Daily Kennebec journal., 1907-11-05
The Sentinel Threatens.

found as il fears ii will, that under
| il tn, sovereign people of Maine shall
have an opportunity if they SO desire
TO directly express their wishes ut the
polls upon any great question of public
| moment. and furthermore to have THIS
expression of their sovereign will reg
| istered at special election where the
question involved can be considered
calmly. dispassionately, and upon its
own merits.
There is nothing IN our Judgment
very dangerous about this. if the in
t.lligent people of Maine, the source of
all political power. are To be trusted to
express their sovereign vii! directly
upon matters OF public moment, and
the Journal has always been en-
phatically Of the opinion not only that
they could he but ALSO that they
should be- 1t Was for this reason that
it cordially supported tn" Initiative
and Referendum which gives the
PtOplc anu VI u IL q OCllSi
opportunity to register illeir wishes.
The powers conferred upon the
whole people by the Initiative and
| Referendum are not new ones. They
have always belonged to and come
| from the people. On the mere ground
of greater convenience in application
| these powers have, heretofore in tine
| life of the State, been exercised by
| chosen representatives to whom they
| have been temporarily delegated by
the people. In taking back to them
selves a portion of these powers under
people are not creating any new
| powers, but merely assuming direct
| charge of what is. has always been.
and always will be. under our form CT
| government. their own.
| The Watervilc Sentinel once pre-
tended to be Very ardent friend of
the Initiative and Referendum. and
| still Processes 10 be its friend-witil
certain limitations on the right of the
sovereign people of Maine to express
their will under its plain provisions.
II we are to hold elections simply
to get the opinion of the people Oh
certain mattcrs" then the Sentinel is
very frank to say that it should
| object 70 it,
| Why
Is the Sentinel afraid to get under
absolutely fair conditions. til" opinion
of the voters uf Maine on matters oi
| great public moment
| Ii so il can scarcely be in real
| sylupathy with Initiative and Rcf"rcn-
electors to initiate through pctitiou
any bill, resolve. or resolution" whiCii
in thciv opinion is important cnoug.1
to call for an expression of the popular
| will at the polls. The Sentinel furtnci
delivers itself as follows:
1t s said that it docs not matter
| what tn" opinion OF IL candidate ioi
GoNcrno" may be with regard to GER
tain state issues OF What the opinion
| Of legislative candidates on the sam,
questions may be, because under thu
Initiative and Referendum. tho people
can decide them directly. This is no,
50. True. under that act. the people
can initiate Legislation and can exer-
else Il veto power on unvise legisla :
ton bat on the other hand it is pow
or ONLY t" be wisely invoked whel
necessary and to be avoided 50 far IS
possible by choosing men to office who
will do the peoples will voluntarily
and without compulsion.''
We have not before seen it statcC
III any Maine paper. outside Of the
Sentinel, that il does not matter
what the opinion of ii candidate fol
Governor may be with regard to Ger
tain state issues or what the opinion
of legl SlatiVc candidates on the sam,
questions may be because under thu
Initiative and Referendum the peopl'
can decide them directly.
The people of Maine are vastly bigge,
than the Governor or members of tin
Legislature. All power that vests tem
p0larily in a Chief Executive or thu
, Representatives in the Legislature i
derived frCm them. 1t does not al
Ways happen, however, it the s,entinc
X to he credited. that such delegate,
power L. used to the satisfaction OF th
people When. however. the peopi
, act directly upon ii public question
. without there having been any pre-
! Nious prejudice of it. the expression .
n the popular will becomes morally an,
!, cfiectually binding upon those to whom
any part of the sovereign power Of tn
people is delegated. II is absurd t.
:. say that when the people passed direct
ly upon any proposition the Goyerno
anC: members of the Legislature wou
, escape all responsibility No citize
could escape responsibility under sue
circumstances. Every elector woul
\ he under special obligation at such