Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1903-05-19
Good Democratic Doctrine.

Inc steady out RAPID Spreau Oh the
referendum principle forebodes evil to
the party of protection and plumber
and coed, and nothing but good to the
party which stands for equal rights
TO all and special privileges to none,
and which believes in, and is not afraid
TO trust, the common people. Missouri
is the fifth State TO vote on the adop-
ton of this system. The vote viii be
taken at the next general election. The
other four States that have adopted
it are South Dakota, in 1898; Utah, in
1900; Oregon and Illinois in 1902.
BY this system of direct legislation
the people are really getting back that
control over legislation with which theE
never should have parted, and which
they never Intentionally" gave up. BY
it they are simply reasserting the
power of the majority TO rule and the
right Of the people to veto legislation
which does not suit them and 10 mi
tate. if their representatives fail to do
so, measures which they wish to be-
come la1es.
1t would be absurd for the people to
faive their representatives supreme con-
troll over legislation as it would be for
man to give his lawyer an irreyocable
power of attorney to do as he pleased
with the clients property. Every rep
resentative should have, and in theory
has, a string to him which, when he
becomes a misrepresentation, his con-
stituents can pull. The optional refer
endum is such string.
1t is the system of optional refer
endum and initiation which IS now
finding favor in many cities and States.
Under it, if a certain percentage % or
10). of the voters ask that certain inn
portant measures be voted upon, vote
must be taken. If the chosen repre-
sentatives of the people are faithful,
no vote will be necessary, and the ref
erendum law makes no trouble or eX-
pense to the State. 1t should not, how
ever, be assumed that it is ever in
operative or ineffective Experience in
this and other countries proves that it
is wonderfully effective, even when it
exists only potentially. Legislators
are not likely to pass bad laws when
the people have the power to veto them.
In fact, legislators viii not be bribed
to pass bad laws which always confer
special privileges upon somebody or
some corporation-when the people
hold this veto power On this point
Governor Charles " Herreid of South
Dakota says:
Since this referendum law has been
a part of our constitution we have had
no chartermongers or railway specula-
tors, no wildcat schemes submitted to
our legislature Formerly our time
was occupied by speculative schemes
of one kind or another. but since the
referendum has been part of the con-
stitution. these people do not press
their schemes on the legislature, and
hence there is no necessity for having
recourse to the referendum
1t was the Democrats, aided by the
Populsts, who inaugurated this most
excellent system IN South Dakota and
Utah. 1t is Democratic system, and
the Democratic party everywhere
should make this plank in its last ma
tional platform mean as much as pos
sible. If it stays close to the people
thy will yet come close to it. They
cannot be fooled all of the time. The
referendum is the deadly enemy of
the trusts and monopolies; it is an
antitrust weapon in the hands of the
people. 1t will do away with corrup-
ton and stop boodling and bribery. 1t
will greatly improve our representa-
tive system of government and, Incl
dentally, will result in putting more
honorable men in office. twill make
big campaign funds unnecessary and
all but impossible, and will give a
poor man a chance to seek and obtain
political preferment 1t will, in short.
take away the power Of the monopo-
lists and corruptionists and return it
to the sovereign people.-Byron w.
! Holt.