Polk County observer. (Monmouth, Polk County, Or.) 1888-1927, 1910-06-10

4
the Legislature were elected under the
Y Direct Primary law, and majority of
them We're friendly to direct legisla-
tion. The Legislature felt that no
material changes should be made in
: the Direct Primary law, and that the
Initiative and Referendum, under GER
tain limitations, should be reserved by
the people. Members of the Legisla-
ture took the ground that the people
$ are willing to accept improvements,
| but not lmpediments. The charge that
: members of the Legislature conspired
9 with corporate interests in order to
] overthrow the Initiative and Referen-
/, dun Is false and without foundation
: an insult to the intelligence and hon
: or of the Legislature; and, incident
2 ally, TO the electorate of the state.
Such charges spring from the counter
l felt zeal of the demagogue, rather
: than from the sober apprehensions of
; genuine patriotism. 1t is a misfortune
that public measures are seldom inves-
, tigated with that spirit of moderation
which IS essential to a just estimate
of their real worth.
In passing the Constitutional Con-
vention bill, the Legislature very wise
4 ~ provided that special election
shall be held for the purpose of al
lowing the people to select delegates
to the Convention, and another special
election is provided for in order to al
low the people to approve or reject
the Constitution. These special elec-
tiens were provided for to the end that
the election of delegates should not be
obscured by the regular county and
state elections and that factional poll
ties should, as far as possible, be elm
mated; also that, in the election for
ratification or rejection of the Consti- |
tuition, single issue should confront
the people and that a free and fair
discussion Of the question might be had
without the consideration of liquor
laws, county divisions, single tax
amendments, woman suffrage, normal
school appropriations, ETC., which oc-
cur at our regular biennial elections.
Learned gentlemen who are opposed |
to the pending bill tell us that $780, /
900 will be the approximate cost of the |
constitutional Convention and the ex-
penses incident thereto / do not be-
lieve that this estimate is correct. A
liberal estimate of the expenses would
range somewhere in the neighborhood
OF Sl5O,000, sum which the state can
well afford to spend in order to secure
strong, up-to-date Constitution. We
are spending almost that much at
every election upon the various Tnitia-
tive bills proposed by the people and
referendum measures submitted by the
Legislature. We are told that the
pending bill is unfair in this: that it
Is intended to secure the election of
all the delegates from the Republican
party, if possible. The experience of
other states shows that Constitutional
Conventions have not divided upon
party lines, except in the South. 1t
matters little whether or not the Con-
stitution is framed by Republicans,
Democrats, Populists, or Socialists !
the voters of the state must pass upon
it before final adoption.
Must Submit to People.
This brings me to another important
phase of the subject under discussion
the right of the convention to pro
a new constitution without
it to the people for appro-
val or rejection. We are told that
there is danger that the convention
will refuse to obey the provisions of
The bill by which it is called and that Il
m Objectionable constitution will be
a.
This is not only a reflection q
upon the intelligence of the people, %
y ho will choose delegates to the con- >.
lentlOn, but it suggests that our Su- r.
creme Court would recognize anarchy :,
n Oregon, and shows that some of the !,
guardians of our peo- =
Die s rights believe that they them !,
selves are the only apostles of politi- a,
al purity and virtue, and that all who h
oppose their schemes are sinful men, n
of public confidence. As a u
natter of fact, it would be hard to :;
ind sixty representative men in Ore II
;Gn so utterly lacking in political q q
and civic honesty as to con- !;
GIVE and carry out the plan of pro- oI
nulgatlon without popular ratifea- r.
ion. No man who voted for such n,
1easure could live in the State of Ore =,
ON thereafter; no court of justice in N
he state would hold such an act TO be ~ ~
awful. But granting, for the sake of nj
lgnment, that Oregon's citizenship
; corrupt, and that members of the
Convention would be-
ray their sacred trust, let us see iv
neither or not the law would permit nc
PRONUNCIATION of the proposed consti- M
ltion. The proposed law providing M
d the Constitutional Convention on.
lys; 10
AFTER the Convention shall have b,,
pproved the draft of the proposed I'm
onstitution, said proposed Constitu- ar
on shall be submitted to the people TO
" adoption or rejection, as a whole, sti
4 the first Monday in April, 1912" to
| fail, therefore, TO understand un- st,
ar what process of reasoning, or mi
'ineiple of law, il could possibly be ON
I'D that the members of the Consti- flo
tional Convention could promulgate,
lopt and make effective any COnsti- su,
tion without complying with the Co
ain provisions of the pending bill svs
hieh is TO be voted upon in Novem- IN
II, and through which the members tbe
said convention will derive their IN
'wers. No stream can rise higher vid
an its own source. Before entering vii
'On the discharge Of their duties, of
smbers of the Constitutional Con- mr
ntlon would, of necessity, take an nro
III 20 1..,
'h 10 support ihe constitution and mo-
vs. oi tue Ohited otates ana the ass
a.e OF oregon. mus they would be nen
duty bound required TO submit the tiol
opposed Constitution TO the people nro
i approval or rejection. con
nave examined large number OF arc
risi6ns upon this question, which tint;
a to the following conclusions: mic
|. A Constitutional Convention teTs
trameled by conditions imposed by or
authority calling the Couvention I