The Labor enquirer., 1886-02-20
The REFERENDUM
What was Said Upon This
Subject to the Senatt, Spe-
cial COMMITTEES.
Arguments Showing That the
People Are Not Responsible
for Bad Laws.
Congress Should .Onl!' be q Committee
Etc Formulate Measures for Adop-
tion or Rejection by the People.

- ~-~ - K~~' L.
For the ENQUIRER.
On the seventh day of august, 1882,
the following resolution passed the SEN
ate Of the United States: 81
Resolved, That the committee on edu.
cation and labor is hereby authorized
and directed to take into consideration
the subject of the relations between
labor and capital, the wages and hours
of labor. the condition of the laboring
classes of the United States and their
relative condition and wtges as COM
pared with similar classes abroad, and
to inquire into the division of labor and
capital of their joint productions in the
United States also the subject of labor
strikes, to inquire into the causes thereof
and the agencies producing the same !;
and to re port what legislation should be
adopted to modify or remove such
causes, ard to provide against their con-
tinuance or recurrence, as well as any
other legislation calculated to promote
harmonious relations between CAPITALISTS
and laborers, and the interests of both,
BY the improvement of the condition of
the industrial classes of the United
States. O.. '.<7
Said committee shall have leave to sit
in vacation, and by nub committees to
visit such places in the United States as
they may deem proper to obtain neces-
sary information under the resolutions; /;
and the said committee or sub commit
tees shall have power to send for peg
SONS and papers, to administer oaths,
and to examine PERSONS under oath or
otherwise, aud to cause depositions to
be taken and certified under such regu-
lations as thay may adopt, etc"
The committee consisted of senators:
Henry W. Blair, of New Hampshire,
chairman; William Malone, of Vir-
ginia; Warner Miller, of New York
Nelson W. Aldricb, of Rhode Island;
Thomas M. Bowen, of Colorado; James
L. George, of Mississippi; Wilkinson
Call, of Florda; James L. PuGh, of Ala
bama and James B. Groome, of Mary
land.
The committee travelled all. over the
country and took testimony, which is
printed and comprises five volumes, each
of the size of the bible. No report on
the part of the committee has as yet
been made and l do not suppose ever
will be. They will no doubt do as SINH
lar committees heretofore did: print
the testimony and let it rip. And while
itwould be somewhat laborious to read
over, study, classify and report upon
such immense amount and variety of
testimony, yet reduced to certain prop
ositions, it could easily be ascertained
upon which all, or most of the witnesses
or communications examined do agree
fear that the taking of SO much testi-
mony, printing it, and making no re-
portis calculated to endorse the "do
nothing policy" by making it appear
that the people so widely differ as to be
unable to know what they want. But
as I shall somewhat wade through the
testimony 1 will report from time to
time as to what it seems to me they do
pretty well agree upon.
In the second volume of the printed
testimony, page 397, can be found the
following communication to the COM
mittee:
"GKNTLEMEN;-AsIt 1t seems to be your
purpose to investigate what reforms, if
any, can be adopetd bv the legislative
powers of the land to better the condi-
ton of the people, permit me to call
your attention to one alreadv recognized
in our political frame work, and which
to be effective needs only extension
You are aware that an amendment to
the national or any of the state constitu-
tions while proposed in different ways
must be voted for-and adopted BY
the people. This gives the people the
power to express their will This power
may heretofore not have been always
wisely and judiciouslv exercised, which
could not be expected when they were
but seldom called upon to exercise this
privilege; b9tif itwere extended so as
to apply to the making and unmaking of
all national, state and local laws of any
importance, it would answer the double
purpose: First, of educating the peo-
pie; second, of placing the respoasi-
6itities of good or bad la,os directly
upon the people. .s.-.t-.-..
"All laws after being formulated by
bodies established for that purpose,
should be submitted to the people pub.
hshed, to be thoroughly discussed, and
finally to be voted upon. Under such
conditions the judgment Of the majority,
which would be non-partisan, could be
trusted. You win discern in all the
complaints brought before you that tie
people know they are not, and under
our present system cannot be honestly
represented; that: reform in this res
pect is under the present system impos-
possible; hence they become more and
more Indifferent 90 as to leave the field
TO the unscrupulous You toiU agree
NTH me that it Is as easy for voter to