For Governor, R. B. Richardson ; 

 Auditor, J. T. Eager; Secretary of State. J. E. 

 Hodgson; Railroad Commissioners. Oliver Knud- 

 son and O. G. Major: Commissioner of Agriculture, 

 G. S. Reishus: Superintendent of Public Instruc- 

 tion, Laura J. Eisenhuth. Two candidates for pres- 

 idential electors also were named. 



The State Democratic Convention, at Jamestown. 

 June 4. chose delegates to the national convention 

 and adopted resolutions approving the Wilson bill, 

 favoring the election of United - 9 iiators In- 



direct vote, approving the utterances of Senator 

 Roach on the currency question, and demanding 

 legislation to restore silver as a money metal, ad- 

 mitting both gold and silver to free coinage at 16 

 to 1. The delegates were instructed to vote fora 

 candidate who would stand on a free-coinage plat- 

 form. 



A convention for completing a fusion ticket with 

 the Populists was held at Grand Forks. Aug. 12. 

 Following are the candidates named : For 

 man. John Burke: Lieutenant Governor. J. L. 

 Ca-hel : Treasurer. 11. D. Allert; Attorney-General, 

 Marion Conklin; Insurance Commissioner, F. T. 



