The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1908-08-13
Memorial to Maine Voters.


The following memorial has been
issued to the people of Maine by the
executive committee of the State
Referendum League of Maine:
To THE VOTERS OF MAINE.
The State Referendum League of
Maine in CO. operation with the State
Grange, the State Federation of La
Dor, and other non-partisan bodies,
has been laboring untiringly in an eff
fort to secure the passage of resolve
to submit to you an amendment to
the State Constitution, providing that
the final power to pass upon legisla
tion shall rest in your hands. The
73rd legislature passed the Initiative
and Referendum resolve unanimously,
and the amendment, therefore, will
be voted upon at the September cleo
ton. In order thot the scope of the
proposed amendment may be clearly
understood, the attention of every
voter IN Maine is called to it.
II the amendment is adopted in
September, all laws passed by the
legislature thereafter excepting GER
tain emergency laws) cannot take
effect until 80 days after the legisla-
ture has adjourned without date. If,
within said 80 days, 10000 voters
petition without expense to the State
for the privilege OF passing upon any
law or laws passed by the legislature,
then such legislation as mentioned in
the petitions shall be submitted to the
voters upon ballots and the statutes
decided by the majority vote at the
polls. This is the Referendum.
II the amendment Is adopted, under
what is te rmed the initiative the vot-
ers will be given additional powers to
propose legislation by petition. Such
legislation as may be desired will be
submitted to the legislature accompa-
MED by not less than 5000 signatures
of voters; should the legislature enact
the law or laws so petitioned for,
such statutes will become operative,
but should the legislature not enact,
then such bills must be submitted to
ballot and be decided at the polls.
This is the initiative.
Your attention may well be called
to the following facts: the Initiative
and Referendum has been approved
by twenty different State Oranges in
this country; it Is in successful opera
tion in Oregon, where it has eliminat-
ed many evils connected with the
State legislature, also in South Dako-
ia; in Oklahoma the people adopted
the principle as a part of that States
original constitution; and by vote of
535, sol to.95, 400 the people of Illinois
in 1904 expressed themselves in favor
of the Initiative and Referendum.
The Ohio Legislature has voted to
submit to the voters of that State an
amendment to the state constitution
providing for the Initiative and Re-
ferendum. The Legislature of North
Dakota has taken similar action. 1t
is evident that the demand for Direct
Legislation is growing.
There is every prospect at the pres
ent time that as in every previous in
stance where the principle of Direct
Legislation has been before the peo-
pie, it will receive the overw he Inning
approval of the voters of Maine; yet
there is no doubt of secret and de-
termined opposition to it's adoption.
We urge therefore that, in the inter
ests OF good government, the voters
of Maine take advantage of their OPP
portunity in September and register
their votes in favor of this amend
ment which makes the people more
perfectly the guardians of their
riUhfa