Arizona republican., 1910-08-17


 and the referendum" would make an
 law binding and constitutional n
 matter how ill conidered and viciou:
 The constitution having provided fo the recall" representative. democrac, would be a thing of the past. Why, then, go to the trouble O having a constitution at all? You constitution with the initiative ant referendum" in it ceases to be an, sort of bulwark for public safety-it i in force and effect only until it's pro visions, one by one, are overturned by various laws put through by direc legislation. The only excuse for pre-. tending to have a constitution is tC Hull the average citizen into a feeling of security until socialism has taker | complete control of organized so- ciety.
 With these schemes in force, there is no longer any reason for courts as tribunals wherein questions oi constitutionality may be determined for every law enacted by direct leg islation becomes constitutional per SC.
 But" say the democratic leaders l who have committed their candidates to these pernicious doctrines and are 1 trying to apologize for their blunder we do not propose to go the full length of the Oregon and Oklahoma plan" They will find. however, that there is no halfway ground. If the principle of overturning constitutional and representative government be adopted. that is the end of consti- tutional and representative govern ment. No sophistry, no efforts to becloud the facts, no efforts to ride horses going in opposite directions can alter the situation.
 If there is any man on earth who ought to stand resolutely against the sinister and spacious advocates of so cialism, it is the farmer
 the manner in which this vicious scheme of constitution abolishing, di- rect legislation could be worked in Arizona to the detriment of the farm CTS of Maricopa county, let us re- fer to the question of taxation. Our constitution, if written by honest men, will provide for equal taxation. But this provision would stand only until overthrown by a law enacted by direct legislation.
 It is a notorious fact that the great mining companies are not satisfied with the present system of taxing mines, however short it may fall of taxing them properly For they would like to escape to a great CT extent than they escape now from taxation. For them there are work ing some 1000 miners, few of whom have any interest. direct or indirect, in the agricultural districts. Does any citizen of Maricopa county i'm agine for a moment that there would be any difficulty in the mine owners and the miners getting together on a proposition of partial exemption of mines from taxation If this proposi- tion carried with 1t a satisfactory wage and hour agreement with the Can anybody imagine that there would be any difficulty in get ting such legislation started by the necessary petition? Can anybody i'm agine that there would be any serious in passing such legislation at the polls, Is not the majority against the agricultural districts?
 When this whole question of over throwing the time-tried system of American government for the system that is proposed by the socialists has been thoroughly studied in all it's phases by the farmers of Maricopa we do not believe an intel | Iigent rancher can be found who will | stand for the initiative and referen- ium" and recall"