The Somerset reporter., 1908-04-23
Subject Was Majority Rule.


under discussion at the Monday even
ing meeting of the Brotherhood of st.
Paul. The affirmative side of the
question, favoring the adoption of the
constitutional amendment, now be-
fore the people of Maine, WAS taken
by r. T. Patten and the negative side,
maintaining that the Initiative and
Referendum amendment was unwise
and should be defeated, was taken by
Fred F. Lawrence, Esq.
In opening Mr.. Patten pointed out
the fact that the change to be brought
about by the adoption of this amend
ment was simple in its nature and not,
.as is often stated, revolutionary in
extent, calling attention to the fact
that the legislature would be elected
as at present and would propose, dis
cuss and enact laws just as they have
always done. The Initiative and
Referendum amendment simply pro-
vided that, in case the people found
instances where the legislators were
faithless te their trust and enacted
laws, obviously of great injustice, the
people could themselves correct such
legislation by a direct vote thereon.
The speaker claimed that the right of
the majority to rule could not be
questioned and that the Initiative and
Referendum simply provided the best
means for determining what the will
of the majority was. Mr.. Patten call
ed attent ION TO the fact That the
measure had never failed of adoption
in any case where it had come before
the people for approval and that it
had never been repealed where once
adopted. He claimed that it was uni
versally opposed by politicians and
lobbyists and that it was only because
of demand SO strong that they did
not dare oppose it, that those in con-
troll at Augusta permitted the amend
ment to 60 through at the last session
of the legislature. The speaker stat
ed it as his belief that the only hope
of progress and reform i'll political
methods was based on popular rule,
through the Initiative and Referen-
dunn. and asked the members of the
Brotherhood of st. Paul to give it
their unanimous endorsement.
In replying, Mr.. Lawrence took the
ground that, inasmuch as this govern
ment was representative III character,
and had been SO from its foundation,
to take away from the legislature and
place with the whole mass of the peo-
pie the final power of legislative ac-
ton, was a most radical and far
reaching departure from long estab-
lished custom, a step which, i'll his
opinion, should be taken only in case
of some imperative need of change
and even then when all other meth
DDS had been given most careful COLI
sideration. He believed that the
people should rule and that they were
the source of all authority but did not
admit that this implied that they
could, in mass, exercise legislative
functions wisely. He demonstrated
that it was practically impossible to
get the public to think seriously on
more than one issue at time and ar
gued that to expect them TO take up
and vote wisely upon several govern
mental problems in one campaign
was absurd. He believed our system
of representative government divid-
ed into legislative, executive and ju-
dicial as originally founded, each
vested with final authority in its own
field, was the most perfect that could
be devised.
Mr.. Lawrence claimed that the
Initiative and Referendum resolve
was allowed to pass the last Maine
/ legislature without dissenting voice,
not because every member of the
Maine senate and house believed in
its wisdom, but because, III the com
petition of politicians for popular ia
vor, none dared oppose what, for the
time being at least, seemed to be in
popular demand. He claimed that,
so far from opposing the Initiative
and Referendum, the politicians and
lobbyists were generally in favor of II
and in substantiation of this stafe
ment he read from the list of officers
of the Maine Referendum League the
names of Cyrus w. Davis and other
we'll known politicians who were high
in the councils of that organization
/ Mr.. Lawrence spoke very rapidly and
earnestly, occupying the full time of
thirty minutes which was allotted to
each speaker. 1t is impossible in
the report we are able to give to
even mention all the points presented
by him in support of his firm convic
tion that the adoption, by the peo-
pie of Maine, at the next Septem ber
election, of the Iniative and Referen-
/ dunn resolve would be unWise. Fol-
lowing the principal disputants gem
eral debate took place in which the
affirmative was supported by Rev. F.
A. Leitch and others and the negative
position was maintained by Lewis
Anderson and other speakers. The
vote on the question showed twenty
three in favor of the Referendum
amendment to the constitution and
seven opposed.