The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1906-05-10

may not be one act passed by this
Legislature where the people will
! petition and ask for referendum. If
the laws are just and they are such a.
the people believe in, then there will
| be no petition, and there will be No
referendum. Why, gentlemen, con.
slider what we are, who we are, and
what our position is relative to the
State. We are here in the capaeitv
! of agents for our constitutents-not
| only our immediate constituencies
but when we have assembled here and
have taken our oaths to do our duty
as representatives., we then become
| the representatives of the entire
| State, and as such what is our duty9
! We are the mere agents of the people
We are here as the agents of the peo-
| pie and servants of the people and
we should be guided and be willing To
| be bound by their wishes, and if in the
haste of legislation we pass law that
! the people of the State of Maine don't
want, then they should have the priv.
| ilege of having it submitted to them
and if majority of the people of the
State of Maine say that that law is not
|
! don't want to be governed by such n
| law, that it is detrimental to their in
terests-if the majority of them say
So then it does not become law.
who is to be harmed by it2
! Now, Mr.. Speaker and gentlemen.
! have often heard it said around this
State House that the third branch of
this Legislature has about as much in
| q al
any other branch, and has about as
much to do with the legislation that
goes through this House What
would this initiative and referendum
do for those gentlemen? 1t would
consign them to their homes, because
with it no longer could they lobby
bills through this House or kill bills
that are introduced in the interest of
the people of the State of Maine. Be
cause why? Because if the people
said those laws were wrong, and they
| had a right to have them referred to
the people, then the lobby that is
around this State House for anything
that is unjust and for anything that
| is wrong would be done away with,
because they would know and fully
understand that the people of the
|
SAYING whether that law shall take
Speaker and gentlemen of the House,
| believe this is bill fraught with
more good to the people of the State
of Maine than any bill that has come
before this House this winter Are
you afraid to go into your respective
towns and say to your fellow citizens
| hn in
to send you here-are you afraid to
say to them, ''N e have passed a law
this winter whereby you may have Il
direct voice, if necessary, direct
right to initiate legislation if you
want to do it,
The gentleman from Boothbay
Harbor handed me this. "This re-
ferring to this House is in itself only
referendum. 1t can only be adopt
ed after a majority of the voters vot-
ing for it." And that is true to Ger
tain extent. They come here to us
and refer to our several committees
the propositions which they ask TO
become law. The committees report
to whom? To the referees-to the
referendum you, gentlemen; and
this bill simply asks if the people de
/ '
pie themselves, and give them an OPP
portunity to say what the law shall
be. We have arrived today at
place where the people have a voice.
| We want this extended little furth-
err. What do we do in every state
and national election? In the first
place in our platform we lay down
the general rules by which our party
shall be governed. That is the initia-
tive. Then we go to the people upon
that platform and ask them to sustain
the men whom they nominate as the
representative of the people to carry
out the initiative. You refer it to the
people and there you have got the
referendum again. And when the
| National Congress passes law that
does not suit the majority of the peo
pie of the United States what do they
do in the very next campaign? They
turn down that party and install in
power another party that will prom
Use to do that which they want TO
have done. 1t is only carrying step
further this great principle of the
peoples having government made
by themselves ard for themselves; il
is government under which the
governed make laws for themselves.
Now, Mr.. Speaker and gentlemen
of the House, | hope when you come
to consider this question that you will
adopt the minority report of the com
mittee. Applause
On motion of Mr.. DoWnes of Der
wick, recess was taken until halt
past two O'Clock.
sharp aud Well Set.