The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1895-01-18
LIVE ISSUES.
Direct LEGISLATION.

be referred to the people before
they can become laws.
The Initiative means that a GER
tain percentage of voters shall have
the right to initiate or propose
legislation.
You can see for yourself why
these two institutions together
should be called direct legislation.
There is something as hopeless in
indirect legislation of the usual
type as there is in indirect taxation.
The people must be brought into
actual contact with the making of
the laws which are to govern them.
This is true self government, and
this only. Having our laws made
for us offhand by proxy has result
ed in shifting the attention of the
voters upon persons and away from
principles. To restore the proper
balance in political machinery the
voters must learn to pass judgment
upon measures instead of merely
upon men.
Although the names Referendum
and Initiative sound very Latin
and very long, you have probably
never even heard them mentioned
in your college course. But do not
suppose for that reason that these
institutions are foreign to our
American body polite.
In any New England town a
small percentage of the voters can
have an article inserted in what is
known as the warrant, to have it
discussed and voted upon in town
meeting. Any ten voters of a town
have the right to propose measures
relating to the government of the
town, such as appropriating money
for current expenses, building
school houses, highways and all
other acts which town may law
fully do. That is the Initiative.
The right to adopt or reject such
proposals resides in majority of
the voters at a duly warned town
meeting; that is the Referendum.
If ten votes in a town petition the
selectmen to call a special meet
ing and the select men refuse, any
justice of the peace may call a
special town meeting, and the acts
of that meeting are the laws of that
town.
When town adopts a city
charter all this is changed, for the
representative form of government
has been introduced, and the only
vote the voters then have on mu-
nicipal matters is that of selecting
their representatives once each year.
So you see that the Referendum
and Initiative are real American
institutions; when you get into pol
itics do not let the ignorant cry you
down as the introducer of foreign
custom. Furthermore, the Refer
endum is even now frequently used
outside of the town meeting system.
In every State of the Union, except
Delaware, constitutional amend
ments are referred to the people for
ratification. In many states such
questions as the location of the
capital, of state universities, pris-
ons and asylums are referred.
Local option is a form of the Refer
endum. All that is needed is to
extend this principle and we shall
soon find ourselves once more a
self-governing, self-respecting
nation.
But in framing and administer
ing laws we must enlist the very
best talent and allow all interests
to be fairly represented. 1t, there
fore, becomes necessary to have
some sort of an electoral system.
This brings me to the second reform
which | want you to consider, that
of Proportional Representation.
You can have no idea, until you
examine the statistics of our cleo
tiOns (whether they be municipal,
State, or federaD, how large num-
Der of voters are practically dis
franchissd. No provision is made
for minorities. And yet taxes
continue to be paid even by those
who are unrepresented. On the
other hand, in certain states the
district are so constructed that a
small handful of voters hold the
a.