The river press., 1904-11-02
THE INITIATIVE AND REFERENDUM.


to the constitution providing for the
initiative and referendum. Each po-
litical party promises that such an
| amendment shall be submitted to the
voters at as early date as possible,
and If these pledges are carried into
effect the people of Montana will have
the power to inaugurate any legisla.
tive reforms they may desire. AS to
what las been done in this connection
in the past, the Helena Record pre-
sents this statement:
In his speeches Governor Toole lays
most stress upon the need of an initia-
tive and referendum amendment. He
takes special credit for proposing this
measure and promises if elected gov
ernor he will push it to conclusion.
Well, the plank is in the republican
platform and was placed there for the
same reason that Governor Toole pre-
sents for it's adoption, namely, that
such corruption has been going on in
the last years that Montana demo-
cratic Legislators can no longer be
trusted. The difference is that the
legislatures that have caused the peo.
ple's distrust have all been democratic
legislators. This can easily be estab.
lished by the referring to the record.
Six years ago the legislature was
overwhelmingly democratic and popu-
listic in both houses and Robert B.
Smith was governor. There we're but
four or five republicans in the lower
house. That was good time to test
democr attic desires for reforms but the
initiative and referendum amendment
was introduced and absolutely showed
under. Two years later, to-wit, in
1900, Joseph K. Toole was governor,
and both houses of the legisl ature were
democratic; but in Governor Toole's
message to that body there was not
the slightest hint of a need of an in
itiative and referendum law; no bill
regarding such need was ever in
troduced or considered.
Two years ago such proposition
was offered: the republican house
passed it, the democratic sena ate de.
feated it. Up to this year no demo.
cratic platform has ever made any
reference to such law. The only
legislative endorsement the principle
has ever received in Montana has been
by the republican house.
There was never any democratic
official expression on the subject un-
til they met in state convention on the
10Th of September. But the republi-
can convention had endorsed it and
placed its plank in their platform a
| week prior to that time.
Some democratic journals assert
that the republicans sought to steal
| democratic thunder. The ;dea of al
Initiative and referendum is as old as
the populist party. The reason the
| repu blicans turned to it at Billings
was because of the knowledge of the
past six years. Montana legislatures
| having all the time democratic an(
populist majorities, have been abso
lutely dominated by millionaire as
pirants for sen natorial honors and by
great corporations which have beer
seeking special Legislation for theil
own benefit
The natural result has followed, tn,
air has been filed with charges of cor
ruption, and it has been common
knowledge that certain measures pre-
pared by one corporation or anothe
have been pushed through by bribery
There has never been any trOubl
on republican account. The bad ha
come solely through democratic ant
populistic work. The referendum i
the only sure cure for this and that i
why republicans, with great earnest
ness are advocating it.
The Australian ballot, though ad
vocated in press and on the rostrum
could never be adopted in Montan
until the republicans cone into power
1t was the same way with the registra
tion law. The democracy alway
fought it.
In the same way Montana people,
they want an initiative and referer
dun law here, must elect republi
can state government. 1t is the Onl
way, for the republican party is tn
only party that keeps it's pledges.
A&,.C DI,I-nNn nIE&,.Cl,