The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1907-11-16

aad prvieg 100 tlis bin of rights
Keep On mind tnat these are not
nsws passed ry Legislature and sub
sect to nuli6ation by court. but
these cla SEES are a part of the or
.ealic law OF Oklahoma and cannot
hc repealed except by the hazardous
cXpcd. nt e. amendment IL does not
require special legislative committee
TO probe into tile suspieidus affairs OF
"a corps. tion, their records arc open
az all times to the officials of the
commonwealth Here is provision
wdicl olabl the people of Oklaho-
ma to become socalisuc n an affairs
savo agric lture
The right of tae state to engage I'm
any occupation on business for public
purposes shall not be denied or pro
hibitcd except that the state shall
not engage in agriculture for amy
other than educational and scientific
purposes and for the support of IFS
penal charitable and educational n.
Having dccrced that me power shall
stop thCm from trying The experiment
of p-blic ownership. the constitution
proceeds to make &c easy for the ma
i1iily of the people to carry into Of
feet any scheme which appeals tD
them This they may do through th
initiative ald tae rcferCndU the
ch rished weapons which all radical
reformers l8vc tried 90 grasp. and
which now iu tlc hands OF the pco-
PIE of Okl2h1m This is the innova-
t'ul which aroused the bitter opposi-
ton of the financial interests of Okla
lCua a.d which led 90 tac rather
amusing contention that the power of
the people ID pass or repeal laws was
iu conflict with a Republican form
of government The initiative and
refer ndum are i'm force in Oregon and
have loug been used for specific par
pos in mos, States, bur no part OF
The world save switzerland and New
Zealand da ever be- invested with
the stupCndous democratic power be-
CuCatl d % Oklahoma I'm these lines
copied from her new constitution:
The legislative thority of the
state shall be vested iu a legislature
consisting 1f a senate and a HOUSE oi
Repre- antatiyes: but the people re-
rye TO themselves the power TO
I.iNINFN AA MH anu HAAlN.AAAAllAlANo W. hil'
cCnstit tOu and 10 enact 0r reject
the same at the polls independent of
the legislature, and also reserve pow
er at their own option to approve or
rgiec. at the polls any act of The legis.
laturc
This is a crushing blow delivered
straight at representative government
and most radical reformcrs agree
that an our national woes flow from
the flct ihat the people have dad no
power over tleir elected representa-
uNcs Their slogan has been Re
prcsCnt1iiyC government Is lailrrc.
Democracy is possible only with d,-
rect legislation through the initiative
a1d the referendum And at last
their turA has come. and | do not heai-
tate 60 predict chat the fate of repie-
sentative government in Tho United
st8ics VIII depend ON Ac result of the
experiment which Otlaho1a IS now
certain DC m Er The details:
TJe FIRST power reserved by the
D. oplc ia The initiative, and eight per
cntm 9l me legal ,ot shall aavn
The r.gh. ,u propose any lagislativ,
r ASSURE and Ctt en per ccu,um of
t.C LEGAL voters shall have taC right
Go propose amendment O. the consti
tuition by rciill nd every such
petition shall include Che fel text of
the measure so rrapo ed
20 illustrate According TO the vote
recently cast here were about 27O
who cred to q pc. GO ballots There
1rF probably 4. t.I CitiI u- win, can