The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1902-06-17
The Voice of
The People
MIR. McLAuoHLrNs VIEWS.

Editor Providence News
III you want horse shod, go TO a
horseshoer IL YOU want watch TO-
want a good law" go to a man VINO
has made a study of law. Such are very
common remarks, and like all asser tons
contains a germ OF truth.
III you want good law the best place
10 go Is 10 the person who has STUDIED
law, or course, but not to lawyer, law"
yers do not study law. in the sense a
horSeshoer or a matchmaker study their
business. They study law 9s a pugilist
studies Marquis sof Queensbury rules,
accepted as authority on such matters;
as the dog fighter studies the rules or
dog hghting as the cock hghter studies
the rules OF the pit. IL the dogs wanted
TO 1--we at peace with each other. how
ever, they would not ask the professional
dog lighters 70 make their laws, and II
the professional cockighters would be the
last people In the world they would ap-
ply WSbS2 to-
1t sounds like a stupid-a very stupid
question TO ask even dog or game
cock, and yet have heard IL put as
make human laws are lawyer-poll ltichns.
As a matter OF fact, the politicians
make our laws and the iawer interprets
them. The politicians manufacture the
political Marquis of Queensnury rules and
the lawyers keep us out Of trouble when
We break them. But supposing we want
each other. we would no more look TO
the lawyer anj the politician for laws
than the bulldog and the gamecock would
to the professional bulldog and game
cock" tighter
TO + 20 ouTseiVesi MSiiS i We have never trusted
ourselves before Let US begin right mere
In Rhode Island.
How?
BY taking the law-making power back
to ourselves
Where ia 81?
At the state house. The men who own
the game. and make the laws are the
members OF the general ASSEMBLY.
How can 10 be accomplished?
1t can only be accomplished by the
members themselves. You see. great
and were dissatisfied with the rules OF
the game that governed them. SO they
improved on them. They wrote the Inn
constitution and for safe keeping put
Il In the hands OF the general assembly.
No one can change II but these parties
in the marble palace. and they only by
tWo-third vote OF each house. In two sue
cessive sessions.
Why don't they put the law-making
power back into the hands OF the people2
Why? And echo answers whyl Why
don't the cockfighters and the dogfighters
join the S. p G. Az Because their In
terests and the interests OF humanity are
at variance, and the members OF the gem
eral assembly have interests as "mem-
bers" Of the general assembly. which
are antaROnlStic 10 our Wellare ana 10
their own as citizens.
Then what are you going TO do about itf
Just this! A bill is now before the gem
eral assembly called the Constitutional
Initiative" II provides that 5000 voters
of the state can petition to amend the
constitution, and that that petition must
go mot to the general assembly. as IL
does now) but 10 the secretary of state
and by him TO be put before the entire
people for their approval or veto
We propose to have the assembly pass
that bill.
Tosrake them do IT. whether they will
or not?
Not at all! There are thousands OF
citizens who. II in the assembly. would
vote for such a measure.
Democrats? Not necessarily.
Republicans? Not necessarily.
Socialists? Not necessarily.
Prohibitionists?
Parties are n means to an end. IF you
don't know what you want then you must
put yourself in the hands OF the profes-
sional lawmakers" but N you want the
constitutional Initiative" pledge your
candidate to It. Allow him no loophole
and get a positive answer. In that per-
sonal way alone will you ever get any
reform that Is worth a sou marker. Have
one issue and only one. Make that one
the Initiative" for until you get that
YOU have very little chance TO get any,
and when you get that you Will have as
much 10 say about the constitution or
your state. and IL has political tuberculo.
sis now, as any one else. No more and
no less ,