Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1899-12-06
ApLEA FOR DIRECT LEGISLATION.

patriotic sentiment circulation aud we
hope all our readers VIII read 1t care
fully. 1t is full of common sense and
there is no chance for contradiction
of single proposition it lays down:
with the exception of Switzerland
and to some extent New Zealand there
is not an absolutely peoples govern
ment on the earth. Wherever it is pos
sible for money TO influence a legisla-
tor, by making it profitable for him to
prove traitor to the people who sent
him to represent them, wherever this
is possible there can be Ito peoples gov
eminent. 1t is the most assinine piece
of self-delusion to pirate of sending
good men to the observation-disclosures
men to represent us.
The good, honest, straight well-in-
tentioned man has, in the first place.
about as much show in securing nom
in the most torrid cornerof the ortho-
dox hell. In the second place if by
mistake or policy play on the part of
the machinists who run all conventions
ne secures a nomination his own PEG
pie, those who pretend TO desire for
good, clean government, those will be
the worst to pick flaws i'll him; he is
ambitious, stuck up; he is Methodist,
Catholic, an A. L. A, a Presbyterian
or MissourIan Orwell something is
tie matter with him. Perhaps he is
too OutSpOken on regllious or ecOnom-
ic subjects; calls space spade and
BIDS defiance to conyentionality. In
the latter case he is a ''crank" and his
friends and neighbOrs won't do thing
but give it to him In the neck at the bal
lot boX-and there you are. They will
vote for the smooth, sweet, slick and
suaYe all things-Jo- all men fellow-the
ideal politician-who never made an
enemy in his life, never had decided
opinion on anything but the main
chance to get his graft in.
I'm the third place if by some convul-
sion of nature or supernatural agency
the honest man finds himself elected
and in his seat in the capital of his
state, what does he find as his surroud-
ings? A lot of men with projects of
benefit to their constituents or the peo-
pie at large? No; he will find himself
by men with bills to push
some private bOOdling scheme
every man with his own and dicker-
ing with the other on the basis Of
you vote for my job, and I'll vote for
yours, you boost me and I'll boost
YOU These are the inevitable sur
of the honest man in mod
ern legislature. Who can deny that a
legislative session is the worktime of
The cOrruptiOnist and of the man who
seeks to make money by furthering the
schemes of wealthy men or defea ting a
chance measure which may have tend
ency toward benetitting the masses of
the people? If. then. this rough sketch
Of our modern lawmaklng machine is
true to nature, why will seemingly
sane and sensible people continue the
fool proposition of keeping up the de-
Iusiou Of making themselves believe
that this is government of the people,
by the people, and for the people?
eff representative government is a
farce, fraud and a failure, why do we
not seek remedy? Every honest,
citizen should realize that
government entirely in the hands of
corrupt men cannot long endure. The
deepest thinkers, the most profound
soclologists of these days; men who
have gwen their lives to the science of
human government and the natural
and SECRETARY relations of mankind de-
substitute for our representative gov
failure. We are told that if
the whole people make the laws of ma
tlonal Importance, tn ose which have to
do with great and fundamental prOpo-
sitions, that we would do away with
the dangerous corruption which inheres
in our present system of lawmaking.
All that the theory of direct legislation
is that thinking people discuss it. The
more thoroughly people understand 1t
the better they will think of it. The
working people are the ones who should
take the most active interest in spread.
ing the idea of direct legislation.
With that weapon in their hands and
a little thought in their heads they
could defy the power of the man with
money VINO now goes down to the legis
lature and pays for the killing Of meas
ures of benefit to the working people,"