Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1907-01-25

they should have that advantage, be.
cause our party acted first, aud that
was an advantage. But do not speak
OF 1t to praise the Democrats, because
the Populists passed it before we did.
(Laughter.) Now both parties have
acted favorably on the proposition, and
l think two.thirds of the States Of the
Union have indorsed it, and it is COM
ing. Now. why! Because among the
people there is deep seated belief that
the representative ought to be a ser.
want of the public.
| INITIATIVE AND REFERENDUM.
There is another growing reform in
this same direction. 1t is what they
call the initiative and referendum. /
do not know how much you have
thought OF it out here. l know ten
years ago l wrote the plank in our
platform, and that was the first time
expressed myself upon it. and when
read it before the convention one of
the opposition papers made fun OF me,
and said that when the plank was
there the Democrats looked at one an.
other in surprise, and one said ::
"What is that?" And one Democrat
says: "Oh, that is a new kind of
Democratic drink" (Laughter.) And
it passed unanimously. (Laughter.)
Now what is the theory? II is that
the people have the right to rule, and
the initiative and referendum are pro.
posed to correct the evils in represen.
tative government, and is not called
into question, is not used except in
case it is needed. II the representative
body will not do what the people want
done, the people can, by initiative,
start the movement; they can by the
referendum stop the bad law.
cannot conceive that it is not con.
sistent, with our theory of govern
ment, because if the people want a
thing done they have q right to have
it done. You tell me people will make
mistakes; OF course they will. or
course tho majority will mako mis-.
takes. but can you expect to escape
mistakes by eliminating the majorityf
Will not the minority make mistakes
alsof That is the difference.
The msjority never Intentionally
makes a mistake, and when they make
it they correct it as soon as they find
it out. But the minority sometimes
fluids it so profitable to mako mistakes
that they won't correct them, and
some OF the bloodiest wars in history
have been fought by people to correct
mistakes that the minority found it
profitable to make. The people are
demanding the right to make mistakes
If mistakes are to be made; to take
the responsibility, in fact.
THE CORPORATIONS AND THE PEOPLE.
Now the second thought that want
TO present is this: That in all legis.
lation, State, national and city, the
great controversy is between the claims
Of the corporations and the rights OF
the individual. Take up legislation,
eliminate the interest of the corpora.
ton and you Democratic and Repub.
licans can agree without any discus.
zion.
| Take the corporation out Of cousid-
Grafton aud you could meet together
here like brothers and take up q Ques-
,ion and act upon it, and there would
scarcely be necessity for . rOll.call
unless your constitution requires roll
call. If you will take the questions
upon which the fights in this country
have turned for the last quarter of .
century, you will find when you ana.
lyze it there we're corporations on ono
side and the interests OF the individual
on the other.
Now, is there any difference between
individual and corporation? Yes, .
great deal. God made the individual; F;
man made the corporations. The in.
dividual made by tho Almighty OF
flesh and blood is put to work out .
divine decree. The corporations were
created to make money. Is there any
difference between those two aims in
life?
The individual is controlled by the
conscience; the corporation has NO
conscience. The corporation has NO
soul, and think that the public does
not fully realize the difference between
the individual acting and the corpora.
ton acting.
| INDIVIDUAL VS.. CORPORATIONS.
The individual does anything on bis
own responsibility for it. There is
public opinion to correct it. There is
the opinion OF his neighbors to re.
strain him; but how is it with the cor.
porationf Why, the stockholders just
draw their dividends, and the manager
controls il, and he acts for somebody
else. The stockholder permits any.
thing to be done almost that makes
him money. and the manager, who il
acting for somebody else, has no choice
but to grind out all the money he can
and the result 10 that the corporation
is conducted in q manner entirely diff.
ferent than the individual would con.
duct bis business.
| Now we say to the individual: You
60 out and do you best, and we will
have free and open competition be-
tween you," aud we Say to the cOrpor.
alton: "You 60 out and do your
BEST" but there has been too much
tendency to allow the corporation tc
do Whatever it pleases; but want tc
say that the competition between the
corporation and the competition be
tween tho frail man OF flesh and blood
is unjust and unfair.
Some people say that we do not dc
any thing in the way of restraining
legislation; We have in our party some
people who are very tenacious about
the doctrine that we do not legislate
much, and whenever you pass bill
restraining corporations they say there
is too much legislation.
knew Q man who was employed By
the Standard Oil Company, who be
longed to the old school, and who op
posed any more legislation than wal
absolutely necessary. Now, my friends
} if q man wants to belong to the ole
school he must join now. II will no
} do to create giants and then suddenly
J decide to restrain them. If you arr
going 70 adopt the doctrine OF no
restraining them, then 90 back snt
} undo your work, for it is now too late