The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1906-09-08
WEST PRODUCES MOST IMPORTANT
POLITICAL EVENT Of THE YEAR
Triumphant Democracy Oregon the Overthrow of Privileged
Glasses by Popular Rue-A ractcal Demonstration of
soundness of Argumen Against Direct Legislation

In recent Issue we described how
Oregon, through the Introduction OF
direct legislation into her organic con,
stttution has met and overcome the
subversive influence OF privileged
classes and interests in their attempt
to null1fy popular rule while main
tanning the paraphernalia of Republi.
can government. And besides briefly
reviewing the victory of the people in
the great battle to wrest the govern.
ment from corrupt wealth and it's min
ions by bringing it back into the
hands OF the people, where theoretl
cally it must reside under a demo-
cratic form OF government, we showed
how privileged interests had striven
to defeat popular government and the
interests OF the people by trying to
get the supreme court of the state to
declare the amendment unconstitu-
tional; but the court upheld the direct
legislation amendment, showing in one
of the ablest legal rulings OF recent
decades that 1t was strictly constitu-
tional We also noticed the vigorous
and successful campaign Of the peo.
pie, under the direction of the Peo-
pies Power league, to secure enough
signatures for the voters OF the com
| mOnwealth to compel the submission
of four constitutional amendments and
one statutory provision which it was
believed the people of the state de-
sired but which they had not been
able to obtain from their lawmakers.
In addition to these proposed meas
ures, sufficient signatures for the sub
mission OF measures were obtained by
the state grange, the friends OF wo-
mans suffrage, the enemies of the
present stringent local-option law, and
the owners OF private toll road. The
grange submitted two. provisions
making in. all ten amendments and
laws to be voted upon. OF these, all
the measures advocated by the Peo.
pies Power league were overwhel-
mingly victorious. So also were the
two measures advocated by the state
grange; while the proposal for wo.
mans suffrage, the one against the
! local-option law which had been car.
ried through an initiative petition,
and the proposal Of the private toll
road to saddle the road on the state
were all defeated.
The defeat OF woman's suffrage was
doubtless dyue to the fact that the
friends of universal suffrage were not
as thoroughly organized as could be
wished; neither did they have the
speakers or the means to properly and
vigorously carry fOrwaru the educa-
tional campaign which is always
necessary before progressive meas
ure can be successfully introduced In
e. democratic government. Personally
we regret this defeat, but there is,
however, no reason why the question
shall not be submitted at later cleo
ton, and the friends of universal suf-
frage are already planning new
campaign.
The outcome of the election has
been a splendid vindication of the
claims made by the friends of popular
government as to the practicability
the wisdom and the Importance OF
direct legislation In order to bulwark
free institutions, guard and preserve
the interests of the people, and main
tain a government of the people, by
the people and for the people.
A Practical Demonstration Of the Un-
soundness of the Arguments
Again Direct-LegisIation.
| The result in Oregon has also
served to prove the unsoundness or
falsity of the objections that have
been urged against guarded represen-
tative government or direct-legislation
by the agents of the public-service
corporations, the trusts and other
| Io1o Int 3o1,
overthrow popular government. 1t had
been persistently claimed by the po-
litical bosses and the professional po-
liticians, who are in fact the agents
of privileged interests and the enemies
of the people, that the people would
take little or no interest in referen-
dunn votes or in legislation secured
through the initiative; that they were
interested In men rather than meas
ures; or If they voted at all they
would vote Unfortunately, favoring
all the proposed measures or rejecting
them all. The result in Oregon has
proven completely the unsoundness of
these claims. The vote was not only
as great for the proposed measures
as for the men elected to office, and
overwhelming in it's decisive charac-
ter for the measures in which the peo.
pie were especially interested, but it
showed remarkable degree of dis.
elimination on the part of the elector,
ate on all questions upon which there
had been any general or great discus.
sion; and it further showed that
though the corrupt corporations are
usually all-powerful in city, state and
national government since the con-
trolled machine has dominated our
political life, they are absolutely
powerless when they confront an
electorate with provisions that are
inimical to the interests of the people.
On this point the Boston Herald, which
has heretofore been far from favor.
able to directlegislation, in an ed1to-
rial on June 21st made the following
excellent and suggestive observations
on the result of the Oregon election:
| Corporation influence" said the
Herald, "and bribery were not felt in
the election, for it is not easy to In
duce men to vote directly against
their interests. Oregon Is reducing
the Democratic theory tO actual ,ro =