The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1894-12-14
LIVE ISSUES.
The Referendum.


citizen may write proposed law,
and if number of voters, to be
fixed by the constitution, shall pc
tition in it's favor, the secretary of
state must submit it to vote of the
citizens at the next election. The
legislature has no power over the
initiative method of making laws.
The law is prepared by some of
the people, filed with the secretary
of state, and by him sent direct to
the people at the ballot box.
The referendum means that the
legislature must refer all it's bills to
the voters, and before any act can
become a law it must receive ma
jority of the votes cast.
All proposed laws are published
by the state, city, county, or dis
trict, according as to whether it is
a state, city, county, or district
measure. With each law is printed
a short statement of the reasons for
and against it's enactment.
This is the Swiss method, where
in some states it has been in sue
cessful operation for 600 years.
Zurich state, with population of
100000. and Zurich city, with
92, 900 inhabitants, for forty years
have permitted no law, tax levy, Or
appropriation of public money to be
made without a majority vote of the
citizens, and they have no beggars,
paupers, nor home made million
aires.
But they have the best postal
system in the world, and their
wagon roads are universally admit
ted to be the best known. The
railroads are controlled by the gov
ernment to an extent that stops
only short of ownership.
The government decides the loca-
tion of proposed line, the time in
which it must be built, the max
imum rate for freight and passen-
gers, and the number of trains to
be run. The construction, repairs,
time tables, rates, and agreements
are under the control of the post
Office department, and the govern
ment reserves the right to purchase
at any time it may see fit. Dis
ordinations are thus prevented.
Wealth cannot buy law. The
word of the people is the highest
law and cannot be overruled> by
any Supreme court or any other
power.
Long before the existence of the
Swiss Republic the old Grecian Re
public practiced the referendum,
and as they did so the Republic
prospered. The manner in which
they presented questions to the
people was: The people of one
county or district met together,
held an election or consultation and
sent man to the seat of govern
who cast their vote, or filed their
petition. This was as near as they
approached the referendum; but
their congressman could not enact
a law unless it had been referred to
the people-and this is referendum.
Under the initiative and referen-
dunn law making is merely a bust
ness proposition of public welfare.
Demagogues, -pillers, ward
heelers, and pot house politicians
lose their power. Any man advo-
eating worthy law can bring it to
vote within a year, while bad
laws are as easily repealed. By
constant study at law making the
people are ready for wise action at
all times.
In nearly all the states of our
Union the referendum is used for
making and amending constitutions.
Proposals to issue bonds for state,
county, city, town, and district,
debts are almost universally refer
red to a direct vote of the people
are wise enough to make their con-
stitutions, they are certainly com
petent to make the by laws.
1t is the same system under
which the famous New England
town meetings do all their business,
sometimes by ballot and at others a
show of hands.
The international cigar makers,
iron moulders, bakers, brewers,
carpenters and joiners, carriage