Hutchinson gazette. [volume] (Hutchinson, Kan.) 1895-1902, 1900-11-29
INITIATIVE AND REFERENDUM


The wide difference between the
policies Of the peoples purity and the
policies, or want Of policies, of the
democratic and republican parties, Is
that the former are conceived In the
spirit of brotherhood, the latter In
the spirit Of greed, II is the aim OF
the peoples pnrty TO make man the
master In our government; the aim OF
republican and democratic TO preserve
the power of the politician, the party
boss and the lobbyist, We want to
give to the people the power of d.
rect legislation so that there will
shall rule, 80 that the doing of their
will cnnnot be blocked by cor
ruptlng of their representatives.; re-
publican and democratic politicians
want TO preserve intact our present
system no inviting 10 corruption,
which enables those with money TO
rule by corruptlng the peoples rep
resentatiyes, under which popular
government Is being undermined, nm
oligarchy Of money growing up In It's
plnce We want TO restore popular
government in its purity; we purpose
that man and not money shall rule
We would purify our Legislative halls
OF corruption, aye, and the ermne OF
the bench, by removing from legls-
lntors the temptations they are now
subjected to to pass legislation con-
ceived In the interest Of the few and
turn down Legislation conceived In the
interest OF the many, and from Judges
the temptations they are subjected to
TO declare unconstitutional and so
void laws not to the liking of the
moncyed cllques.
We purpose to do this by placing in
the hands OF the people power to
enact by their own direct vote laws
that they may demand and that their
Legislators may fail TO pass, and the
further power TO veto by direct vote
any laws passed by their representa-
tives and dstasterul to them. And in
such case the trusts and corporations
and proliters from special privileges
would have no incentive, MS they have
now, hire lobbyists and corruptlonists
to work in the Legislative halls to de-
feat measures taking from them
favors they enjoy and demanded by
the people, knowing full well that de-
feat OF such measures In the legisln-
tive bodies would not kill them, that
the people, in the event of such de.
feat would promptly enact such
measures by direct vote. Nor would
the seekers after grants of specin,
privileges have the same great incen'
tive as now to hire lobbyists and cor.
ruptonsts TO push legislation in their
interest through the Legislative halls,
when they had the knowledge that
there was reserved in the hands OF
the people power to set aside such
grants by direct vote and that the
people would be like to promptly eX.
ercise such power IL their representa-.
tives betrayed their interests. And
further, by explicit amendments to
our constitutions, state and national,
would we make laws passed by direct
vote Of the people the equal of con.
stitutional law and so not subject to
revision as unconstitutional by the
courts. And in such case those en-.
joying determinations, tax eXcmp.
tions, etc, would not have the same
interest MS they have now to bring
pressure upon the courts to declare
laws passed with n view to depriving
them OF such determinations, or to
equOlze the burdens of taxation, as
an income tax, unconstitutional. All
this would we do, and all this must
be done to make our government
truly popular make it responsive to
the will OF the people and curb the
rule Of money. And until we have
such government we will not have q
government that can be counted on
to breathe spirit of brotherhood,-The
American.