Pocahontas star herald. (Pocahontas, Randolph County, Ark.) 1907-current, 1910-09-09
The Constitutional Amendments


tional amendments to be voted on
by the people at the next election
AS a member of the last Senate |
voted on these two amendments
when before that body. AT that
time | voted for the proposed
amendment number ten and against
proposed amendment number eleven.
The year and half that has inter
vened between them and now has
not caused me to regret these votes
and has only served TO strengthen
me in the belief that to allow
The people to assist in the making
and the unmaking of the laws was
a Just and reasonable request and
the proposed measure to exempt any
particular property from bearing Its
Just burden of taxation was wrong.
Amendment No. 10 is the most
important measure that the people
have had to vote on since 1874 when
the present constitution was adopted.
This is the measure popularity known
AS the eInltiatiye and Referendum. )"
The initiative and referendum
amendment simply means that the
people reserve in themselves the
right to make or repeal laws indie
pendment of the Legislature.
The initiative feature of the
amendment provides that 8 per
cent of the total voting population
Of the state may petition for the
enactment of certain law. When
the full 8 per cent have signed the
proposed law it is published on the
official ballots at the next election
and voted on by the whole people,
Should majority of the people
vote for the adoption of the propos-
ed law it becomes law without the
aid or assistance of the legislature.
If majority vote against the law
it fails of adoption. The initiative
feature of the amendment simply
means that should the people desire
certain legislation and the legisla-
ture fail, neglect or refuse to accede
TO their request that they are wholly
without remedy as they are now.
Surely no reasonable minded person
could find fault with this feature of
the proposed amendment.
The referendum feature of the
amendment merely provides that
after the Legislature has enacted a
law that the people reserve in them
selves the right to repeal it if it is
mot to their liking. After the leg
islature has passed certain law the
people may petition for a vote on
The law and when per cent of the
voting population of the state has
petltioned for a vote of the people
on any certain law, this law is
placed on the official ballots and
voted on by the whole people.
Should the majority of the people
vote for the adoption of the law,
the law is sustained. Should the
majority be against the unfolding
Of the law, the law is repealed.
That the people should rule is the
idea upon which this government
was founded. Regnant populus,
the motto on the great and official
seal of the state, means that the
people rule. In times gone by our
forefsthers lived under an absolute
monarchy and the law was the will
of one man; our nearer ancestors
lived under an aristocracy where
the laws were made and administer
ed by favored group of men; we
live now under delegated demo
cracy where the laws are made and
administered by officers selected by
the people; | hope to see the initia-
tive and referendum adopted aud
IN deed and truth live in a country
governed, as Jefferson said the
ideal government should be, "by
She people, of the people and for
ibe people"
The opponents of this measure
offer the argument that the people
are not sufficiently advised on public
questions to pass on them when