Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1906-10-06
wllmIngton. oetober 6. Loo.


n. G. A.
Wilmington. October G. 1906.
Initiative and Referendum.
Editor The Evening Journal
The happy effects Of the application
Of the Initiative AND Referendum in
practical politics are plainly seen in
Switzerland, where II has been the law
for over fifty years in some cantons.
Italy swarms with beggars ana pau
pers who have lost all self-respect. In
Switzerland there are very few beg
CARS, II any and no uncared for poor
Thrift and industry are universal and
self respect and competence are the
rule, though Switzerland is naturally
barren rocky country whose income
depends on its manufacturers and
whose raw materials must be import
ed from abroad. The effect Of the In
itiative and Referendum I'm checking
lill-advised measures, was seen to good
advantage in a vote taken lately on the
policy Of making the government re-
/ sponsible for giving employment Of
some kind to all unemployed workers.
The petition to that effect was signed
by the necessary percentage Of qualified
voters. The law was drafted by the
Legislature ana submitted in due form
FOR the sanction OF the whole people.
The result was Its Overwhelming de-
feat by the hard common sense Of the
workers themselves who saw at once
that n would bankrupt the treasury
and leave the people worse off than
they now are.
The problem Of the employment or
labor Is one which must be dealt with
in the United states and II can best
be done by making the whole people
the judges of the measures necessary
TO Keep all the workers employed in
producing wealth and to give them
satisfactory and just wage for their
work.
only the Initiative and Referendum
can do this, as the problem OF the en-
ployment Of labor involves the prob~
lem OF land titles and land tenures. Of
transportation and Of finance. Edward
Tregear, minister OF the Department
OF Labor for New Zealand. observes in
his report in 1894: Hold what theory
we may, hide the facts in what casuis-
try we may, II remains that the wage
payer is the master of the wage Garner
the land holder is the master Of the
landless. and the owner of machinery
is the master Of the machinist."
The whole history Of the United
States shows that vested interests
would be entirely safe should the whole
people become practically their own
lawmakers. as they would be. should
the Initiative and Referendum be made
the law Of the land, 1t is under our
present system that the corporations
have acquired boundless power.
] rnt. A
all the railways IN the Swiss Republic
should be taken over and operated by
the government. This was done by
referendum vote. and though it was
decided In the affirmative. it had been
voted down when the question was de.
cided by popular vote several years
before. AS William Jennings Bryan
has come before the people as an advo-
cate Of government ownership OF all
railways. and as the question is likely
to be widely agitated In this country
soon. IL may be Of interest to know
on what terms the Swiss railways be-
came public property since IL has been
estimated by skilful inanciers that the
railways OF the United States could
be built complete for about one-quarter
of the stocks and bonds on which they
pay interest and dividends.
When the railway companies OF Switz-
erland received their charters from the
Legislature clause was inserted pro-
viding that the government should
have the option of buying the roads
at any time by paying the companies
owning them twenty-five times the an
nual income. This income was ascer-
tanned by finding the average income
for the past ten years and multiplying
Il by twenty FIVE. The Swiss Republic
paid Sl45,000,0 900 for the railways which
Fhad been operated by private corpora
lions.
All the testimony OF past experience
shows that by making the people the
judge of all laws passed and giving
them the power to demand needed leg
islation on any subject. every home is
made more secure. and the foundations
Of society are rendered as solid as
granite rock. The people will cling 10
old ways until they are certain that
new ways are better. The common
sense of the workers can be relied on
to see that no man is injured In his
business by unjust determinations
such as rebates TO large shippers.
There are certain questions which
only the whole people can be trusted
to decide with justice TO all concerned.
and these questions should be decided
by a referendum vote. For instance,
the great States of Colorado and Kan
sas are now engaged in lawsuit re-
garding the Arkansas river which has
its source In the mountains Of Colo
RADIO and flows through Kansas. Irri-
cation projects in Colorado propose TO