The Idaho scimitar. [volume] (Boise, Idaho) 1907-1908, 1908-08-22
The Wallace Platform.


Wallace placing themselves in sympathy with the
advanced thought of the nation and advocating the
reforms that must be put into operation if the in
tegrty of self-government is preserved.
First in local Importance is the demand of the
platform for the determination of polygany and the
separation of church from state. Until these de-
mands bear fruit, self government is but pretense,
real government reposing in oath bound fanatical
hierarchy.
The platform endorses the primary election system,
calls for the initiative and referendum, advocates
municipal ownership of public utilities, the direct
election of United States senators, an an-pass law
a grain and warehouse commission, a local option
law, the separation of judicial elections from po-
tical elections the division of the state into mining
districts and embodes general endorsement of the
national platform adopted at Denver.
The party demand for primary election system
includes the Oregon plan of electing the United
States senate the who secures majority of all
the votes, without regard to the political complex
ion of the legislature that performs the constitutional
function of creating the senator.
The initiative and referendum plank includes the
recall" which is provision of law to authorize
certain percentage of the voters of state, by peti-
ton, to require at any time, election for the dis
placement of official who is not performing his
public duties to the satisfaction of his constituents
given the privilege of entering the and if he is
Sustained" by a majority of the voters he does not
forfeit his position This system is in vogue in few
municipalities but state has adopted it. 1t is
one of the newest of the suggested governmental
innovations, and is calculated to keep an official on
his good behavior.
The initiative and referendum is in force in only
few of the states, but will be generally adopted
experience proves its value. 1t permits the peo-
pie to initiate legislation and it enables them to
destroy obnoxious laws created by legislature.
Legislation initiated by petition must be acted upon
by the legislature, which exhausts its authority when
has submitted the proposed legislation to a vote
of the people and made record of the result
The initiative and referendum destroys political
machines, breaks up corporation control and renders
of no effect the corrupt operations of the lobby
believing in the democratic doctrine of home
rule and self government" the state democratic con-
vention declared in favor of a local option law The
platform would leave it to communities to determine
whether there shall be traffic in intoxicants in
the community. If the majority sentiment of COM
munity sustains the saoon the saloon will exist even
in violation Of an arbitrary closing law
The local option plan is therefore the only prac-
teal plan for the statutory regulation of the liquor
traffic 1t is democratic, for it re1egates the question
to the tribunal of the people and the voice of the
majority prevails.
Attempts to place the representatives of the cleo
i've judiciary in a class by themselves are always
ustifabe and the democratic platform makes de-
nand for constitutional amendment to provide for
he election of judicial officers apart from the election
If executive and legislative officers
1t has been found by experience thatth plan would
work we'll if the judges themselves could be kept out