Hutchinson gazette. [volume] (Hutchinson, Kan.) 1895-1902, 1898-02-10
DIRECT LEGISLATION.
A SYMPOSIUM FROM MEN WHO
DO AND THINK.
They all Agree That Those who are TO be
Governed by a law Should Make the
law, and That the Time for Direct Leg
iSlAtiOn is Ripe.

On direct legislation:
G. W. Perkins, President Cigarmak-
ers' International Union of America:
10 my mind it is plain proposition
that those who have q voice in making
the laws are bound to have more re-
spect for them and live with greater
contentment and satisfaction under
them than they would if they had nc
say. hold this true even if better
laws were otherwise made. Possibly
the case of Ireland is fair illustra-
ton of my meaning-if Ireland were to
make its own laws and had perfect au-
tonomy, there would be greater salts
faction there and contentment even il
the economic condition of the masses
were no better than at present
I'm our case, the members make the
law themselves and it enables the ex-
ecutive to say: These are your own
laws; you helped to make them. Re-
suit: There is no serious fault-6nding
against our laws. The referendum in
association is almost as old as the as
ISOLATION itself, and we have had both
the initiative and referendum in full
force since about 1880.
'The decisions arrived at under the
referendum are very good and the
amount Of intelligence and discretion
| displayed in voting is remarkable. /
certainly would favor its extension to
political life. 1 hold that the initiative
and referendum is also great educa-
tional factor. These questions being
submitted, bring about discussion, and
even the most dull are compelled to
listen to argument and to ut least
think Of them. The result is a constant
raising of the standard of intelligence
Of our mem bership. hold that the
organized clgarmalsers of this country,
chiefly through this policy of the ini-
tiative and referendum, are better pre-
pared and able to maintain self-gov-
ernment etc, than any other crafts
men in this country.
ain my opinion, the rank and file of
our organization would not tolerate an
amendment which abrogated the mi
tiative and referendum"
Henry Lloyd, of Boston, Mass, GEN
eral President of United Brotherhood
of Carpenters and Joinors of America:
For some seven or eight years 1
have been firm believer and hard
worker for the initiative and referen-
dunn. With the corruption in our
great parties and the tremendous in
fuences for evil brought to bear upon
our governing bodies by the great
corporations and their agents, feel
that our democracy is q sham. And l
believe that our institutions can only
be saved while the rights of the masses
are fully protected by Direct Legisla-
ton"
W. B. Prescott, President Interna-
tional Typographical Union, in his an
nual report in 1896:
II cannot refrain from submitting as
an all sufficient answer to those who
argue that referendum is inefficient,
that though conventions at various
periods adopted strike benefit laws,
the membership paid no heed what
ever until the present law was adopted
by popular vote; the same is true of all
other International laws, those secur-
ing popular approval on general vote
are the ones most readily obeyed and
easily enforced. AS practiced with u.s.
representative Cover nment-even
though the conventions functions are
reduced almost to those of delibera-
tive body-is farce, many unions be-
ing financially unable to support a del
egate, and the larger ones being APP
pUrtioned such a small number of del
egates that it is possible for four
unions of seven members each to
thwart the wishes of our largest sub.
ordinate body numbering thousands of
members. To place the delegatorial
voting power on the number of mem
bers represented would give the larger
unions such an overwhelming predomi
nance that the interests of the smaller
ones would be lost sight of. Even then
the delegates views cannot be taken
as expressive of those whom he repre-
sents History demonstrates that I'M
ions enthusiastically support measures
which its delegation opposed and vice
versa, and sometimes the delegation
was acting under instructions. The
common sense, economical and bust
less-like manner of solving this prob
EN- is to invest the initiative in the
making it the law-malier
ind supervisor of it's affairs directly
Ind not attempt to do it through an
,ffete and nonsensical system of repre-
and proxies. If the Inter-
national Union will afford the initia-
i've and referendum trial-which the
yreat majority of us approve of as
principle in civil law-I venture the