The Washington herald., 1909-02-07
THE OLD ORDER cHANGETH.
Evidence OF Wen Directed Growth
Of pnnninr Posver.

! F2Nfacuce 81 wei BAfFttto NA'"sa
of Popular Power.
william AIien Nhiie IN the Amgrirsn Magazine.
The Supreme Court Of South Dakota.
where the Initiative and referendum pre-
walls upon petition or opinion a. 10 ;be
referred laws has always held that mere
technical errors IN Noncompliance with
the orgnulae of the statute do not hide
the obvious intention OF the people. and
have. in consequence. always held these
referred IawS valid II is worth the price
Of the admission Of The initiative and
I referendum to see so tame and dociie a
court. Maine and Missouri th:s year
adopted the initiative ard referendum as
+ q part Of their constitutions. South Da-
kOta. oregon. Utah. Montana have the
initiative and referendum as a part OF
either their fundamental law or upon their
statutes Nevada has the referendum,
( Illinois and Texas have the advisory
initiative. IN the case Of Illinois II Is en-
acted under a law called the public policy
7 law. and in the case Of Texas Il is ia the
I primary election law. which f0rbids party
platforms 70 ird0rse proposed legislation
/ that Is not first voted upon at the phi
maries and Endorsed by the people. Ar
/ kansas also has legislature pledged
through the dominant party platform 10
I ssbmit a constitutional amendment en-
abllng the establishment Of the initiative
and referendum By statute. A similar
constitutional amendment is now pend
/ ing in North Dakota. Gov. Johnson has
/ recommended the submission OF a SINH
! lar amendment IN Minnesota. and ma
jority OF the members Of legislatures
] Tn
Texas have pledged themselves TO support
a constitutional amendment IN these
| States The movement never has been
( defeated by the people Of 2 State when
( II has been presented TO them IN q sim
/ pie form for direct vote. And the move
rnsnt In Colorado is beginning with much
show OF strength The legislatures OF
Iowa, OF Mississippi. OF Delaware. OF
! California. Of Washington. OF Colorado
Of Massachusetts, and OF Georgia have
( granted either the initiative and referen-
( dun or one OF them 20 certain cities 81
] these States. and coupled with these
grants IN Oregon. Mississippi. California.
and Iowa. IS the double-barreled terror 10
I p0liticians-the Recall-a provision BY
/ which a dissatisfied people may recall an
/ unrepresentative officer.
! Thus we see that while the secret bal
( lot IN the nation Is universal. and the pri-
mary prevails in two-thirds of the Ameri-
can States. the movement for direct legis-
( latiOn has gained foothoId in seventeen
States, and is directly before the people.
either as a constitutional amendment. q
/ pledge Of the dominant party. or as a
Z pledge q the majority Of the members
elected 10 the legislature, or in the mes
B sage Of the governor. in seven other
States. making q total OF tWenty-sO8r
( American CommouW eslths il IS note
worthy that the movement has followed
the direct primary movement and has
doubled its strength biennially since 1851.
+ And back Of the movement for the iuitia-
T tive and referendum and the primary and
J the secret ballot waiting silently for its
summons to come 20 the active service
7 or democracy, like Nine. La Fargo knit
I ting in the wrongs Of the people. stands
/ the Recall. To-day il Is IN actual opera
I tioa in the political activities Of more
( American people than the direct State
+ wide, State-coHtroIled primary was when
I Theodore Roosevelt came 10 The White
/ House. What smother decade may bring
I is mere speculation. What the last two
! decades have brought IS significant.
50 the appearance Of the Recall n the
cities % three states within a little over
/ a year should make those statesmen Rerv-
Gus who look forward 10 the time when
the country wiu go back 70 the Good Old
DAYS. For this tightening grip Of the
! people upon their State governments, as
! evidenced in some form in every AmsTi-
can State, has been an intelligent,
gradual, weIl-dlrectsd growth OF popular
power It's direction has been wise. for
{ there has been no spasm OF public II
dignatiOR followed by reaction from Che
( beginning 20 the present. Whose wisdom
/ directed Il? No mans name is connected
/ with st. No party OF propaganda has been
( behind the movement Il operates IN
I Democratic States and IN Republican
States with equal efficiency. And IN no
American State has the fight been
abandoned. either for the secret ballot.
the publicity OF party financing. the pri-
mary. or the initiative and referendum
after It had become n serious issue OF any
group Of men OF any uarfv