Fergus County Democrat., 1910-12-13
NEEDED REFORM LEGISLATION.

1t might be we'll also to enact re-
call law, whereby the voters may re-
tire from office an officer who vio-
lates his pledges, or otherwise fails
to represent the will of those who
elected him. Such law, in its ma
ture, would be seldom used, and its
mere existence would be powerful
incentive to well-doing III office.
At the risk Of suggesting too many
things at the same time, it may be
well to call attention to the fact that
public welfare requires the strengthen
ing of our local and state govern
ments. The executive department. OF
the state needs to have additional
power, and also the county and mum
nicipa governments. There is in the
United States generally today an
alarming contrast between the power
OF government and the power of the
big special interests. The United
States government has, or at least
uses, far less power in political mat
ters than any one of dozen big
trusts. There are special interests in
Montana far stronger than our state
government This is absurd and dan
gerous The government should be
stronger than any Or all special in
terests.
Montana, for example, needs more
power in its railway commission. 1t
requires even now public utilities
commission, empowered to regulate
telegraph, telephone and electric
lighting and power companies. We
must get out of our heads the idea
that common carriers and those who
supply public needs are privileged to
run their business just as they see fit,
without reference to the public inter-
est. The writer of this article does
not believe in conhscating the prop
erty OF corporations, or in harassing
them with unreasonable regulations,
but he further believes that the pub
lie interest is paramount.
Lastly, it is highly desirable that
the next session of the legislature
should enact statute for the COM
mission plan Of governing our cities
and towns, This perhaps should be
optional, but there is little doubt that
it would be generally adopted by the
cities and towns. The results OF this
plan have been remarkable, and it
has never been abandoned when once
adopted. Our present manner Of gov
erning our cities and towns is the
most lamentable political failure OF
the United States. It is time that we
adopted something more practicable.
The writer OF this article urges all
the readers Of this paper who have an
interest in the foregoing suggestions,
or any Of them, to write to our men,
bers of the legislative assembly, and
any others they may know, and urge
upon their attention the desirability
Of enacting laws of the nature above
described. If we neglect to do this,
we shall have less right to complain
to those whom we have elected to
represent us. Let us not be misled
by party feeling. Partisanship, in
administrative measures particularly,
is out Of date. Nearly all the bust
ness of the state is of a non-partisan
charcter.. We have fooled ourselves
too long. All good citizens. irrespec-
tive of party affiliations, should unite
in an earnest effort to improve the
administration of our public affairs
and to gain and keep for ourselves
real political freedom Laws of the
nature suggested above will 60 a
long way toward doing this for us.
There is much hope in the present
situation. Our new immigrants are
largely farmers, the most independent
class of men in the United States,
and with their assistance we shall, if
we try, ere long, make ourselves as
politically free as any state in the
union. It will be our own fault if we
do not, and we shall be left with the
bitter reflection that. through our own
fault, we have forfeited political free
dom, the dearest right of American
citizens.
f. K. CHEADLE.