The Western news., 1904-08-17

power out Of the hands Of the legls-
lature?
No; the legislature can propose and
pass laws as it does now, but the
corporations won't lneddie with legis-
latlon or brlbe members of the legis
lature, because if the lawmakers
won't do what the people want done
the voters will step in and do it them
selves; and if the law makers do what
the people don't want done, then a
few voters can call for a refere dun
and get the voters to undo what the
Legislature has done.
How does the referendum work.
Suppose we have the Direct
Legislation amendment to the consti-
tuition, and suppose a legislature
passes a law that is unpopular. A
referendum petition is drawn no.
asking that the law be submitted to
the voters. If 5 per cent of the
voters sign the petition, the law is
suspended until the people vote on it.,
provided the petition is filed with the
secretary of state within 80 days after
the adjournment Of the Legislature
that passed the law.
At the next election the vot. gets
ballot printed so that he can vote
for or against that law. If the ma
jority vote against it, it is no longer
law.
What is the chief advantage of the
initiative?
1t gives the voters the power to
propose and vote on a law without
asking the consent of the legislature.
1t makes the voters independent Of
legislature that is controlled by cor
poratlons, and makes them indie
pendent of the corporations that
make a business of controlling legis-
latures.
How does it do that?
In this way. Now, when the
people can't use the initiative to get
laws, Legislature that is contro He'd
by the corporations can kill q meas
ure that the people want, and the
people can't do anything about it.
But when the people have the initial
i've the corporations can't have meas
ures killed, even if they do control
the Legislature.
But suppose the majority of the
people are wrong7
MaJorities are often wrong, but
republic is government of majority
rule, and if the majority find that
they are wrong, that they have made
a mistake, they can correct it; while
If corporation legislature makes a
mistake that Injuries the people, the
voters can't correct it unless they
have either the consent of the cor
porations or have the initiative and
referendum. The majority of the
people are less apt to be wrong or to
do something that hurts the people
than legislature controlled by the
corporations.
Give an example of the use of the
initiative?
There is good example in Ore
gon. Under the initlative>and refer
endum amendment adopted in Ore
gon two years ago, the Oregon voters
last winter signed initiative petitions
to have a direct primary election law
voted on in June of this year, 1904.
They did not have to ask the legis-
lature to pass the law, but they got
the necessary signatures to the petit
ton, went to the ballot box and en-
acted the law they wanted.
The corporations had nothing to
say about it. If it had been in the
hands Of the Legislature, the corpora
tions might have killed it, as they
killed the bill for direct primary
elections in Montana in 1903, when
they killed the bill for railroad
commission.
Don't we use the initiative and
referendum in Montana now?
Yes; but only to limited extent.
and not for the proposal or adoption
of laws, nor to veto unpopular laws.
(To be Contiuued)