The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-07-01
DIRECTLEGISLATION.

Compiled by H. W. Lawrence9
Direct legislation is law making by the
voters. The initiative means the pro
posal of law by petition of a percentage
of the voters effected thereby. The refer
endum means the vote at the polls on a
law proposed by tha initiative, or on a
measure passed by a city council or leg
islature
The initiative tells the city council or
legislature what some of the people want
Inc referendum tells what the whole or a
ucular proposition.
Direct legislation, therefore, enables the
! voters to deal with laws themselves not
merely with law makers It saves the
IegisIator from king mistakes as to the
VIII OF the people on any question. 1t
| turns mems minds from mere personal
tues to fundamental principles It in
vests the ballot with new dignity and
places politics on higher plane
All patriots can agree on direct legis-
/ lation; on this simple, this elementary,
chinery which has been born and de-
VelOped from purest ideals of self-govern-
ment.
The only objections which can be raised
against direct legislation are those which
spring from a distrust of the people The
political bosses have made the people be-
| heve that they are not qualified to govern
themselves, and that they should be con-
l
votes are wanted to keep the party ma
chlnery in running order. Whenever the
people stop voting TO place political mast
erS over themselves for stated number
OF years then it will be demonstrated who
has the power to make laws, and run the
government
The people have been so used to being
told by their representative agents that
| they do not know as to the amount they
should be taxed or the kind of laws nee
essary to govern them, that they have
come to believe ii. When you talk to the
people about municipal ownership of pub
lie utilities, one of the first objections you
VIII hear is: I'VE can't have public owner
ship while our city governments are so
corrupt and run in the interest of political
parties The advocates of direct Iegis-
lation do not claim that it can ever be
MADE a success where 1t is conducted on a
partisan basis by political parties NUM-
cipal ownership is to be conducted on
strict business principles, under civil ser
vice rules Men will not be placed in
control of them because they are Demo-
Gratis, Republicans or PopuliSts, but on ac-
count Of their fitness for the position and
when public officers have to account to
| the people direct for their stewardship
they will be more careful as to their
I duties.
When the people have the power to vote
no or yes on the question of the city own
! ing - own gas and electric plant, or any
other public utility, and should decide to
own II, is it not reasonable to suppose
that capable managers or boards of di-
rectOrS can be selected to run the bust
ness as easily as bank or private corpor-
alton can secure proper men TO manage
| their respective business? Municipal
ownership of public utilities has proven a
great success in this country and Europe
and hundreds of cities bear witness that
il has given a better city government
morally and politically, and lessened the
peoples taxes.
The municipal ownership agitation has
attracted so much attention all over the
country that the owners of franchises and
mOnOpOlieS have been alarmed and formed
bureau to spread all the information
they can against the municipal owner
ship, and where any daily paper is pub
fishing their statements against CITY
ownership the people may take il for
granted that there is some one connected
with the paper that is interested in priv
ate franchises, or the paper is depend
ent for patronage from those sources.
There is too much evidence in favor of
the people controlling their public utili-
ties to say that il cannot be done sue
ceSSfully; it has been done, and is being
accomplished all over the country and
all that Is needed is a fair trial by those
who believe in a government for all of
the people. and special privileges to none!
Direct legislation contemplateS the right
to propose laws that the people want
and the right to reject laws that they do
not want, and through the imperative
mandate the people can recall those pub
lie officials who prove unworthy of the
trust repoSed in them. 1t will kill the
lobby in legislative and city council halls,
because there will be no money in making
deals when the people hold the final YER
dict in their own hands. 1t will educate
the voters, because it forces them to
study the questions at issue. 1t represents
the triumph of self-government over gov
eminent by the few.