The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1898-04-06
rule, viz, the initiative, referendum and


on the unit of voting precincts, with such
regulations and provisions as the wis
dom of the future may provide.
The unit Of organization is the voting
precinct. There is one club in each pre-
cinct and only one. Any seven voters in
precinct can form a club. Member
ship is of two kinds. Initial and active.
An active member is one who has by
personal effort added one or more mem
bers to club. An initial member is
one who has as yet secured no new men,
Der, but Is pledged to make every effort
to do so. All charter members must be
active members. In order for club
to obtain charter it must first organize
a club in another precinct, provided
there be an unorganized precinct in the
congressional district.
Each precinct club elects one member
of a county committee Each county
committee elects a member of the state
committee, which in turn elects a men,
ber to the national committee.
A club may at any time by majority
vote recall it's member of the congress
sional committee; the congressional COM
mittee on action by a majority of the
clubs in the district may in a similar
way recall it's member of the state COM
mittee, and the state clubs have the
same authority over their representative
OIL the national committee These re-
spective committees have power to call
conventions and fix the basis Of repre-
sentation of the same.
Upon demand Of Is per cent of the
clubs or of the membership of the same,
the results Of any convention or the de-
cision of any committee must be sub
mitted to a referendum of the member
ship affected by the same If the acts
of convention are repudiated by ma
jority vote, new delegates must be elect
ed and another convention held. An ad-
verse vote on an act Of committee re-
peals such act and shall be followed by
committee who voted In the affirmative.
In other words, the precinct always
retains it's sovereiggt3 When it is
necessary to use proxy that proxy is
the word. Every officer of the club is
dependent in his tenure of Office on the
will Of the majority of it's members. He
cannot misrepresent them. No coun-
ty, state or national committee can go
counter to the wishes of the majority
ruled precinct clubs. Under this plan
bossism and cliques are impossible. The
League first obtains the verdict of the
majority and then executes 1t.
At the earliest opportunity test votes
should be taken on public questions of
local or national interest. This vote
should not be confined to the club men,
bership, but an earnest effort should be
made to poll the opinion OF every voter
in the precinct This will give the men,
bers of the club an excellent opportuni-
ty to explain the objects of the league
and to show it's practical application.
These test votes can be taken by mail at
trifing expense though personal can
vass will be found much more effective.
Such in outline is the plan Of the Ma
jority Rule League. Its possibilities are
bourdless. It offers a feasible plan for
a speedy and permanent fusion Of those
forces which are now working at cross
purposes.
Consider for a moment what the ma
tional organization Of Majority Rule
clubs means.
INITIATIVE AND REFERENDUM IN
CITY, COUNTY, STATE, CONGRESS
sIONAL, AND NATIONAL ELEC-
TIONs, WITHOUT WAITING FOR
CONGRESS TO DRAFT A LAW OR
THE STATES TO RATIFY CHANGE
OR AN AMENDMENT TO THE CON-
STITUTION.
No candidate in any district with Ma
jority Rule clubs would dare refuse to
be governed by the wishes of his con-
stituents as expressed in a complete
canvass of the voters. He would hesi-
tate long before breaking that promise,
and such open treachery would be at
peril of his life A study of the plan
of the Majority Rule League will con-
vince you that it offers plan by which
the people can smash the political ma
chimes, ignore the political bosses, and
erect in the place of the existing corrupt
political combines an organization by
which self government will become a
reality.
In every state few men control the
party machinery and control absolutely.
They do not consult the people. In the
first place they do not care to consult
the people, and in the next place they
could not do it if they tried. Let us form
an organization by which the people
can record their opinion on any subject
and arrive at a verdict in less than 4S
hours. It can be done. It is not only
u