Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1906-07-30
direct LEGISLATION
SUCCESS OF INITIATIVE and REF.
ERENDUM In Oregon.
What Ten Years Ago Was Considered
a Wild-eyed pOpuIist Dream, Was
Success in the Oregon June
Elections, Says the Portland Ore
gOnian.

However one may feel about the par
ticular results of the initiative and refer.
endum votes in Oregon last month, thel g
can be no two hone opinions about tt e
value OF this method Of popular govern.
ment. No better tribute could be de-
sired by the most ardent advocate OF the
initiative and referendum than that
which is paid by the Portland Oregonian,
the largest and most conservative paper
OF the state. "The questions balloted
upon by direct VOTE" says the Oregonian,
were not party issues. They stoo o r
fell upon their merits alone. They were
studied without factional prejudice, and
decided, we may fairly suppose, solely
with reference to the public good.
1t is one Of the greatest merits OF the
initiative and referendum that it makes
possible clear separation between local
and national issues. Under the older
system, which still prevails in most OF
the states, the people could express their
opinion upon such matter as the Bar.
low toll road purchase only by their
choice Of legislators. In determining
this choice, numerous other questions
necessarily played part. Which party
the candidate belonged to, how he stood
on the local option question, upon wo-
man suffrage, aud many other matters,
would all unite TO confuse the mind Of
the voter, and he could never express
himself clearly, directly and exclusively
upon any particular point. The method
OF the initiative and referendum permits
each voter to express his individual
opinion upon every question standing
entirely by itself and without admixtufe
OF personal or partisan bias. The
heavy vote upon the questions submitted
to the referendum and the decisive ma.
jorities by which they We're accepted or
rejected prove that the Oregon system
has solved the problem OF interesting the
voters in the dry details OF government
Hitherto they have shown little interest
in these matters because their opinion
was only OF indirect and doubtful conse.
quence. In this election the vote upon
abstl act laws and matters of pure finance
was quite as large and enthusiastic as
upon the governor. The referendu m
bills and the amendments were disposed
OF by majorities ranging from 10000 to
$4,000, showing that the people had
studied them and definitely made up
their minds. A small, scattering, indit.
ferent vote might well have discouraged
the advocates OF direct legislation and
would have indicated that the task of
interesting the plain people in govern
mental details was hopeless. The oppo.
site result is proportionately encouraging.
These large ma ajorties also indicate that
the people enjoy the genuine article in
self government; and their acceptance
OF the amendment facilitating constitu-
tlonal changes, the one requiring the
referendum in cities, and the most ex.
cellent one bestowng complete local
government upon municipalities, seems
to show that they are determined not to
be satisfied with less than the whole"
This tribute, recognizing SO frankly
the very opposite of the results dolefully
predicted for the initiative and referen-
dunn by advocates of strict representa-
tive government, is an exceedingly hope
ful sign. 1t is an acknowledgment of all
the principal claims for the direct popu.
lar method OF legislation: separation
OF national from local politics, separation
OF personal from political issues, and ex.
citation OF publcinterest in governmental
questions. There is no objection to the
initiative and referendum which is not
answered by the experience of Oregon.