The Advocate and news., 1899-03-29

i
They are known respectively as
(l) Proportional representation,
(2) The initiative and referendum, and
(3) The right Of recall.
They are summed up in the term direct
legislation"
Direct legislation is simply legislation by
the people direct II is through their in
reference with the right of self-govern-
ment and as consequence their mixing up
with our legislatures that corporations and
trusts have made our system Of representa-
tive government 80 very unrepresentative.
While we leave our weapons in the hands OF
these corporations and trusts we cannot
hope to cope with them. Hence the need
of direct legislation.
j.
Briefly, the initiative and referendum is
this:
A fundamental provision that certain
percentage of the voters (the authorities on
the question fix it at per cent? may pro-
pose needed legislation and secure vote
on it by the electors concerned, and, with a
time limit, may demand a vote for ap-
proval or rejection an any laws passed by
a legislative body. The former, the right to
initiate laws, is the initiative; the latter,
the right to refer laws back to the people,
is the referendum.
For instance, if the legislature has met
and adjourned without taking action which
every honest man knows it should have
taken petitions, signed by at least $4,000
qualified voters, if 5 per cent is required,
will call for vote on a measure to remedy
the matter. Or, if the legislature obeyed
the command of trusts and passed law no
toriously bad, under a referendum amend
ment tN the constitution $4,000 voters
might demand the privilege of passing upon
such measure at an election to determine
whether or not it should become law.
Thus, you see, the people through the initia-
tive and referendum may correct the legis-
lature's sins of commission and omission.
And this same principle may be applied
to a city council or other smaller body. 1t
frequently happens now, as is instanced by
some Of the laws published officially in this
number of the Advocate and News, that
great deal of the legislatures time is taken
up in granting small number OF Taxpayers
the right to build bridge or do other mat
ters of purely local concern. Why should
not these matters be left to the community
interested, while the legislature concerned
itself wholly with measures of Importance
to the entire Slater The last legislature
passed large number of local bills and left
neglected or really only half finished mat
ters of great Importance to the State at
large. This tendency is steadily growing,
as it must where each legislator is intent on
bettering his standing at home
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Proportional representation has been
fully explained by w. II. II. Wakefield in
the Advocate and News. It's much palmer
name is effective voting. 1t provides for
majority rule without sitting the minority,
and every vote is counted and given its
proper representation.
The right of recall is seIf-explanatory. 1t
is simply q provision that the voters may
recall from Office and official who sells him
self to corrupt influences or in any other
way proves faithless to his trust.
With direct legislation in force it would
be possible for the people to carry out plan
to make the trusts beneficial instead of
harmful AS now they elect their represen-
tatives to Office only to see them yield to
the temptations which the corporations and
trusts are able to put in their way.