Condon globe. (Condon, Gilliam Co., Or.) 189?-1919, 1901-05-30
EvI7z4TUE IND
REFERENDUM.

dunn" The first is the obligatory
referendum, which requires that
MI laws OF any certain class shall
be submitted to the people. This
is best illustrated by constitutional
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. to the
flhilm satal Law which are re-
quired IN all states to be submitted
to the people for their approval or
rejection. The growth and de-
velopement of our various state
constitutions are giving she people
a very good idea Of the referendum
in a crude way.
The second is the optional
referendum, which is the use of the
petition. Carried out, this would
mean that certain percentage of
the people could petition their
legislative body for the submission
Of any proposed law that they saw
ft to the qualified voters, and that
the Legislature would have to
comply with that petition,
The third form is the judicial
referendum. This contemplates
that when the courts declare any
law to be unconstitutional the
action Of ithe law shall be stayed
until such time as the people shall
be given an opportunity to vote
upon it. If they pronounce in its
favor it shall become operative,
regardless Of its constitutionality,
or, to express it another way, the
portion of constitution with which
it conflicts shall be considered
thereby to have been repealed,
This later form of the referendum
is growing rapidly in public favor.
Needed laws, passed to meet an
imperative existing demand, have
been pronounced by the courts to
be unconstitutional, and the people
have had to submit to those de-
cisions because of the cumbersome
ness of the plan of amending the
constitution orbecausea a Legislature
may refuse to submit constitution
al amendment giving them what
they want.
The simplest form of the
referendum is in the old New
England town meeting, where the
people meet together aud decide
upon questions relating directly to
their local government. Another
simple form is the Swiss Landes-
gemeiend."
"How far would you apply the
referendum" Mr.. Pomeroy was
asked.
AT first only to general matters,
was the reply. ultimately I
would apply It to all matters.
One Of our main troubles now is
that we have a multiplicity OF. laws.
David Bennett Hill, in an article
in the North American Review,
declared that in one year l4,00C
laws we're passsd by Congress and
the various state Legislatures of
this Union, and for the past II
years New York State has averaged
$50 new laws yearly. Nearly all
these laws are complex aud involv-
ed, and difficult of understanding
by the layman.
''In Switzerland where they
have the principal of direct legis-
lation applied in its broadest sense,
but 65 laws were introduced at the
last session of their general Con-
gress, and of these only "a were
passed. In the cantons of Berne
and Zurich, where they have the
obligatory referendum, the average
number of laws passed at each
session of the legislative body is
four or FIVE. In our own congress
last year "a, 900 bills were intro
duced, and of these between 1000
and 20O0 became laws.
Scientists tell us that the
lower you get in the order of crea-
ton, the more young are spawned
at time. Goldfish multiply at
the rate Of 100000 at time
Our method of lawmaking is the
productivity Of low organism.
We spawn laws by the hundreds
and the thousands and few oi
them are any good. Anarchists
who tell US that we need no laws al
ss,t,4t,, ry1aunnatIsro e,rad Afta,