The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-06-25
F. N. JORDAN,
2 and 3 Colonial Block

fall voted not to relay the car tracks on
Clement street.
referendums, and they have all been ac-
quesced in. even by those who were
beaten. California has been using a
crude and awkward form of direct legis
lation more frequently than any other
state, in that It has voted on more
amendments to its state constitution IMAM
any other state in the Union. l think
within the last ten years 1t would be
safe 10 say that the people Of California
have voted on at least nifty amend
ments TO the constitution. These were
not called referendums, but neverthe-
less they are.
Not New Theory.
'In fact, the terms direct legislation
and initiative and referendum were not
but the spirit back of them has been as
old as the founding of our country. The
Pilgrim fathers before they landed at
Plymouth made a compact by which
every freeman was TO vote on the laws
which were TO govern them which is
nothing but the referendum, and in the
colony of Plymouth in 1888. when 1t had
grown too large for the quarterly meet
ing of all the freemen of the colony,
they established the referendum and
later the initiative in ALMOST the form
they stil have in the rural districts the
most direct form of direct legislation.
In the town meetings all the voters vote
on every local law by which they are TO be
governed. and the result is that in rural
New England they have got better roads,
better schools. more free public libraries,
thing that goes to make life worth liv-
ing than in the rural parts of the rest
they have less debt either per capita or
per acre than the rest of the country.
I'm the cities of New England. where
they do not have direct LEGISLATION, they
jobbery that they have in other cities
Of the nation it plainly shows what
direct legislation can do. Ben Franklin
once said, If you want Il thing attempted
send If you want 1t done, go. And
when the people stop sending representa-
, tives and and actually go for the Laws
wouldn't do in business what we do in
politics man would be considered
fool who would go to group of men
and give them absolute power over hts
business for a year or two years. Dur
ing this time they could mortgage. sell.
give away or undo anything they wished
with his property and all that he could
do in return would be to howl and growl;
and yet that Ia just what We do with
our common councils. legislatures and
congresses.
Power in Peoples Hands.
when we make them advisers or
counselors to the people as to what to
do. but always retain in the hands of
the people the power or enacting or de-
feating a law, we will then be able to
make some progress ourselves. Direct
Legislation at present has one great dis
advantage which in the future will be
a great advantage. There are no Off
GERS in 1t. no jobs, no schemes. nothing
out of which money can be made. II
simply is 10 put the power out of the
hands of the small body OF people into
the hands of all the people. Hence the
agitation for direct legislation has been
entirely unselflsh. and those who have
worked for II have worked because they
felt II would be great good to all the
people.
IN future this will be a tower Of
strength for IL. and II looks as IL within
the next ten years a majority OF the
states and many Of the cities will fol-
low the example of South Dakota, Utah
oregon, San Francisco and Alameda in
California, and other cities"
MIR. Pomeroy says he was rendered the
nomination for vice president by the
Populist leaders. but declined.