The representative., 1900-11-15
THE REASON.

Legislation Through the DemOcr ratio
Party.
1t is true as claimed that the Demo-
cratic national platform contains a
declaration favoring direct legislation
This declaration is not very strong,
and the form could be easily criticised.
Simply, as it stands, it amounts to prac-
tically nothing, but for the sake of the
argument we will assume that the Dem
ocratic national platform does contain
specific declaration in favor of direct
legislation.
1t is also true that various state Dem
ocratic platforms have contained such
declarations. None Of them have been
very strong, most of them. have ap-
parently been made for the purpose of
being evaded, but again we assume for
the sake Of argument that sundry
Democratic platforms have contained
declarations for direct legislation.
And with this assumption we are still
fully convinced that there is no pros
pect of securing direct legislation
through the Democratic party, and that
it will only be waste of time to at
tempt to secure it in this manner.
OF course, the reason we hold this
view is that we do not believe that,
should the Democratic party be elected,
it will allow the people to adopt direct
legislation, but in this discussion we
want to be clearly understood that we
are not charging that the Democratic
party is made up of dishonest men, or
that it's course would be any less honest
than that of any other political party
under the same circumstances. We are
not discussing the character OF the DEM
ocratic party or the men who compose It,
but simply the principles involved in
the question.
Granting that the Democratic party
declares for direct legislation, what does
it mean?
If properly understood it means that
the Democratic party is pledged to give
the people an opportunity to govern
themselves without the Intervention OF
any political party whatever. II the
people are able to govern themselves
without the intervention Of any politi-
cal party whatever, then no political
party which proposes to give the people
such opportunities need make any
declaration whatever as to how the par
ty is going to govern the people.
And the fact that the Democratic
party does. in its platform, in every plat
form it has adopted, both state and ma
tionl, tell at great length how it is
going to govern the people, is positive
proof that it does not intend to give the
people an opportunity to govern them
selves.
The confusion on this point is due to
the fact that a great many people have
failed to understood what direct legis-
lation really it.
They have supposed that it was sort
of good thing to be enacted into law like
any other law by some political party,
and that after we get it political par
ties would go on legislating for the coun-
try just the same as they do now
But the fact is that direct legislation
is not law to be enacted, but change
in the system of government, and the
change for which it provides is change
from government by parties through
%D h1y% bo
people without parties.
The real question at issue, therefore,
in the matter Of direct legislation is,
shall we have a government of the peo-
pie by some political party, or shall we
have a government by the people with
out any political party?
The two things cannot exist together.
There cannot be two forms of govern
ment at the same time. We cannot have
government by party and government
by the people without party at one and
the same time.
If we are going to have either one IF
these we cannot have the other. II we
are to have the other we cannot have
the one.
II we are going to have government
by the people, and if it is the intention
of the Democratic party to allow the
people to govern themselves. then all
these declarations in their platform of
how they are going to govern the peo-
pie are null and void.
How can we believe that any party
really intends that the people shall gov
ern themselves when it writes a plat
form of great length in which it sets
forth in detail just how It is going to
govern the people.
The adoption Of direct legislation
would at once end the existence of tut
party. it would at once destroy It's power
to govern the people, 1t would at once
remove all the profit which the mem
bers and leaders OF the party have en-
joyed through governing the reopie.
It is not reasonable to suppose tiiat
such a party would thus surrender
everything for which it has existed an.l
docs ex:ss-New Era.