Pocahontas star herald. (Pocahontas, Randolph County, Ark.) 1907-current, 1910-08-26

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legislature do not carry out their
wishes. | think that this argument
is based on a mistake in fact. A
few years ago the people demanded
railroad commission; they got it.
An increase in school revenue was
desired and obtained; so also, when
a state normal school, state tax
commission, two cent passenger
fares, antitrust legislation agrlcul-
tural schools, and special road tax
were demanded by public senti-
ment, each and every one of the
bills giving desired relief or reform
was enacted into law. So also.
when any community has asked for
special act prohibiting the sale of
liquor within certain territory, the
legislature has invariably, so far as
my recollection and knowledge
goes, enacted into law what was
asked. think that the record
will show that not only have our
legislatures not gone contrary to the
wishes of the people, but they have
carried out their will, ard in many
instances, in my judgment they
have done it to the detriment of the
people who insisted upon it. But if
it is true that the people are not suf
ticlently good judges of men to elect
those who will carry out their wish
cs, 1t does not follow that they are
sufficiently good legislators them
selves to enact such laws.
suspect that the prohibition ele-
ment is perhaps clamoring for the
proposed amendment as much as any
other, on the ground, as | gather it,
that the people can not in any other
way get state wide prohibition.
If the amendment passes the people
cannot get state wide without the SUBJ
mission of the proposed law to the
people of the whole state; they can
get local or county prohibition, but
they can do that now, and do vote
on the question at each general
election. If ! had not read the
signs wrong, it is a fact that the
reason that the proposition for state
wide prohibition was not ordered
submitted by last General Assem-
bly, is that the advocates of such
prohibitory law were not willing to
submit 1t to the people but insisted
on an arbitrary law, regardless of
the sentiment of the people, and
without giving them an opportun-
to vote their wishes. The adoption
of the initiative and referendum
would undoubtedly cause vote on
this proposition, not only one vote,
but we would avote on it at least at
every general election, and no tell
ing how much oftener. The prohi-
bition question, and the state wide
feature of it ought to be settled,
but it ought to be settled and stay
settled long enough to give it fair
trial and should not be made an eter-
nal and everlasting issue, to be trot-
ted out every time an election
comes off, to the delight and per-
sonal gain of coterie of gentlemen
who make their living out of their
agitation of the question.
1t is also said that it Is necessary
to have the amendment in order to
get U. S. senator's elected directly
by the people. This is not so. 1t
takes an amendment to the U. s.
constitution to do this. While our
state and the democratic party
thereof has declared for popular
election of senator's, and have prac-
tically given it to us by the primary
law, the state can go no farther;
as it seems that in the proposed
amendment we do not reserve the
right to amend the Federal consti-
tuition. The author of the amend
ment and the ''joker" did have some
respect for the constitution of the
United States, however little he
had for the constitution and govern
ment of the state.
/ think that it is the duty of the
intelligent voters to vote down the
proposed amendment. If we must
have the initiative and referendum,
let us defer the matter for a time,
until we can get sensible, practi-
cal, correct one submitted. / feel
sure that the state can survive
short time longer under the present
system; and l doubt much if our
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