The Farmington times and herald. (Farmington, St. Francois Co., Mo.) 1902-1905, 1904-07-01
INITIATIVE AND REFERENDUM
What These leglslstiy Reforms Might
Accomplish for Missouri.

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called upon to vote at the next gen
eral election in November on the
constitutional amendment incor-
poratlng direct legislation by the
initiative and referendum into our
constitution of Missouri.
have often been asked by intel.
ligent and even well educated men
to explain by illustration the exact
meaning of these words.
Direct legislation means law.
making directly by the people. 1t
is composed of two parts, the ini.
tiatlvc and the referendum.
II the initiative were part of
our constitution. then 10 per cent
of the qualified voters of the state,
which in Mlssori would amount to
about 70, 600 voters, could sign
petition stating that they wanted
certain law enacted. Then under
the provisions of the initiative, if
the Legislature failed or refused to
pass that law, it would have
to he submitted to the vote of
the whole people of the State,
and at the next general clec.
ton it would be printed on all the
ballots, and every voter of the
state, regardless of party, could
vote yes or no on that question, aud
If 1t was approved by II majority it
would become n law directly by
that action of the people and with.
out the consent of the Legislature
or the governor and the law would
then read BE it enacted by the
sovereign people of Missouri, in
stead of: BE it enacted by the
Legislative assembly of Missouri.
The referendum is another part
of this same system.
With the referendum in force, if
the legislature passed a law that
was obnoxious to the people. or
thnt the people considered unjust
or oppressive, or if the legislature
gave away for little or nothing a
valuable franchise that the people
did not want given AWAY, then 10
per cent OF the voters could within
90 days after the adjournment of
the lcgls leture sign petition de.
manding that this law be referred to
the vote of the whole people of the
state, and under the provisions Of
the referendum this law would
have to be printed on all the bal.
lots mt the next general election,
aud If approved bya majority Of
the people then and then only would
1t become law But if rejected
by majority Of the voters then it
would become null and void and he
marked vetoed by the sovereign
people of Missouri.
These two principles, the inita-
tive and referendum, combined in
our constitution would constitute
what is known as direct legislation.
Everybody can easily Judge by
the above that it would he com
plete and specific cure for the
corruption thnt has invaded our
political life.
Nobody will try to bribe those
who will no longer be able to de.
liver the goods. After the adop-
ton of the referendum the whole
people alone will be able to make
final delivery OF franchise, etc.
Prof. J X. Commons. the well
known professor of sociology and
political economomy, said The
greatest issue before the American
people to day is bribery" No
reform mOvemement, no citizens
union or the like can fully cope
with it. The referendum alone is
n complete and specific cure for
for this condition. 1t alone goes
to the source of corruption. 1t
deprives legislatures and execu.
tives of their monopoly of govern
ment and the power to sell. After
the adoption of the referendum
they will no longer be able to de-
liver the goods.
Hon. Joseph w. Folk said that
if the referendum had been in force
in Missouri there would have been
no need of his Doodle prosecutions
because there could not have been
any boodling.
All those who are in sympathy
with him to purify our politics
should vote yes on this constitu.
tional amendment at the next elec-
ton VIM. Preston Hill in the
Post Dispatch.