The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1897-05-28
ABOUT DIRECT LAWS.
WHAT THEY WOULD AND
WOULD NOT DO,
Some Facts on an Important Question
by One OF "Facts' Interesting Core
spondenls There Is Only One Side to
This Question.


number OF the Atlantic Monthly is a
short and very we'll written article on
THE Political Menace of the Discon-
tented,' Ia which, after picturing in
frlghtful co!ors the dangers which
threaten cur nation from the Chicago
platform aad it's adherents, the writer
remarks:
1T is more than coincidence that
the menace to property and credit is
more determined in the two parts Of the
union, tho south and the west, which
have nothing in common but lack OF
thrift
Farther Or he states:
1T is the feeling that in some way
the government has ceased to be his,
as it was in d time nearer to the town
meeting, that has aroused the suspicion
of the isolated man."
Granted that our Atlantic friends
hooves us Of the thriftless and there
fore rebel'1ous west to make a great
effort to alay the suspicious of the
Isolated man, by making the govern
ment once more his own.
How to ,t:ake and keep our govern
ment one Hhich shall be in reality a
government by the people is, then, a
question OF the utmost importance to
us.
Doubtless. the terms ;initiative," :"
referendum" and imperative man
date are familiar to the ear. But lest
some one may not understand them
fully I will give a brief explanation.
The referendum is simply referring
to the people of proposed legal meas
ure for their approval Or veto. We now
have the referendum in our own coun-
try in a very limited measure, l. e.,
every amendment to our state consti-
tuition must be approved by the peo-
pie before it Becomes part of the law
of the land. Certain questions as to
bond issues are also submitted to the
people, Several years ago the school
board of Denver gave the people the
referendum in regard to free text
books.
1r Switzerland, which country takes
the lead iii direct legislation, the refer
endum is either compulsory or option
al. That is, in some of the cantons all
measures must be submitted to the
people before becoming laws, while in
others ami in the federal government
they are submitted only on petition Of
certain number of citizens.
The initiative is the natural compile
ment of the referendum. BY it the
people have the power to initiate leg
islation when their legislators are too
sluggish to do so, or when they are
bound by "<ings and strings and un-
holy combinations. A demand by a
certain number of voters then compels
the law-making body to frame the de-
sired legislation and submit it to the
people for their acceptance or rejection.
The imperative mandate. or, as it is
sometimes named, the recall, enables
the people 70 remove from office an un-
worthy or incapable official, provided
that the demand be made by majority
of the vot;rs
Perhaps It may be palmer to you if
brought nearer home. Let US suppose
that we have adopted some such sys-
tenn of direct legislation in our city.
We wish to take into our own hards
the business of supplying ourselves
with dr.nk'.ble water. Say twenty per
cent OF our people sign a request to our
pubic servants to make all arrange
ments for purchasing the property of
the water company or for putting in a
new system, That is the initiative.
The city council thereupon must
frame necessary measures and adver-
tise thoroughly the date on which the
question is to come before the people,
On that day it is settled by direct vote,
That is the referendum. Possibly our
ing this operation one of our older men
has shown a leaning toward the inter
est of somebody besides the Deol l.,
whose servant he is. Such things ha vp
been heard Of in some Of our citi9s
Possibly he has worked so plain "
against us and for his own intere: I.
that the whole city is indignant Very
well, if more than half of us see fit .?e
may, by signing our names to tho O.
mand, remove tho gentleman from Il IS