The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1907-06-08
TAFT Makes ATTACK
ON Peoples RULE
secretary's Brother Openly OBJ
jects to Initiative and Refer
endum Idea.
Novel and Ridiculous Argument
Advanced by Leading Mon
opolis of Ohio.

The initiative and referendum are
openly fired upon by Secretary Tafts
brother, the owned and editor Of the
Cincinnati Times-Star. He is pres
ident also of the Cincinnati gas
monopoly. In a double-column edit
orial, in his paper, entitled "Mr.
Bryan's EMBARRASSMENT he says:
Would Mr.. Bryan advocate the SUBJ
mission Of law passed py congress
to vote Of the people?"
This idea horrifies Mr.. Taft. But it
doesn't frighten the voters; and they
should bear in mind that Editor Taft
is a monopolist and is frightened at
the prospect of losing his special
privileges.
Mr.. Taft further asks: "Would Mr..
Bryan advocate that a small percent
age of the people Of the United States
should have the power to originate
federal legislation and all the people
have the right to vote upon it and be
protected in that right?"
The objections to such system
which Mr.. Taft publicly voices are as
follows:
Fears Negro Voter.
First, it would clothe the coiored
men with the power to originate and
vote upon legislation.
What is the objection to this, Mr..
Taft? Throughout the south cor1s:.
tutional amendments provide that vot-
ers shall possess an educational quail
ification, and within the limits thus
prescribed the majority should rule,
otherwise there is machine rule.
Southern statesmen assent to this view
as is evidenced by the large number
Of them who have publicly signif1ed
their adherence to majority rule;
namely, four members of the National
House from Virginia, five from Ten
nessee, two from Kentucky, four from
Arkansas, three from Texas, one from
Florida, two from South Cafolina,
three from North Carolina, making a
total of twenty-four. In the words of
Hon. r. N. Hackett, of North Carolina,
elected in place Of Representative
Blackburn, who refused to pledge for
the Peoples Rule: Il am unqualified
ly in favor of majority rule In this
country, 'unawed by power and un-
bribed by gain by whatever honest
MIGHT Equalize Things.
second; the ,2thsI ohisctian which:
Mr.. Taft presSn s that Should ma
tional issues be determined by. the will
Of the majority Of the congressional
districts it would deprive the big
states of the compensating influence
which they possess in the House of
Representatives and make II possible
for twenty three small states to out
vote twenty-five large states with five
to ten times greater population
On the other hand Mr.. Taft declares
should national issues be determined
by the will of the majority in a ma
jority Of the states it would deprive
the small states of the disproportion-
ate power which they now enjoy in
the senate and the Electoral College
and which is explicitly guaranteed to
them by the constitution
Mr.. Taft's conclusion is Before Mr.,
Bryan goes very far with his new
tangled toy he will find himself en-
barrassed as badly as he was over the
railway matter
Objection is Overruled.
Mr.. Taft is simply exposing his
ignorance. The proposal in this
country for a national system, and to
which ITO members OF the National
House are pledged, is for a double
majority; that is, a national measure
voted upon shall not pass unless IN
majority of the states nd In a majority
of the congressionl districts it receives
a majority of the votes cast for and
against it. Switzerland uses this
double majority in national affairs, and
each measure that has received the ap-
proval of the voters in a majority Of
the districts has also been approved
in, majority of the states.
This objection by Mr.. Taft is quot
ed from the New York Tribune and
we invite it to apologize for it's ignor-
ance. If it refuses the natural infer
ence will be that 1t Intentionally mis-
lead it's readers