Polk County observer. (Monmouth, Polk County, Or.) 1888-1927, 1910-06-07
HALF-BAKED LAWS.

One of the most Objectionable feat
ures of the Direct Legislation sys
tenn in Oregon is that it cumbers the
statute books with illy-considered
half-baked laws. Under the workings
of this system, the people have nc
power to alter or amend law, and il
must be accepted just as it emanates
from the Oregon City factory, or else
be rejected in its entirety. A propos-
ed law may contain much that is good
and desirable. but connected with it
may be found few features which,
are undesirable, if not wholly vicious.
Under the initiative system, the peo-
pie must either swallow the bad with
the good, or reject the whole dose.
Visitors are not admitted to the
u 'Ren law factory. No one save the
dozen or so members Of the Progress
i've Power League knows what is be-
ing done there. These self-appointed
guardians Of the state meet in secret
and prepare such laws and Constitu
tional amendments as suit their pc
culiar whims or fancies, and the first
knowledge the voter has of their do
ings is when a bewildering number
of still more bewildering laws are
sprung upon him at the polls. No
time is given for intelligent considera-
tion or investigation. No voter-not
even the most astute lawyer-could
wade through such a confusing mass
and formulate any intelligent opinion
on it in the few days intervening be-
tween the time he receives sample
copies of the proposed laws from the
Secretary of State 5 office and the day
of election. No one is called into
counsel in the framing of these laws
no one is asked for suggestions or adj |
vice. U'Ren and his little band of
and fellow-conspirators
want no suggestions or advice from
the people. They want nothing to in
terfere with their revolutionary-New
zealand-Swiss fads. U'Ren' s method
Of getting his visionary theories en-
acted into laws reminds one of an old
game we played in childhood days
'Open your mouth and shut your
eyes, and III give you something to
make you wise.
From whence comes the demand for
Ill this new and revolutionary legisla-
Iionq Certainly, not from the people,
For the U'Ren measures invariably
come in the nature of complete sur
prise to the voters. OF the vast num-
ler of Constitutional amendments pro-
posed to be made at the polls next
November, every one, so far as the
writer knows, emanated from the
U'Ren headquarters in Oregon City.
Is it possible that the intelligent and
citizenry of Oregon, so ca
Dable of managing its business along
Ill other lines, does not know what it
leeds in the way of legislation 2
surely, there cannot be any crying
lemand for law on some subject of
which no voter has ever heard, or to
which he will never give a passing |
hought, until he finds the title of the S
proposed act staring at him from his 1
'allot when he takes his place in the t
oting booth. :
And right in this connection, atten- y
ion might be called to one of the t
ricks of the U'Ren trade-the prep v
ration of catchy titles for measures j
ubmitted to the people. The attract a
re title is always the sugar coating i
n the U'Ren pill. Take, for in q
lance, the soealled Corrupt Prac- e
ces" Act. With all due respect to the q