The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-10-03
Observation-Disclosures THE REMEDY

and elevation. P. F. Lyons OD5efVel.
DECENTRA LIZATION THE REMEDY.
A great deal has been said about the
ACCESSIBILITY of applying the principle
of the referendum to legislation in this
country It is supposed that leglslat-
ors are largely irresponsible, and have
got too far away from the people
Nominated, as they generally are, by
small number of interested parties, and
elected. as they too commonly are, on
general party issues, without much
reference to personal character or
views of government, it has happened
that the bills which they pass are
sometimes actually in conflict with the
peoples will. The whole drift under
democratic government has been
toward a severance of close connec-
ton between the legislative body and
the voter. The latter goes to the polls,
casts his ballot and thinks that his
whole duty Is performed. The former,
receiving his certificate of office, goes
to work as an independent member of
the body polite, with an eye very quick
to catch an intimation of anything
that will conduce to his personal in
terest. The legislature passes law
or repeats a law and public sentiment
protests The idea of the very large
e ybo ha1ipNa in the
referendum, and hope to see it applied
in American politics, is that, by obilg-
ing acts of Importance to be submitted
to the popular vote, either in anticipa-
ton or after passage, but before going
into effect. for approval or rejection
it would tend to restore the ancient idea
of an actual government by the people.
The theory is an attractive one, but the
evidence in all the states seems TO
nrove that it will not work in prac-
tice in our populous, unwieldy COM
munities.
In proof of this may be cited the
whole body of electoral statistics in
almost any state. These show that the
great difficulty lies in getting the peo-
ple to take an intelligent and earnest
interest in the conduct of their affairs.
Every political manager or committee
knows that the hardest part OF his
work is to "get out the vote. They
have inst had an election in New Jer-
tIIfin a
amendments were submitted to the
people, one of these prohibiting race
track gambling in the state. Whether
this was wise or unwise, it certainly
had the approval of more than ma
4crity of the voters. Those who were
oppoged to it got out and worked, those
who favored it were Indifferent. and it
was beaten by a big majority in light
vote In the state of wisconsin, a re-
cent local election disclosed about one
fifth as many ballots as were cast in
The presidential contest last year. We
know that in our own state, when con-
stitutional amendments are submitted
to the people, which is really the high
est. and most important form of APP
PLYING the referendum, there is little
interest and less discrimination shown
bv the voter. A large portion of those
VINO vote for candidates for Office
NEGLECT to mark their ballots either for
or against the amendments. If the
one at the head of the list happens to
be popular, it carries all the rest with
it; If otherwise, the reverse happens.
When it is stated in the law submit
tina. an amendment to the people that,
in order to go into effect. it must re-
ceive a majority, not merely of those
voting. but of all the qualified voters of
the state, it almost uniformly fails of
passage
BY these Illustrations, which show
the Uniform tendency in this country,
we get at the truth of the matter,whicn
is that the difficulty lies, not so much
in the ignorance or lack of principle of
representatives Of the people as in the
inter refusal of the people themselves
to take proper care for the transac
tion of their own business. We get
down everywhere 10 the individual
voter as the party responsible for
defeliction in the conduct of political
affairs. This the referendum cannot
mend. 1T would, indeed rather aggra-
vate than relieve it. An unwise or un
sust measure, if the people did not
care enough to express their voice
against it. would then be secure, be-
cause the responsibility for it would
be lifted from the shoulders of. the
makers If we seek for the cause
OF this growing apathy in American
poIitics, we will find it surely i'll the
ccntralizing processes of the times
A mar keeps the grasp of his own
1crsoua; affairs, masters their de-
tails and looks after their execution,
uot merely because they touch his self
inse1est, but because they are not too