The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1896-09-30
THE INITIATIVE AND REFER
ENDUM

per. We have said our say about him,
and we are through; but his friends
don't seem content to let the matter
sleep. One Of them, Judge WEIGH, OF
Minneapolis, writes us very abusive
letter on the subject, and concludes it
with the following words:
And your avowed reason? Why.
you say MIR. Owen, as member of the
committee on resolutions atSt. Louis,
opposed the Initiative and Referen-
dunn propOsition,-Or suggested some
qualifying features respecting it. If
true, what Of it? AS applied to Crusoe
while shipwrecked on Juan Fernandez
Isle-to 1.-The Ten Men of Money Is
land TO School District in Dako-
ta,-to county in Ireland or Can
ton in Switzerland,-tO a Municipal
ity like Minneapolis or State like
Minnesota, why the system might
apply the motive power OF perpetual
motion, when discovered, to our dual
form of government, than to apply
that system in national sense. Such
a scheme is ridiculous in a National
platform, -absolutely impractible and
has no business there. The Single
Tax scheme which you SO abhOr, is a
thing of beauty compared to your fad.
A sovereign states,-44 executives
"A Legislatures "A Supreme Courts,
the Great Boa at Washington,-a
Babel of Nations in a jumbled mass
of 100000 Of people, considerable
number of which are la boring under the
congenital infirmities Of the idiot, fool
and simpleton, to be pestered with mi
ating and approving laws to govern
themselves, when even our Supreme
Court Judges are forever in middle
in constituting the instrum ent which
gave them their judicial power
We are not surprised at the position
taken by Judge WEIGH. He is law
yer not farmer. He is for free-sil
yer but he is not Populist. He
knows nothing of the struggles that
have been going on in this state, on
the part Of the Peoples Party and It's
predecessors, during the past ten or
fifteen years. II it had been other
wise, he would have known that the
demand for the Initiative and Refer
endum is one of the fundamental
principles of the Populist platform.
1t has appeared in every platform Of
the Peoples Party, State and Nation
al, since it was formed /; and before it
was formed it constituted one Of the
most earnestly urged propositions of
the Farmers Alliance, which preced
ed the Peoples Party.
We are vigorously supporting the
demand for free-silver because we be-
lieve that it would BEL effect, "wa
tering Of the currency" that would
bring back gold to its former value, and
lift up the price of the products Of la
Dor; and thereby do incalculable good.
But we perceive, as every Populis t
does. that this is not the whole of the
controversy now going on in this
country. Even if we succeeded in
this struggle, and brought wheat to a
dollar a bushel and cotton to 10 or %
cents per pound, and everything else
in proportion, 1T would not remedy the
horrible corruption which has taken
possession Of our legislative bodies
and made free government a farce in
the land.
As it is now we elect members and
SCudUOlS CtCly WV ohSJ ~ W
the State Capitol; we pay out vast
sums, through taxation, for their COM
pensation and to maintain the ma
chinery Of government. We claim
that we are free self-goyerning peo-
pie; and yet,so far as effecting reforms
by legislation is concerned, we are as
powerless as the subjects of the Gar,
who have neither Congress nor Parlia-
ment.
OF what avail is it to increase the
amount of money received by the peo-
pie if nothing is to be done to stop
the robberies practiced on the people?
And now can those robbcries be
stopped except by legislation; and how
can we obtain legislation under exist
ing conditions?
In our town meetings we have a
pure democracy, because there the
people vote directly on all questions
submitted to them. This was the
kind Of government they had in an
Gent Greece. But our country is too
vast to permit anything OF that kind.
We have therefore been compelled to
fall back upon representative govern
ment. We elect deputies to do our
law-making, and these, as rule, to a
large extent, seize upon the oppor-
tunity presented to enrich themselves
at the expense of those who sent
them there. This betrayal Of trust is
universal and MISUNDERSTOOD by the
whole people. The man with mort
gage upon his home Of thousand dol
lars, is elected to a body where he can,
perhaps, sell his vote. upon a single
question, for IS 600. His poverty, his
hclplessn :ss, the spirit OF the age, all
plead with him to betray his trust.
II this thing continues it must ncces-
sarily grow worse, and il it does the
Republic must come to an end.
Under these circumstances the Pee
pies Party has demanded a system
similar to that in existence for some
time past in Switzerland. This is, in
effect, the right to initiate the con-
sideration OF laws when demanded by
a proper number Of the people; and
the right to have all important legis-
lative propositions referred back 10
the people for their approval or veto.
AS soon as this was done the CORPORA
tions would no longer buy the repre-
sentatiyes Of the people, because the
vaorlo thn,rsclvos world ha We 4 right