Little Falls herald., 1910-08-05
THE INITIATIVE. REFERENDUM
AND, RECALL. 49,"

IN C00 u. =. S0QaC0; May D, lJlU
Oregon next step IN popular gov
ernment was the adoption OF the mi
tiative and referendum amendment to
the constitution, which Amendment
was adopted in June, 1902, by a vote of
,62, O24, to 5, ,668. It provides that legis.
t1at1ve authority shall be vested in a
legislative assembly, but that. the
people reserve to themselves the power
to propose: laws and amendments to
the constitution and to enact or reject
the same at the polls independent of
the legislative assembly. and also re-.
serve power to approve or reject at tbs
polls any Act Of the legislature. An
Initiative petition must be signed by
8 per cent of the legal voters, and fled
with the secretary of the state not less
than four months before the election. r
A referendum petition need be
signed by only per cent of the voters
and filed with the secretary of state
within ninety days after final ad-
1ournment of the legislature. which
passed the bill on::which the referen-
dunn ia demanded: The legislature
may itself refer to the people any act
passed by it. The veto power of the
governor dees not extend to any meas
ure referred to- the people.
In addition to the publicity incident
to the circulation of the petitions, the
law provides that the secretary of
state shall at the expense of the State,
mail to every registered voter in the
State printed pamphlet containing
true CODY OF the title and text of each
measure to be submitted to the people,
and the proponents and opponents Of
the law have the right to insert in
said pamphlet, at the actual cost to
themselves OF paper and printing only,
such arguments as they see tit to make.
These pamphlets must be mailed not
later than tifty-f five days before a gen
eraI election and twenty days before a
special election.
The initiative develops tie elector-
ate, placing directly upon them the
RESPONSE bility for legislation enacted
under its PROVISION; the referendum
legislation. Brains, ideas, and argu-
ment, rather than money, intimida-
tion, and logrc]ling govern the STAN
dards Of legislation.
Corporation attorneys must exercise
their mental activities along construc
tive rather than destructive and avoid
ance lines. Possibility Of scandal is
minlmized, recipients OF franchises
freed from the lmputation of secret
purchase, and general community con-
tidence is secured.
Since that amendment was adopted,
the people Of Oregon have voted upon
g measures submitted to them under
the initiative, 5 submitted under the
referendum, and referred to the
people by the legislature. Nineteen
measures were submitted at one cleo
ton. That the people acted lntelli-
gently is evident from the fact that in
no instance has there been general DIS
satisfaction with the result Of the vote.
The measures submitted presented
almost every phase of legislation,
and some of them were bills of
considerable length.
Results attained under direct leglsla'
tion in Oregon compare so favorably
with the work of a legislative assembly
that an effort to repeal the initiative
and referendum would be overwhelm.
ingly defeated. No effort has ever been
attempted.
It has been asserted that the people
will not study large number Of meas
ures, but will vote in the affirmative,
regardless of the merits of measures
submitted. Experience in Oregon has
dlspr0ved this, for the results show
that the people have exercised dis
eliminating judgment. They have en-
acted laws and have adopted constitu-
tlonal amendments in which they be-
lieved and have defeated those OF
which they did not approve.
The final step in the establishment
of popular government in Oregon was
the adoption of the recall amendment
to the constitution, which was adopt
ed in 1908 by a vote of So, 3s1 to
81, 002. Under this amendment any
public officer may be recalled by the
filing of petition signed by 25 per
voted in his district in the preceding
election. The petition must set forth the
reasons for the recall, and If the Off
after the petition is filed, special
election must be ordered to be held
within twenty days to determine
Ger. On the ballot at such election the
reasons for demanding the recall Of
said officer may be set forth in not
luOl0 GudI1 SOU "OlOS. his JuSLllCd-
tion Of his course in Office may be set
forth in like number Of words. He
retains his Office until the result of
the special election have been officially
declared.
No petition can be circulated against
any officer until he has held Office six
months, except that in the case of a
member of the state legislature it may
be filed at any time after FIVE days
from the beginning of the first session
after his election. At the special elec-
tion the. candidate receiving the high
est number Of votes. is declared elected.
The special election is held at public
expense, but a second recall petition
can not be filed against an officer un-
less the petitioners first pay the entire
expense of the first recall election.
The initiative and referendum is the
keystone of the arch of popular gov
ernment, for by means of this the
people may accomplish such other re-
forms as they desire The initiative
develops the electorate because it en-