The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1897-12-10
TRUST In THE PEOPLE
DIRECT LEGISLATION THs BEST
LEGISLATION.

The Masses Know More Than the
of u Special Legislative Glass What
a Reader Has to Say.
To the Editor: In legislation good
faith is Incompatible with private in
terest. The latter is asserted at pres
ent in every law issuing from a legis-
lative assembly. | do not deny that
study is a great aid to the legislator,
but it is an aid only when detached
from private interest But the COM
bination is so rare that only dupes
will seek knowledge united to disiu-
teresteduess.
The propertied classes are but 4
party in the state, and a party. even
more than Il private individual, fol-
lows the impulses of seltishness. OPP
portunity makes it inevitably an en-
ploiter Of the people. Hence, a mind
sufficiently acute could have foreseen
with no difficulty the fruits of repre-
sentative government. Take France,
for example. What great work Of leg
islation has been accomplished since
1915? The budget has doubled. The
army has been increased in a time OF
peace. Laws in favor Of special i'll
terests have multiplied. Nothing good
or great has been done. and, as if to
demonstrate the utter vanity Of all
hope founded upon the representative
system, fate has been pleased to in
stitute an infinite number Of varieties
OF it in France, all betraying the same
utter incapacity, the same sinister pur-
pose. Is 1t surprising. after all this,
that the most ardent advocates of rep
resentative government are themselves
in despair of it in their heart of hearts,
and, not daring to make the candid
avowal: I'VE do not know what is TO
be done, they say: Nothing can be
done. 1t is generally supposed that
| Il combination Of qualities and great
learning is essential to the work Of
| good law maker, and that this COM
| bination cannot be found among the
masses. Let us correct at once the
| greater of the two errors in this as
| sertion. The personal interest Of the
law makers determines the character
OF the laws. It is not education or
| ability. Education draws them up
and by means of its experiences makes
them as utterly bad as the people will
| tolerate. Is not this the case with
| every product Of the legislative MILL
the mandatory of indictments for ;he
! exploitation Of the people? Direct leg
| islatiOn would put an end to this de-
grading industry. 1t would not over
throw private interest, but make use
OF it in reasonable manner Direct
| legislation, giving ear to the pleas OF
all, without exception, and obtaining
a decisive majority OF all the interests,
would give prominence TO the inter
ests Of the public.
But even admitting that education
and special knowledge are essential in
the work Of legislation, let us inquire
if the representative system itself
the only system that can be seriously
opposed to direct legislation-se selects
men of capacity and education to
make the laws. Certainly not. Every
| one knows that in all the representative
| assemblies genuine capacity is over
| Whelned by the immense predOmi-
nance Of mediocvities. pledged to pri-
vate interests.
| And must the people as a whole be
considered the sum total Of the citi-
zens minus the men OF education and
ability? 1t is direct legislation, on
the contrary, that can boast Of its
ability to utilize the capacity and the
knowledge Of all. Direct legislation in
/, the sections accords to native superb
GRITTY the influence it is entitled to-,
whereas the representative system
stiles continually hosts of intelligent
minds without giving them a single
| opportunity in q life time to do any
| thing for the good Of humanity. The
masses are endowed with an inimita-
| BILE capacity of going straight to the
heart of great legislative question
andg.decidiEg it in accordance with
4 the principles of eternal Justice and
I natural equity, with which their inter
ests must necessarily accord, whereas
this capacity and good faith can man
ifest themselves but seldom among a
body of pretended Legislators who, in
addition to their class interests, are
blinded by pride and prejudice. Who
has not observed the spontaneous in