The Magnolia gazette. [volume] (Magnolia, Miss.) 1872-current, 1899-05-17

The Peoria, (Ills.l Evening
Star, Of 4th inst, contains the
following report Of a lecture do-
livered by Prof. J w. Garner, T
formerly Of this county:
Direct legislation-that beauti-
ful dream of the masses-is not
attractive 10 Professor Garner, /
of the history department of the |
Bradley Polytechnic Institute. |
Professor Garner is an advanced |
student of political economy. |
and at the meeting Of the Peoria |
Economic League held night be-
fore last had this, among other
things, to say of the initiative
and the referendum:
"1t by no means follows that
because the referendum has sue
ceeded in Switzerland it will work !
we'll in America. Very different
conditions exist in the two coun-
tries, political, economical and
social. In size, population and
wealth Switzerland is more like
an American state In area it is
small and compact, being about
the size OF Massachusetts. In
population il will compare favor
ably with Illinois. In the Amer
lean republics there are about
100, 600 600 voters; in the Swiss
republic but little more than half
a million. In America there is a
great variety of industries and
occupations and a consequent
necessity for a vast amount Of
legislation. In Switzerland, on
the other hand, the legislative
wants Of the people are few. In
1891 but four laws We're enacted
4 by the Swiss federal government,
while in the Fifty first congress
Of the United States more than
20, 600 bills and resolutions were
before the two houses. The leg
islature Of Massachusetts, in 1898
enacted the enormous number Of
nearly 600 statutes. Many were
appropriation bills, many others
wece ui an elaborate nature and
complex character, dealing with
matters upon which only a small
portion Of the people could vote
Iintaliigently. Many OF these
Questions needed much elucida-
ton by debate. such as can be
I had only ia doliberative assem-
! bly,, not at the ballot box by those
who are not accustomed to
weighing the merits Of particular
statutes.
~ know that many Americans
of late have lost faith in the rep
resentative theory Of govern
ment and we must all admit that
the character Of the average So
called Representative" has done
much to discredit that theory
but on the other hand, it scarcely
admits of a doubt that the aver
age legislature is more intelligent
than the masses, and that still
/, more unfit men would be chosen
Z if the principle were to be estab-
! lished that the people may re-
> quire all laws to be submitted tC
: them before they become opera
5 tive. 1t is manifestly a wrong
e principle which seeks to improve
3 the legislature by lowering it
q authority and practically doing
away with its sense Of RESPONSE,
bility. There is no escaping thl
fact that the theory of represen,
tatiye government and the theor,
q Of the referendum are incompati
BILE. If the latter principle is t,
Q prevail, the representative mus
I abdicate. A body that simpl,
, proposes or refers, unchanged {,
t the people, measures prepared
Q by others, and whose validity i
d dependent upol the approval 0
I, others, is not a representative
g body. The principle upon whiel
! the referendum is developing
(; strength, namely, that the legia
latures are exposed to too man
7 temptations which ordinary NOR
= t.ls cannot resist, bat thai th
: people are too numerous 70 b
u got at Or threatened Of wheadled
: is unsoune. The fault does 40
+ lie with the representative system
III ~fF rrrr-nrrtr-ar ltr- fr7 t-r e. ff.s1