The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1906-11-03
REPUBLICAN PARTY IS
AGAINST b|RECT RULE
In 174 Congressional Districts It's
Candidates Oppose
Majority Rule.
In Many Districts the Issue is
Made on the Initiative and
Referendum.

remarkable situation has developed in
the Congressional campaign. In 174
districts the Republican nominees op-
pose the establishment Of a direct
vote In the people for public questions,
and their Democratic opponents cham
pion 1t. For the first time since the
war of the Revolution the question OF
Self-Government is actually live Is
sue and can easily become paramount.
II In one-third, Of these districts the
majority rule cause prevails the next
House will be Democratic
The Issue has been raised by the
questioning of candidates by the Ma
tional Federation for Peoples Rule,
representing organized farmers and
business interests, with the questions
endorsed by the American Federation
OF Labor and the Labor Representa-
tion Committee Of the A. F. of L.
Heretofore the difficulty in each
Congressional campaign has been to
bring forward the national issues de-
manded by the organizations that do
not make the nominations or party
platforms-organizat demanding
the termination of Machine Rule and
the re- establishment Of Self Govern
ment. That problem has been solved
All the nominees have been questioned
and each one notified that a refusal to
reply in ten days would be negative
to the questions and would be so re-
ported to the newspapers ard nom
partisan organizations.
Questions TO Candidates.
The questions to candidates this year
are as follows:
IF the electors will select you to
represent them will you faithfully
work and vote for the immediate
enactment of statute to establish a
system of direct voting on public
questions through
"O The Advisory Initiative, to ap-
ply to questions Of interstate COM
merce, civil SERVICE immigration, trial
by jury or any modification of the law
of injunction, eight-hour day in gov
ernment contract work, and the sub.
mission Of constitutional amendments
for the initiative and referendum, cleo
ton of United States senators by the
people, and election of fourth-class
pestmasters by the patrons of each
office: and
"(2) The Advisory Referendum, to
apply to laws of Congress and meas
ures passed by either House? (Sug-
gestions for said systems are set forth
in the accompanying billy
Not = New Program.
This program for a direct vote on
public questions is not new in princi-
pie, being merely a return to the es-
sential features Of the system that ex-
listed previous to the rise Of the con-
ventions some eighty years ago. The
voters used to instruct at will and by
direct vote. This they did at town
meetings in rural New England, and
elsewhere through mass meetings..
And, besides, the candidates for Con-
gress were pledged by districts in
stead Of by machine-rule, state and
national conventions as is now the
case.
Autocracy VS.. Self f-Government.
The Federalist party opposed the
use of this direct-vote system and
were at once ousted from power, and
their odious Alien and Sedition laws
were repealed. The party died ma
tionally in 1917; since which time no
one in public life has openly opposed
Majority Rule until the questioning of
candidates was Insulated in recent
years. Last year in Ohio, for example
there was a demand by the non-part-
1san forces for the election of legis-
lature that would submit a constitu-
tional amendment for the termination
! of machine rue-the Initiative and
Referendum. The Democrats de-
clared for it in their state platform
and when the nominees of tha parties
were questioned the Democrats
pledged. while most of the Republicans
refused. The attitude Of candidates
| was published In the papers. When
the voters went into the booths the
Intelligent and open minded ones
scratched the autocrattic Republicans
and wrote in the names of pledged
Democrats, and this was done so ex-
| tensively that the Democratic repre-
! sentation was increased from 4 to 10
an In crease Of ATS per cent. In the
House the percentage of gain was
nearly as great. The Democratst had
I a tie vote in the senate, and two
| thirds were pledged to submit the con-
stitutional amendment. Anything like
! this gain in national affairs this year
will give the Democrats big major
! ity in the national House.
Democracy for Majority Rule.
The Southern Democratst as we'll as
the Northern ones are kindly disposed
to the Majority Rule cause. 1t is de.
clared for In the national platform
and in strong terms; it was the mair
plank in Jeffersons platform; ant
since the death Of the autocratic Fed
eralist party no one in public life ha.
openly opposed it, as has been pointed
out. Although the Democratic nom.
inees in the South are nearly all a!
good as elected, twenty -four hav'
signed the pledge to work and vote fo1
the immediate re-estab'ishment of {
national direct-vote system for tn,
eight topics, above mentioned.
The number of national issues To-
the direct-vote system has been limi
ted to eight at the start to prevent tn.
raising Of too many questions; also t.
prevent division In the ranks of thos,