The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1906-07-28
DIRECT VOTE ON ISSUES
Demonstrated Advantages IN
Oregon's Recent
Election.
Object Lesson to Entire World.
Machine Rule Completely
Terminated.

The splendid results Of the establish
ment Of the peoples sovereignty In
Oregon are being testified to on all
sides. In a review OF the striking feat
ures in the entire election, the Port
land Oregonian, the largest paper in
the state, says:
"The questions balloted upon by
direct vote were not party issues. They
stood or fell upon their merits alone.
They were studied without factiona1
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 1t
makes possible clear separation be-
tween local and national issues. Under
the older system, which still prevails
In most of the states, the people could
express their opinion upon such mat
ter as the Barlow toll road purchase
only by their choice of legislators. In
determining this choice, numerous
other questions necessarily played a
part. Which party the candidate be-
longed to? How he stood on the local
option question. Upon woman suffrage
and many other matters, could 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 admix-
ture or personal or partisan bias
ut absolutely separates tho business
department Of legislation from the per.
sonaI and partisan side. Suppose, for
example, that a certain Republican,
voter was opposed to the Barlow road
purchase, while the Republican can
didate. for the Legislature from his
district was in favor of it. Under the
old system he could not vote for his
opinion upon this matter Of pure busi-
ness without voting against his party.
This was real misfortune, and it
greatly contributed to dishearten the
common man with politics. It made
politics seem to him a hopelessly COM
plicated game-baffling, Intellectual,
futile. It was all promise and no per-
formance. Under the Oregon system
the voter acts directly upon results.
The individual citizen feels his man.
hood as he could not under the purely
representative. 5
!. The heavy vote upon the questions
submitted to the referendum and the
decisive ma joEitiesb by which.they wera~
accepted or rejected prove that the.
Oregon system. has solved the problem
Of interesting tho voters In tho dry
details Of government. Hitherto they
have shown little interest in these mat
ters because their opinion was only of
indirect and doubtful consequence In
this election the vote upon abstract
laws and matters Of pure finance was
quite as large and enthusiastic as upon
the Governor. The referendum bills
and the amendments were disposed Of
by majorities ranging from 10000 to
10000, showing that the people had
studied them and definitely made up
their minds. A small, scattering, in.
different vote might have indicated
that the task of interesting the plain
people In governmental details was
hopeless. The opposite result is pro-.
portionately encouraging.
These large majorities also indicate
that the people enjoy the genuine ar
t1cle IN se!1-goVernment; and their
acceptance of the amendment facilitat-
ing constitutional changes, the one re-
Quiring the referendum in cities and
the most excellent one bestowing COM
plete local government upon munic-
ipalities seems to show that they are
determined not to be satisfied with less
than the whole. The tendency Is well
marked
In these matters Oregon is pioneer.
Genuine democracy has been more
highly developed in this state than
anywhere else in the country. The re-
suits Of the last election give no ground
to fear that the experiment may fall.
The more completely the voters trust
themselves the more worthy they find
themselves to be trusted What could
be more heartening to those who be-
lieve in government Of, for and by the
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