The Athena press. [volume] (Athena, Umatilla County, Or.) 18??-1942, 1893-07-28
THEREFERNDUM.

virtually enable large bodies of
voters to govern themselves, direct
ly, without actually meeting to-
gether. In a political sense, they
annihilate space. In substance,
the referendum is an institution
by virtue of which laws, framed
by representatives. ale referred to
the people for final acceptance or
rejection. The initiative is the
right of a voter, or body of voters,
to initiate proposals for legislation.
The writer, however, will be oblig-
ed to confne himself to the referen-
dunn in this article. This institu-
tion may be optional or compul-
sorry, i. e., either all laws must be
submitted, or only certain kinds;
but in any case it enables voters to
stamp the acts of their legislators
with approval or dispproval. =
There may still be some in
telligent men who are satisfied
with the working Of representative
government in the United States.
But they cannot realize its incon-
sistencies and abuses. In State
and Federal legislatures, represen-
tatives are elected by a fraction
only Of the people, the unsuccess-
ful voters being as completely dis
franchised as though they were
actually deprived Of their ballots.
Practically, therefore, our represen-
tative system bellies its very name
1t does not represent. Some
plan or proportional presentation
is urgently needed to correct this
primary fault. But even with
this improvement made, the peo-
pie have no guarantee that OBJ
noxious legislation will not be
forced upon them. Once elected,
representatives have free hand;
there is no way of calling them to
account until their terms are over
and the harm is done. In truth
there must be o return to first
principle, to purer forms and
straightforward methods.
Given a small body of freeman,
how will they naturally proceed
to govern themselves? They will
uneonsciously initiate the Swiss
Landsgemeinde or the New Eng
land town-meeting, Briefly stated,
they will meet at a fixed time to
settle matters of common interest,
to elect officers from their number,
commissioned to carry out the laws
they may pass, and to draw up q
set of rules, or a constitution. In
some races the instinct for self
government is more strongly de-
veloped than in others, In the
United States men invaribly or
ganize on this principle, whether
they propose to found a settle
ment, q farmers alliance, or o boat
club. The chances are that a
body of freemen will continue to
govern themselves in this manner,
until population and territory
have increased so much that it be-
comes q physical impossibility for
them to meet personally, Then
direct democracy gives place to q
representative system of govern
ment. The people cease to exercise
their sovereign rights in person,
they are gradually weaned from
self.government, and the profess
ional politician makes his appear
ance. This is the critical moment
In the history of every democracy.
The people, having once surrender
cd direct government, almost al
ways become the prey of party
bosses. The referendum alone is
capable of restoring to them that
personal exercise of political rights
which is the heritage of freemen.
If there is any one whom the prac-
tical politician processes to despise,
and invariably breads, it is the
man who treats legislation serious
ly-as a science, He calls him a
theorist, a college professor and
other bad names. And yet, when
all is said and done, even our hap
py.go-lucky methods of making
laws must rest upon some scienti-
fic basis. AS it was reserved for
modern students to discover that
political economy had definite laws
of its own, so it is the duty of the
present generation to determine
the rules which govern the science
of legislation.
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