The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1906-07-26
INITIATIVE AND REFERENDUM.

I II
| recommend constitutional "nlelu-
ment to so provide. ;,..
| I'VE recommend to the consideration
OF the next Legislature the auoption ol
| statutes under which all mountainous
for elective offices by the political
| parties entitled to representation on
| official ballot shall be made by the dl-
! rect vote of the people at primary erect,
lions held under all the safeguards OF
the regular election itself.
These are two planks OF the Republl-
can State platform adopted Dy tne
Portland convention. The Democratic
plank on the same subject IS as IolloWs:
1--WE believe in direct Legislation by
the people and demand the passage OF
an initiative and referendum acI ny Ille
next Legislature"
There is no mention of direct primary
nominations in the Democratlc plat.
form. Now there has been cIlClclSm OF
the Republican convention because IL
did not make its platform more com
prehenSlve and extend the mandatory
initiative and referendum 10 tie con
sttutlon, and it has been lntlmated
that this was not done because OF The
resubmission and wild land questions.
In other words. the convention is ac-
AS to that, it does not seem consistent
for one party, or members OF that
party, to criticise another party TOT not
going to lengths to which the party OF
the first part was not willing to go. Inc
Democratic platform says nothing
about applying tie mandatory lnltlatlve
and referendum to the constitution. 10
the criticisms that have been made the
explanation of Hon. Herbert NJ. Heath,
a member of the committee on reSolu-
tons, is sufficient reply. tie declares
that the question of extending the
initiative to the constitution was dis
cuSsed, but that the extension was not
made solely because it was understood
and believed that the public demand
did not at present go 10 that extent.
Speaking for the committee, he says:
I'VE all believed that SO radical
change ia our theory of government
ought not in its inception to go beyond
the popular demand or public sentiment.
No question was ever more seriously
considered by a committee on resolu-
tons. We appreciated the gravity OF
the step. The plank was framed IN the
committee anG by no one for us.
have had the honor to sit many times
Oh previous committees. | feel 1t my
duty to say that more thoughtful,
painstaking, conscientious committee
never sat in a Republican convention.
We built the platform. We discussed
every word. We tried to be conserva-
tive and to represent republican
thought In the matter OF this partlcu-
lar plank, we believed it to be the
wiser course to recognize public sentl-
ment as we found it and to work along
the lines of this tremendous revolution
in government by experiment with the
first step, letting the future teach US
whether it would be wise to extend the
initiative to the constitution.
We have the word Of Mr.. Heath for
it-and he is a responsible man-that
the committee was not influenced
particle by considerations relating to
resubmission, the wild land tax or
other political questions, but was act
uated by the belief that it would not
be wise at this time to advise so radical
a step as the opening of the whole con
stitutlon to the popular Initiative. II
the people want the constitution
amended in any particular, they have
only to exercise the initiative which
they already have and always have had
the initiative by petition and resolu-
certain action is the popular will. the
legislature will hasten to obey. But
to compel the submission of any and
every proposed amendment whatever
on the demand of ten per cent, OF the
voters or such a matter is a different
thing. The committee, and the con-
vention as well, thought it would be
more prudent to go by degrees and
apply the new method to the statutes
first. For it is a new method, as yet
INFESTED by experience in many states,
and we can tell only by trial how 1t is
going to work and whether it is practl-
cal and valuable As Mr.. Heath points
out. the experiment is of revolution
ary nature, since it trenches upon
long established institution and to
degree changes government by repre-
sentation-that is, the republican form
of government-to direct popular gov
eminent, SO far as the making OF laws
is cOncerned-thatl is, to the democratic
form. Hence we should hasten slowly.
1t would seem as if the position of the
committee should commend itself to
conservative and thoughtful men.
Nominations by direct vote at prl-
maries is another far-reachlng step. 1t
involves doing away with the caucuses
and delegate conventions to which we
have been accustomed by a century OF
experience, and therefore it is propo-
sition of revolutionary nature. The
system of direct nominations, however,
has been established in quite number
of States, and SO far as it has been
tried it seems to give good satisfaction.
Mr.. Heath's prediction is that it will
produce party harmony and candidates
quick to follow the popular will. We
shall expect more enlightenment on
the question from him later on.-Port-
land Press.
The writer, a member of the com
mittee on resolutions, can fully corrob-
crate the statement of Mr.. Heath re-
garding the deliberations of that COM
mittee.
CAsTo RE