The Portland daily press., 1894-09-01
my. Post.

strong appeal has been made by a |
certain school of political writer's in this
country for the adoption of the referen-
dun principle, and the submission of
laws to the people for their
The advocates of the |
scheme have been active enough mi
Massachusetts, to secure it's endorsement |
in the platforms of both of the great |
parties, and the last legislature came |
very near taking the necessary steps for |
submitting an amendment to the con-
stitution, so as to embody it i'll the Iun-
damental law. ~
1t is a notew orthy fact that in all the |
arguments advanced in favor of the sys-. |
tenn it seems to be taken for grained |
that it any questions were submitted to /
popular vote, every voter would express |
his opinion upon it. 1t has been urged |
that the State would be benefited by |
having important laws ratified by the |
people before they should become opera
tive, and great deal is said as to the |
advantages of finding out just how the !!
people feel about them. For the advo-
Gates of the referendum always talk as |
though it were certain that every voter |
would seize any opportunity to express |
his opinion.
Since this Massachusetts, legislature adj |
journed, the people of that State have
been given an object lesson in the work
ing of the referendum. For years tha
city of Boston has been discussing the
matter of rapid transit 1t had become
the burning local question. The news
papers have discussed it at great length.
1t has been repeatedly before the city
council and the legislature. All sorts
of schemes have been proposed from
rs = 1x,, M.
the Melgs plan was endorsed by the ley
islaJure, upon the condition that it'll
should be approved by the people. A
special election was called for the sole
purpose OF deciding the question. There
was an animated canvass, and according
to theory of the referendum, there ought
to have been great outpouring OF the
people to improve the opportunity thus
afforded to decide most important is
sue. In point of fact, the total vote was
much less than half the polls in the last
election for governor-not quite $4,000,
against over 10000 last November. The
20, 704 men who took the trouble TO go to
the polls were divided pretty evenly in
opinion, Is, 542 voting yes and 14,162 no.
An Important q uestion of public policy
was thus decided by the votes of less
than a quarter of the men who turn out
in an ordinary State election like last
years. Worse still, tn ere is great reason
to doubt whether a large proportion of
those who voted either way had clear
understanding of the matter. The Bos-
ton Herald heard of two cases where the
voters supposed that they were recording
their views on the license question, and
voted yes because they favored the sale
of liquor! When one paper accidentally
learns of two such cases, there is every
reason to suppose that hundreds of votes
were cast quite as ignorantly.
There was nothing exceptional about
this Boston experience. Two amend
ments to the constitution were submit
ted to the people at the recent State
election in Alabama. One proposed to
allow the city of Birmingham to in
crease her tax rate, which is necessary
for her prosperity. The other proposed
to allow any city or school district TO
vote a tax of one-fourth of one per cent,
for educational purposes, to supplement
the fund raised by State taxation.
There was no serious opposition to
either amendment, but both failed.
They died Of sheer neglect The consti-
tuition requires that majority Of the
voters who go to the polls shall vote in
the affirmative to carry an amendment,
and most men were so much interested
in the contest between Oates and Kolb
that they did not vote on either of the
amendments, the total yeas and NAYS
not reaching half the total vote for gov
ernor. The election thus failed to cast
any light upon the question whether the
proposed changes meet with the favor of
the people.
Almost every vote on a constitutional
amendment in this State has been a
proof of popular Indifference. In 1869
on an amendment providing for equal
were cast flor and against,) while for
the head Of the State ticket (Secretary Of
State) total of 81, III votes were cast.
In 1876 the people voted on two of the
most important constitutional amend
ment ever submitted to them, those plac-
Ing the canals and State prisons under
single heads instead of the extensive
commissions. The total vote of the
State for President that year was 1,O15,-
SOP. The total vote on the public works
amendment was Ga, 1855, and on the pri-
sons amendment Gil, 1S4.
The same thing has happened over
and over again in other States. 1t is the
rule in many commemorative that an
amendment must receive the affirmative
votes of a majority of the voters to carry
it, and it is common thing to have
propositions fail to which there is no
serious opposition because those who
really favor the suggested change do not
care enough about it to take trouble to
express their opinion.
The advocates or the referendum have
been arguing the matter rs though it
were only question of theory. They
say Consult the people freely They
will be glad to record their opinion, and
we shall find out just what they Think
This would be we'll enough if the matter
had never been tried. But it has been
tried, repeatedly and thoroughly in diff
erent parts of the country. Experience
has shown that it is the hardest thing
in the world to get voters to express
themselves on any issue except that of
candidates for office. Ii other PROPOSE
ton, most men who go to the polls will
pay no attention to them If they are
submitted at a special election, the ma
jority will not go to the polls and a
good many of those who do go will not
know what they are voting for. In
either case the referendum breaks down