Evening journal., 1906-11-16
Friday, November 10, 1906.
SENTIMENT ALMOST UNANIMOUS.

NNI Z had hoped that Eevery Evening would be
w contented with its discreditable effort on
the eve of the election to array the people of
Delaware against the Initiative and Referendum
proposition. Considering the comparative vote
for and against the proposition, we expected that
that paper would accept it as overwhelming evil
dence that the people Of Delaware desire to have
such law enacted and to give il a trial Ii ap-
pears have been wrong in both our expecta-
tons and hopes, for Every Evening in its Tues
days issue, declared its opposition to any favor
able action on the measure by the Legislature and
sought to show that the Initiative and Referen-
dunn vote was not sufficiently large to warrant
the Legislature TO feel bound to take any notice
of it. We think il decidedly unfair for Every
Evening to contend that the total number of
yes votes cast for the proposition represented
the extent of the sentiment in its favor and that
those who did not vote for it were opposed to it.
1t is said that in some districts there were no
Initiative and Referendum ballots while in other
districts the ballots were kept concealed and not
handed to the voter as required by the law. We
believe that OF the 10000 voters who did not vote
either way on the proposition less than one-third
were opposed to it. They were at least Indifferent
and their silence should not weigh against either
side
There is another important fact apparently lost
sight of entirely by Every Evening, and that is
by reason of the Democratic and Republican par
ties having in state convention indorsed the Init
atve and Referendum and incorporated the pro-
position in their platforms, both parties pledged
themselves to support the proposition in the Leg
slature, so that every vote cast unquahhedly for
either the Republican or Democratic ticket was
a vote in favor of the platform of that party and
the Initiative and Referendum plank, and as the
proposition was also favored by the Prohibition
and Socialist parties every vote cast in Delaware
this year, excepting those who voted specifically
against the proposition, was in favor of the Initi-
ative and Referendum Thus it is that the result
OF the vote OF the state is 3622S for the lnitia-
tive and Referendum, and AHA those who speci-
hcaly voted against it, thus giving it a majority
OF 54,o94 in total vote of $500.
But let Every Evening argue as it may, and its
opposition 60 as far as it can, we feel sure, that
IN view OF the pledges of both parties and the very
large and positive vote in favor of the Initiative
and Referendum, there will not be a member in
the Legislature who will go on record as opposed
70 any form OF a law embodying the Initiative and
Referendum proposition The direct vote in
effect is petition to the Legislature of more than
1900 citizens and voters asking that the pledges
OF the parties be kept and for the passage of
some reasonable law embodying the provisions of
the proposed new system OF controlling legisla-
tion. For any member of the Legislature to
ignore the platform of the party upon which he
was elected and also the largest petition or mem-
orial ever sent or made TO the Delaware Legisla-
would be to deliberately invite the i'll will of
all the voters of Delaware. and that no sensible
or just man would think OF doing There is not
the least doubt that the Legislature will promptly
pass an Initiative and Referendum bill.