Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1898-06-29
SYMPOSIUM ON D1REcr LEG1sLArIoH.

Samuel Gompers, president of the |
American Federation of Labor. with a
membership of more than a million
trade unionists:
Il have full faith in the people. The
safety of the future as we'll as the in
terests of the present can safely be en-
trusted in their hands. The whole are
more honest, more intelligent than the
few. We must soon choose whether we
are to have an oligarchy or democra-
cy. All lovers of the human family,
all who earnestly strive for political re-
form, economic justice and social en-
franchisement must range themselves
on the side of organized labor in this
demand for direct legislation"
Hon. Marion Butter. United States
senator from North Carolina:
do l believe in direct legislation?
Let the facts speak. ! have been try
ing to pass resolution in the United
States senate for the appointment of
special committee to consider the feast.
bility OF applying 1t to federal legisla-
ton, but there is considerable prejudice
In the senate against the creating Of spe-
clal committees, particularly when the
senate is not especially friendly to the
object. The cry is always raised that a
regular committee of the senate should
make such Investigations. l have new
er been able to get my previous resolu-
ton reported from the Committee on
Contingent expenses. Recently have
made new move by introducing a new
resolution instructing the Committee
on Privileges and Elections to make
this investigation. / succeeded in get
ting it to vote, and 1t passed on June
23rd."
Rev. b. Fay Mills, the eloquent pull
pit orator and Christian Socialist:
Il will hold up both hands for the in.
itiative and referendum. l sometimes
think agree with those who feel that
this should be the next step in social
reconstruction, as certainly believe it
will be productive of all others.
Il believe the revelation of God is in
the conscience of all the people. MAJ
| Uni says that whoever makes a religion
out of democracy saves the world"
Lord Salisbury, the English. Premier,
| and leader of the conservative party of
| Great Britain:
II believe that nothing could oppose
bulwaTk to popular passion except an
| ARRANGEMENT for deliberate and careful
reference of any matter in dispute to
the votes of the people, like the arrange
ments existing i'll the United States
| and Switzerland"
To this may be added the following
! significant statement from the editor of
London's greatest newspaper:
'At the election of 1895, the referen.
dunn occupied certain place. The Of
| fetal leatlet issued from the Conserva-
tive Offices, to explain and enumerate
the items of the party program, placed
| the referendum third on the list of I'm
ionist aims. A firm imperial policy
comes first. Then follows strong ma
| Wy. Third comes the referendum. The
referendum may thus fairly be said to
have emerged from Obscurity. ID. St.
| Lo Strachey, editor London Spectator.
Samuel E. Moffett, formerly editor of
the San Francisco Examiner, now one
of the editors of the NewYork Journal:
Direct legislation is no longer mere
ly desirable; it has become essential to
the safety, if not to the continued ex-
istence, of the republic. A few years
ago the representative system was in
decay-now 1t is dead. Then we had
many bad representatives-now we
have substantially no representatives.
good or bad, at all. This is literally
true of state legislatures and city coun-
ellis, and it is becoming increasingly
true of congress. The former conger-
les of representatives, some honest and
some corrupt, each acting from his In
dividual motives, has given way to the
boss, who own the legislative power in
bulk, and takes contracts to lam
through any measure whose sponsors
are willing to pay his price. The people
enraged by successive betrayals, and
realizing the hopeless folly of turning
out one boss to make room for another
are in a dangerous mood. The only
way of keeping their rising indignation
within the bounds of order Is to give
them some peaceful method of CONTROL.
ing their own affairs. That is what
4 L. IA l.