Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1906-07-13
Progressive Democracy in Oregon.

Progressive Democracy In oregon.
Genuine democracy is more highly
developed in Oregon than in any other
state in the union. The initiative and
referendum in government obtain there
and the results give no comfort 10 the
opponents of these reforms, and excite
no fear of their continued success.
The Portland Oregonian, the largest
paper in the state. reviewing the re-
suits of the recent election, says that
the questions balloted upon by di-
rect vote were not party issues. They
stood or fell upon their merits alone.
They were studied without fractional
prejudice and decided, we may fairly
suppose, solely with reference to the
public good" The Oregonian contin-
ues its discussion, saying:
1T is one of the greatest merits of
the initiative and referendum that it
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
=
determining this choice, numerous 9th
er questions necessarily played part
Which party the candidate belonged
to? How he stood on the local option
question. Upon woman suffrage, and
many other matters, would unite 70
confuse the mind of the voter, and he
could never express himself clearly.
directly and exclusively upon any par
ticular point. The method of the initia-
tive and referendum permits each w.
ter to express his individual opinion
upon every question standing entirely
by itself and without admixture of
personal or partisan bias.
1T absolutely separates the business
of legislation from the per-
sonal and partisan side. Suppose, for
example, while the republican voter
was opposed to the Barlow road pur-
chase. the republican candidate
for the legislature from his district
was in favor of it. Under the old sys-
tenn he could not vote his opinion upon
this matter of pure business without
voting against his party. This was
real misfortune, and it greatly con
man with politics. 1t made politics
seem TO him a hopelessly complicated
game-bafIling Intellectual, futile. 1t
was ali promise and no performance.
Under the Oregon system the voter
acts directly upon results. The indi-
vidiuaI citizen feels his manhood as he
could not under the purely represen-
rative"
The heavy vote upon the questions
submitted to the referendum and the
decisive majorities by which they were
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 mat
-ers because their opinion was only
Of Indirect and doubtful consequence.
IN this election the vote upon abstract
avs and matters of pure finance was
quite as large and enthusiastic as upon
he governor. The referendum bills
md the amendments were disposed of
~ majorities ranging from 10000 toi
1000, showing that the people had
studied them and definitely made up
heir minds A small. scattering, in
lifferent vote might well have discour-
aged the advocates of direct legisla |
ion and would have indicated that the |
ask of interesting the plain people i'll |
governmental details was hopeless. |
The opposite result is proportiOnately |
These large majOriCies also indicate |
hat the people enjoy the genuine arti- |
lie in self-government; and their ac-
,eptance of the amendment facilitating |
changes, the one requir-
ng the referendum in cities. and the |
most excellent one beStOwing complete
ocal government upon municipalities
eems to show that they are determin-
ID not to be satisfied with less than
whole The tendency is well marked.