The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1893-10-11

bnem. In CHe Ofdlndry Affairs OF Tue
no one would hesitate to Say that the
persons interested can always attend
to their own affairs best; that by
leaving servants to attend to these
things, we never secure as good, re-
suits and often make serious losses.
In the affairs of state, however we
have not fully recovered from the old
superstition that some men are born
to rule, and we fear to trust the peO-
pie to make their own laws. But
any man who is elected can do this
for them, and it passes for wisdom of
the highest order. On every hand we
see the bad effects that are produced
by this superstit Is not the mis-
rule Of every large city due to this
cause? Are not the Jay GOulds the
outgrowth of this system? Is there
a board of aldermen in any city in all
the United States that handles the
public affairs as well as the people
would for themselves! We know too
we'll there is not. Would the people
have given hundreds of millions of
public property to private firms and
corporations? No they would have
stopped this robbing long before the
wrong had become so apparent as it
is to-day. The weakness of repre-
sentative form of government is that
the selfish interests of the represen-
tatives are directly antagonistfc to
the best interests of the people. The
strength of direct legislation is that
the personal interest of the people
will compel them to adopt the policy
that is best for all.
Il representative form of government Of
fers the nations acealh as q bride to the
legislator for corrupting the laws and
creating privileged classes. This
evil is more than apparent at this
time, and we believe it to be inner
ent in the system and that it cannot
be eliminated from it so long as man
remains selfish. and this he will
surely be until the end of time. This
government of ours was founded up
on the principle that the will of the
people is the supreme law of the
land, a principle SO grand that even
though the children of those who
formulated it are clothed in rags and
suffering the pangs of hunger, their
faith remains true to the glorious
principle and they bow in reverence
to it even now. But for some reason
the theory and cold, hard facts do not
fit into each other and produce ma
tion of free men and women. On the
contrary, we have produced a nation
of paupers and milliOnaires, both of
whom are to-day menace to the
free institutions of our country.
And it is not because we love these
institutions less, but we trust that
it is because we love them more,
that we urge such changes in
methods as will more nearly secure
the objects our fOrefathers had in
view. Direct legislation has been
tested by the people of Switzerland
for nearly twenty-five years. in the
affairs of village and town, state
and nation. 1t is no longer an I'M
tried or a doubtful measure. The
vote of a small number in the small
est political division or of the largest
is handled quickly, surely, and with
the positive knowledge that each
decision is true record of the peo-
piles will.
Direct legislation restores two i'm
pOrtant features TO the people:
First, the right to propose, and Sec
ond, the right to make or unmake
the laws that govern them.
Under it's influence the wishes of
the people of Switzerland are made
known with certainty and without
undue delays. The laws are in &C
cord with the wishes of the people
and are readily changed and mould
ed to fit new needs and changed con-
ditiOns. Every citizen then becomes
a legislato who is guarding his own
interests and must do that which is
best for all. The tricky and un-
scrupulous politician finds no de-
mand for his services, and he, to-
gether with the party boss, becomes
extinct.
The affairs of states are handled
swiftly, smoothly, and to the entire
satisfaction of the people.
Throw away our system of dele
gated power, and trust the people to
make laws for themselves. "The di-
vine right of kings to rule" is dis
carded superstition which our fore
fathers nailed to the cross long years
ago. Let us now dethrone these
proxy kings, our office-hOlding rulers,
and crown the people with sovereign
power. Then under pure democ-
racy we shall be free in fact as we'll
A