Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1897-11-17
DIRECT
LEGISLATION.
What 1t Can Do and What 1t
Can Not
Under Direct Legislation, the COrrup-
ton Of Legislatures Would Praetic.
ally,Disappear.

Every day deve1opes more facts
showing the value of direct legislation
in securing to the people their rights
and protecting them from corrupt leg
islators.
the people in voting directly on a pro-
posed law would always be either right
or wise. Human nature and human
wisdom are both imperfect and as long
as human governments are composed
of human beings they, also, will be inn
perfect.
But the verdict of the whole people
is much more likely to be honest than
the verdict of legislature.
1t is quite true that it is possible for
monopolists and money kings to some
times delude or coerce the people into
voting for something that would injure
the people and bring more profits to
plutocracy; but is also true it is much
more difficult task for them to do this
than it is to corrupt a few members of
the legislature, and the people when
they find they have been deceived will
be prompt in reversing their action.
It is not claimed by the advocates of
direct legislation that it will at once
bring in the millennium by securing
absolutely wise and righteous 1egis1a-
ton. That will only be possible when
the people themselves are wise and
righteous. A fountain cannot rise
higher than its source, and legislation
cannot be wiser and better than the
people from whom it comes.
But under our present system the
fountain does not rise anywhere near
as high as its source.
The legislation is not as wise or as
righteous as the people from whom it
originally emanates.
Between the "source" 1.-THE peop1e)
and the fountain (the legislation there
is the legislature, in which evil and
corrupt influences check the good leg
islation which would otherwise flow
forth.
Consequently our legislation is not
nearly as wise and righteous as the
people.
It cannot be hoped that direct 1egis-
1ation will secure laws that are wiser
and better than the people. The object
is to secure legislation that shall be up
to the standard of the people.
To get legislation that is better than
the people is, of course, impossible.
When we have adopted system which
will make the legislation as good as the
people then the next step will be to
elevate the standard of the people.
Under such a system whatever ele.
Yates the standard of the people will
elevate the standard of legislation.
Under the present system an e1eva.
ton in the standard of the people does
not necessarily result in an elevation
of the standard of legislation.
Under system which will bring the
standard of legislation up to the stand
ard already reached by the people, the
Legislation will be help to a further
advance on the part of the people.
Under our present system the low
standard of legislation acts as con.
tinua1 hindrance to the advance of the
people,
Under direct legislation the corrup
ton of legislatures would practically
disappear, and this corrupting source
being removed the moral ideas of the
people would be raised.
Under direct legislation, plutocrats
and corruptionists, when they had a
scheme to carry through, would have
to go directly to the people and argue
their case before them.
They could undoubtedly sometimes
carry their case by deception, trickery
bribery and coercion. Experience
has shown this to be possible. But i,
would be an immensely greater under
taking than to corrupt few members
of the legislature. And when the PEG
pie discovered that they had beer
duped, they would promptly correct
matters.
Under direct legislation, corruption
lists would not be able to WELD, as they
do now, the power of party loyalty
They could not.get plank in favor OF
their scheme into some political plat
form and then hustle up the votes fo,
it on the ground that it was part,
doctrine. Men would learn to consid
er each question on it's own merits
and party slavery would soon becom,
a thing of the past.
Under our present system a larg.
proportion of the voters never reaIl,
study the questions at issue. Their,
are many who do not even know ant
do not try to find out for what tina
party stands. They vote the part,
ticket because it is the party ticket
and they don't have to think.
Under direct legislation each inn
portant question would come befor,
the people separately, Invested from
all other questions and from party OBJ
Legations. They would have to thinI
about it, and being obliged to thinI
they would soon become better ac
quainted with public problems an,
less at the mercy of desipninor da,,,,