Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1901-10-19
CORRESPONDENTS.
Legislation BY and For the Peopl,
R,ITIunpr Mn nctObar : ItDI


BALTIMORE, Mp, October I, 1901.
TO the MINING JOURNAL.
| fully appreciate the fact that your
editorial squib i'll reference to my letter
was friendly i'll intentiOn-that it was
intended to commend and not criticize
it adversely.
| still affirm that the trouble lies with
the great body of the So-called democrats
themselves i'll failing to arrive at prop
er understanding of what constitutes
democracy, and, therefore, failing to
crcmpi,fy ii correctly.
1t Is also incorrect to say that our
fathers had the true conception of a
democratic republic Thomas jefferson,
who was head and shoulders above all
his contemporaries as a philosophical and
honest politician, did not know it all
How could he when he never saw IA rail
road, Il telegraph or the other thousand
and one inventions which have appeared
since his day? Some Slight hints about
direct legislation, direct election, etc, are
to be found i'll the writings of the
fathers, but they are very vague. The
reason for this lies i'll the fact that in the
days of the stage-cbach such thing as
general election as we now know it,
taking place in one day from the Atlantic
to the Pacific oceans would have been
altogether beyond the comprehension of
any man living i'll 1901, but any school
boy OF the present year can easily under
stand it,
TO propose making laws by popular
vote instead Of representatives III lSOl
would have been, therefore, an absurdity.
why 1t took the best part of Il week 100
years ago to have IA little county election.
Every voter voted riru rare and came
personally to the polls during IA number
| of dayS-not on one day. Nobody would
think of such way of holding an cleo
ton to-day i'll the most out-Ot-thc-wav
places.
Direct legislation is to the democratic
principle what the locomotive was to the
Stage-cOach i'll mechanical science The
men who formed the original Constitu-
ton of the United States went in stage
coaches to Il convention which held its
sessions i'll secret. There were very few
democrats among its members. The
large majority of them We're ariStOCratic
holders of such special privileges as eX-
listed in those days. They turned ont IL
Constitution which was not Il constitution
for democratic republic. Such CON
Stltutlonal rights as the individual
American possesses are not found in the
original constitution, but only in the
amendments which We're adopted because
the Constitution, as originally framed.
failed to protect the rights of the citizen.
1t would not work at all owing to the
wide development of the democratic
principle among the people, this due in
great measure to the teachings of JEFF
fersOn.
How badly we now need an "up-tO-
date Jefferson! If such person was
alive he would lend his aid to the move
ment Tor direct legislation, as by that
means alone can our government be made
government by the people III fact,
winch 1t has only been i'll name hereto
fore. The true reason for the present
state of politics, the most manifest
characteristic of which is the utter
apathy of great numbers of citizens con-
corning the election of the present
| Year, is found III the fact that the people
are awakening to the reality that they
| do not really rule themselves, and that
| they have little or no interest in the re-
suit of the election as to which party
does the ruling. From the standpoint of
| the truly independent citizen it makes
little difference which of the two great
parties wins-thr only difference between
them from his viewpoint being the diff
ference between six and half-a-duZen
In all their ways the two parties rcsem-
bic each Other as much as two peas i'll Il
pod.
Principles with either are merely used
to gull the innocent, unsuspccting and,
therefore, contiding voters. The true
business of each of the great parties is to
collect Doodle fund. For this object
alone are these great organizations kept
agoing.
Both are unnecessary nuiSauces which
could he done away with if we had a
genuine democratic republic.
To establish this genuine democratic
republic in which Doodle will ''cut no
ice is the political work for the Ameri-
can citizens in the Goth century. The
way to begin is to establish law-maling
by the people through 1.-THE initiative
and nctcrcmI"m."
VIM n. HILL. NJ. ID.
GENERAL ITEMS,