Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1897-02-04
Death of a POpulist Pet.

The proposition to inaugurate the
initiative and referendum system i'm
this state was killed by the lower
house Of the legislature las week,
thus saving the senate from n duty it
certainly would not have shirked.
Considering that it had such strong
Populistic endorsement in the house
and that it was the pet of
that party, the result is surprising,
but, we believe, credit for it's defeat is
largely due to the able speech i'm OPP
position to the proposed cOnstitu-
tional amendment by Representative
Ramsey of Gallatin county. He did
not content himself, as did Others,
with merely denouncing the
as Populistic and therefore unsOund,
but proved to many of his colleagues
that the plan was impracticable in
Montana or under any constitutional
government.
As the measure has received scant
attention by the press of the state.
except by the Helena Independent,
which has been it's chief champion, we
will briefly state the effect of such
amendment had it been adopted. No
laws, except those necessary for an
immediate emergency such as to Sc
cure public order, were to become
operative until voted upon by the
people, that in to say, the acts of IN
legislature We're to be merely advis-
DRY and all proposed were
to be submitted to the people to be
adopted or rejected by them. The
legislature could pass laws hut the
people must by their votes approve
them. The initiative portion of the
scheme was to the effect that upon
fifteen per cent of the voters petition
ing the Legislature or secretary of
state for the enactment Of Il certain
measure, that measure was to be
submitted to vote.
The initiative and referendum is
in any other country or i'm any state
Of this union. 1t would have bee
essentially experimental legislation.
Authorities differ as to it's success i'm
Switzerland, but granting that it is
the best method for that country il
does not by any means follow that
it would work well i'm this country.
Switzerland is a small country, the
total area being about one-tenth
that of Montana and into that area
,,. m. x.yIaI ,f~ fip,n, tho fAfl ,,p,
lation of this state. Elections are
easily held and the cost necessarily
much less than in this state, yet the
submission of a law to h voters of
Switzerland costssome $26 900. That
country has not a constitutional
government, u measure adopted by
the people becomes the law of the
land and il does not lie in the power
of any court to declare it unconstitu-
tional. To adopt this method under
our form Of government would en-
tail much useless expense unless our
courts were also remodeled and this
could not he done except by the
whole country.
The adoption OF such a plan for
legislation would be to make fools
| of our Legislators, and while this view
may be correct in individual cases we
do not believe il correct i'm n general
sense. Even In Switzerland the acts
of the body corresponding tn our
legislature ia generally taken as final,
from 1869 to 1855 but three bills which
had been defeated by the Legislature
were subsequently adopted by the
voters and one of these was shortly
proven to have been i'll advised.
Again, Switzerland being so small II
country, the interests Of each section
are necessarily the same. but IL il not
so i'm Montana. What chance would
the stock counties have al securing
needed legislation such as bounty
measures, II they must needs outvote
the populous N opposing counties
of Silver Bow and others? While
we believe In majority rule we also
believe In minority rights, and these
would have been sacrificed were the
amendment carried.
The house did it's work well, In this
instance, at least.