Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1907-08-05
BACK TO THE PEOPLE
BENEFITS OF INITIATIVE and
Referendum LAWS.
Herbert S. BigeIOw Explains the In
itiative and Referendum. What
The System Saved to the Uty Of
Cincinnati a Few Years Ago. Back
to the People," is the Slogan.

Herbert S. Bigelow has written, for the
Ohio Direct Legislation League, an inter
esting pamphlet showing tine growth and
benefits of the initiative and referendum.
For the benefit OF those who have been
deceived, Mr.. Bigelow describes the
initiative and referendum in this way:
1t is proposed that this power OF direct
legislation shall be exercised through
what are known as the initiative and
referendum. Under the initiative it is
provided that if the representatives re-
fuse to pass certain law, tlris law may
be enacted by direct vote Of tie people,
provided there is sufficient demand for
the law to cause reasonable percentage
OF the electors to petition for its submis
sion. Under the referendum it is pro-
vided that no act passed by the legisla-
ture shall take effect until the expiration
OF q designated time, and that any law
may he vetoed by direct vote of the
people provided there is sufficient opposl-
ton to the law to cause, within the time
designated, a reasonable percentage Of
the electors to petition for it's submission.
Thus it is made optional with the peo-
pie whether or not they will take the
trouble to bring questions to a direct
vote. Under this system they have the
convenience Of a representative govern
ment, but when in their opinion their
government ceases to represent them,
they may enact or repeal laws by direct
vote at the polls, thus exercising directly
the law.making function.
Ii it were made necessary to get the
popular sanction for all laws. the con.
venience of the representative system
would be sacrificed. But it is an abuse
OF this system that any law should be
passed in defiance of public sentiment.
To secure the convenience of the repre-
abuses the optional initiative and refer
endum are needed, whereby the people
can leave everything to their representa-
tives if they wish, but do not surrender
the right to participate in legislation
directly when they desire.
Mr.. Bigelow gives an illustration from
the experience of Cincinnati. Read the
following:
Cincinnati is unique among the cities
Of America in that she is the owner OF q
steam railroad. The history OF this rail-
4 &C.
ple OF the use OF the referendum. La
1896 the politicians resolved to sell this
property. They had to proceed under
an enabling act which the Ohio Iegi-la-
ture had passed ten years before. The
Cincinnati council took the preliminary
steps and the road was to 20 for a song.
But it CHANGED that the legislature had
placed in the enabling act the provision
that the sale, to be valid. must be ratified
by direct vote of the people. The vote
was taken and the road was saved.
subsequently the people ratified a
sixty-year lease Of the road. What that
one referendum vote was worth to the
city of Cincinnati may be determined by
a mparison of the two contracts-the
one which the people rejected and the
one which they accepted. A member of
the board of sinking fund trustees, Mr..
George w. Harris, was asked for an
opinion as to what the 1896 referendum
saved the city. In reply Mr.. Harris
made an analysis of these contracts in
letter which is appended to the present
pamphlet. Mr.. Harris conclusion is
that this referendum in one hundred
wears time will have saved the city
5000 ,O0O, 900. Two and a quarter million
a yeaN for 100 years-this is what the
politicians would have sQuandered if that
enabling act had not contained a reieren-
dun clause.
These are startling figures and they
have a profound lesson. The people OF
Cincinnati had no constitutional right to
vote on the sale OF their railroad. That
was a right conferred upon them by an
act OF the legislature. The legislature