The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1897-08-27
LET THE PEOPLERULE
DIRECT LAWS-AND PROPOR-
TIONAL REPRESENTATION,
An Explanation of an Important Plank
In the Peoples Party Platform an,,
the Arguments In Its Favor as Viewed
by u Democrat.
DN Francis u Colo IL. u

government may be judged by it's laws.
Why is there SO much special legisla-
ton on our statute books, and so much
orruptl in office? Because the people
nave little to say about it. Their repre-
SentatlVes are the masters and do as
they please; no matter how treacherous
TO their constituency, or to what extent
they 'Aolate the pledges on which they
secured election, they cannot be re-
moved. When another election comes
around new questions arise and COM
Hand attention, old wrongs are forgot
ten or lost sight of and other untrust-
worthy men sneak into office, to again
40 the bidding Of monopoly and neglect
measures that would promote the gen.
eral good. In a discussion over the Off
clal conduct of a legislator, one neigh
Dor asked of another what he really did.
anyhow, and was answered. What has
ne done? Why, he built two houses
ana started a store" Is not this about
all the general run of them do? Local
ana special interests are served, the
pupllc domain freely granted in chunks
as large as p~rincipalities without con-
surfing the owners, the people, much
less gaining their consent. The policy
OF government should be to make it as
easy as possible to do right; to make
dishonesty and bribery as hard as posi-
Die and remove unholy temptation.
Our present system throws the doors of
fraud wide open and sets a premium on
dishonesty and perfidy. The people
mould have the veto power over special
legislation and franchises. The talk of
sendlng rich men to Office because they
oont need bride money is all bosh.
lhey may be honorary (onerary) and
chaste, but are not the common people
lntelllgent and chased? The patches
on thelr trousers seem to say SO. The
dogs OF special legislation are rayenous
and cunning. Under normal conditions,
such as existed in the early days of the
republic, when the country could boast
Oh a sterling charactered yeomanry, and
berore property was exalted and labor
degraded, when wealth was fairly we'll
distributed and ere Mammon and his
whitening creed held sway DER the ma
tlOh, IL was not SO much needed: but
now, since manhood has been SO under
mined, wealth so centralized. and cor
porate interests SO inimical to the COM
mon welfare, it is a crying demand Of
the times. There will be no bribery
n deals when there are no franchises
10 give away, and no selling of votes
When the votes do not insure the deliy-
cry OF the goods. No, let people take a
mana IN legislation. They have been
frozen out long enough. Adopt that
statesmanlike. scientific, eficacious re-
form, the initiative and referendum, by
which the people can initiate beneficial
legislation by popular petition, and al
so, when desirable, compel the submis-
sion OF any law to the great jury of the
people for approval or rejection. Then
no such lobby poetry as the following
would be inspired:
Midas, they say, possessed the art of
old.
OF turning whatsoever he touched to
gold;
Modern monopolists reverse it with
Touch with gold and turn 'em as thew
please"
Campaigns would then reach a maxi
mum OF education and a minimum NJ
personalities. This law should be SIM
plemented with the imperative mandate
by which obnoxious officials could he
recalled during their tenure of office.
1t should also be supplemented by civil
service and proportional representation.
by which the legislature and govern
ment would be a true counterpart of the
people. Each party would be repre-
sented in the halls of legislation to the
force and extent manifested in the
elections; no more, no less. No i'm
aginary lines of district boundaries are
to be allowed to disfranchise minorities
n rob them of a voice in the govern
ment. The senate committee on repre-
sentation once reported, PROPORTIONAL
representation is a system Of great
merit" Our system of districts Won
readily see can be so arranged by the
party in power at the time of districiing
so as to capture for the party as many
of the districts as possible. If 100 900
votes are cast and say 20 senators are
to be elected, 5000 should be sufficient
to elect one. If there are four parties.
the Republicans casting 81 5000, the
Democrats 10000, the Populists Is, 900.
and the Prohibitionists 10000 votes.
the Renub1icans undar our nroeo,+