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


On the 4th page of the MIDLAND Jour
NAL will be found an interesting article
on Direct Legislation from the January
Arena. The subject of direct legislation
has received but comparatively little
attention, till i'll recent years, some of the
best minds are reaching the conclusion
that the only hope of the republic is to
get the legislative or law making power
back into the hands of the people. REP
REsENTATIvE legislation which is the
rule of the majority, from which SO much
was hoped, has, i'll this country and
wherever tried, proved one of the most
melancholy failures, when the will of that
majority has been expressed by proxy, or
a chosen representative. The State of
Maryland had population i'll 1890 OF
I,o42, 800. This vast multitude gives into
the hands of six men its entire law max
ing power, to do as they please with it in
congress and so it is with all the States.
A dangerous temptation is placed before
these few proxies, and the system has
proven to the peoples cost, the frailty OF
human nature.
Our present congress is the disgrace
and scandal of the country. There prob
ably never was assembled together so
corrupt a Doodle taking, beer and wliskey
guiding, gambling and pronigate crowd,
taking the average Of the members, to
make laws. This condition which is seen
at the capital of every State and of the
nation, of all men, has caused the moral
and justice loving, thoughtful people of
the country to seriously consider what
can be done to break up this scandalous,
corrupting and horrible state of public
affairs which has enthoned the most venal
and sordid class i'll power.
The same conditions prevailed i'll
Switzerland and venal class, placed at
the head of the government through the
representative system, threatened the
overthrow Of the republic, through the
moral rottenness of the class who sue
ceeded by every vile means in getting
hold of the reins of government, when
the people arose, threw off the represen-
tative, oligarchy system and substituted
for it the Initiative and Referendum,
which is explained in the article on the
4th page, under head of "Direct Leg
islation."
The county local option" plan of deal
ing with the license business is the Ref
erendum i'll limited way. The design
of those who are laboring to organize and
agitate in the interest of "Direct Legis-
lation" is to extend the system to State
and national laws, and have them passed
upon by direct vote of the people before
acts of the legislatures and congress are
clothed with legal power.
Recently a movement has been started
to organize all over the country, i'll every
election ward and district, clubs or leagues
for the purpose of effecting this reform,
and by placing the law making power
directly in the hands of the people to
break up the Doodle lobby business at the
State and national capitals, which defeats
every honest effort of the people to secure
the passage of just laws or the repeal of
the many outrageous acts which fill our
law books.
Rev. DR.. James H. Lathrop is the pres
ent temporary President of the National
Initiative and Referendum Association
with headquarters at Topeka, Kas., from
which point the Executive Committee is
acting with the purpose above stated
The movement, while in its nature po-
litical, cannot be made a political party
movement, i'll as much as it appeals to
people Of all parties, and has no party or
politician axes to grind, but it does appeal
to the best elements of the community
and especially to members of all associa-
tons having the moral and religious
uplifting of all the people i'll view, and
particularly to the church of all denomi-
nations. If there is any one cause above
and beyond all others that is dragging
back and multiplying church work in its
every department, that one cause is our
corrupt politics. 1t has enthroned in
high places the most corrupt elements in
the country, who are setting an example
before the young which is teaching them
little else than villainy and immortality
that is permeating society like deadly
miasma To stay this moral pestilence is
the object of those who have taken the
initiative in organizing the work on a
systematic plan. Without Direct Legis-
lation either by the Initiative and Refer
endum or Proportional representation,
there is little hope for some of the most
needed legislative reforms to be con-
summated.