Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1898-10-21
TRUST THE PEOPLE.
THE DEMOCRATIC STATE PLAT
FORM SAYS SO.
The Referendum Plank and What 1t
Means-People Shall Vote All
Laws-The Days of Corrupt Legis-
lures Can BE Terminated II
the People Will 1t.

platform which indorses the referendum
system of government reduced to it's sim
plest terms means that if Democratic
legislature is elected in Illinois a law
will be passed making it obligatory on
all future legislatures of the state that
all important legislation shall be referred
(referendun) to the people. who shall
vote on each and every act before 1t can
become a law. The Republican platform
(by non-reference) opposes the idea of
permitting the people to vote, except for
candidate for office-nominated OF course
by the machine. Under the circumstances
it is difficult to see how any Intelligent
man can support the Republican side of
this question.
HAD THE REFERENDUM BEEN IN
FORCE IN THIS STATE FOR THE
PAST TWO YEARS THERE WOULD
HAVE BEEN NO ALLEN LAW.
HAD IT BEEN IN FORCE IN THIS
NATION CAS- WAS ORIGINALLY IN
TENDED THERE WOULD HAVE
BEEN NO CORRUPT LEGISLATION
AT WASHINGTON AND NO DEMONE-
TIZATION OF SILVER.
The right OF the people to petition their
representatives for special laws has been
upheld and practiced since our history
as nation began. The right is protected
by the Constitution. better example
for the demand for popular expression is
to be found in the Institution of the ma
tional party convention, in which the will
of the voters IS formed into a platform
of demands which the representatives are
required to indorse and to promise to
carry out. In this way the will of the
people has sought to carry out itself in
the national government, and these at
temptS at popular direction OF the law
making power Indicate the need OF
more effective system.
In the various states the direct author
ity of the people Is still more emphasized.
In a large number the people pass d.
rectly on constitutional amendments. In
a number a large number of questions
may be submitted to the popular vote.
this so-called local option law being a
partial referendum, recognizing the whole
people as the possessors of real legisla-
tive power and seeking to have them use
it. Under the name of Self-government
municipalities, towns and villages have
been given the privilege of referring var
ious matters to the voters. Lately meas
ures have been introduced to a large
number of states to secure by constitu-
tional amendment or otherwise the full
operation of the referendum. South Da-
kota will vote this year (Nov. s. upon a
constitutional amendment, which, II car
ried, will establish the referendum and
initiative in that state. 1t must be an
anomalous position fer the voter of South
Dakota who finds himself at the polls
voting upon the question whether or not
he has the right to vote For that is
about what 1t mearis. He already has
the referendum, and the proposed law
simply seeks to enlarge its scope. May
these voters be like the good Judge. AL
ways ready to enlarge his Jurisdiction"
The Sioux Falls IS d. Press has this
to say of the pending amendment: There
is no reason why the voters of the state
should not be called upon to enact i'm
portant legislation by popular vote. The
history of legislation does not warrant
too much confidence in delegated law
making. State legislatures and congress
have been fruitful helds for jobbery and
corruption. The charge has been proven
more than once that the laws granting
special privileges have been passed
through bribery. When II comes to a
popular vote corrupt. onists will have a
rather larger job than they have with
members of a state Legislature We do
not mean that a ma tority of such bodies
are always corrupt. but in nearly every
such body there are certain solons Gre
Quently in considerable percentage of the
whole number) who can be Influenced
by bribery, direct or indirect, to enact
laws not in harmony with the interests
of their constituents"
ENDORSEMENT OF REFERENDUM.
Even representative Democracy has got
beyond hero worshiping, and the opinions
OF living men are not so much regarded
the reasons which impel their adop-
tion- The opinions of a Washington or
a Jefferson would be challenged today
were they not founded upon bedrock
principles. or derived by the purest logic
from fundamentals which axiomat-
&c. 1t Is well that this Is so. 1t divides
our statesmen into two clssses-sincere
and honest men, and bold. corrupt. anar-
chic Caesars. Representation has allow
ed as many OF the one as OF the other
to sit in our legislative halls But the
party that IS now stirring direct iegisla-
ton will not only check the power OF evil
of the Caesars. but make their Jobs
Improbable
Gilbert McCiurg. editor of the Monthly
Bimetallist, has this to say for direct
legislation: I'm CUR senate and in our
house regularly occurs a most needless
and scandaIous method of voting. Mem
bers have frequently testified. and 1t IS
common knowledge. that they vote daily
for or against laws concerning which
they know absolutely nothing. Party d.
reefs them more than does principle
Members, countless times. have bought
and sold votes. fnQuiring meanwhile.
What are you going to do about it?'
To disrupt this continued corruption
which enrfches trusts and robs men, I
have yet TO learn remedy likely to
prove so effective as direct legislation,
which alone may yet effect genuine Dem
with frequent referendum, under a.
rect LEGISLATION as q part OF our instftu-
ttonn" says Edward H Clement editor