The Green Forest tribune., 1910-02-18
STATE CAPITOL NEWS INITIATIVE AND REFERENDUM AMENDMENT IS URGED. State Federation of Labor Sends Circu- lar to All Unions in
 Arkansas.
Little Rock, Ark

The State Federation of Labor has taken up the mater of the amendment to the state constitution providing for the initiative and referendum, and under date of February 1 Secretary h. H. Moore of the state federation IS mailing a circular to all the unions Tn the federation calling attention to the fact that the proposed amendment will be placed before the people for adop- tion at the coming general election.
 The legislative committee reported on the initiative and referendum resolu- tion at the recent state federation meeting here and urged that every union take up the matter in an ef- fort to have the constitution amended
 The circular being sent out by Sec retary Moore explains briefly the his tory of the proposed amendment, and what the initiative and referendum are supposed to accomplish. The eXplana- tions follow:
 "FSenator E. R. Arnold of Clark county introduced this resolution in the senate of 1907, but it was not generally understood and failed of passage. Short ly after its defeat William J. Bryan delivered an address in Little Rock and forcibly presented the advantages of the initiative and referendum and won for it many supporters who had pre-. viously given it but little considera, tion. At the last legislature Senator Arnold again presented the resolution and championed it in an effective man ner It is to be hoped that the people will adopt this reoslution as an amend ment to the constitution, as it pro vides way for the people to govern themselves The initiative and refes- endum together are called direct legis- lation because if the government does not act rightly the people can inter fere and set it right. With this law the people are self-governing; without it they are not.
 FsThe Initiative-If thee people al ways elected representatives who would carry out their wishes the initiative would not be needed. But sometimes mon are elected woh do not agree with the majority of the people, and, to have their own way, even refuse to consider the wishes of the people. Without the initiative the people cannot help them selves, but with it if sufficient number petition the legislature to present a certain bill, the legislature must do so.
 "The ferendum-Sometime legis- lative bodies pass bills the people do not approve of Without the referen- dunn the people have no recourse but to submit. With the referendum they can compel tho submission of the law to the people, to be approved by them before it becomes operative, just like an appeal from the decision of the chairman to the house. The matter can be placed before the people at a special election, or at the next general election. This would not require many special eelctions, for legislatures would not pass many laws not favored by the people, with the knowledge that the people would have the power to veto them. This will curtail legislative ras, cality for corporations are not apt to spend money to corrupt legislative body into passing law when they know it cannot deliver the goods, be- cause the people will have a chance to veto the law. Sometimes committees which are opposed to bill pigeonhole it or place it so far down the list that the day of adjournment arrives before it can be reached. Sometimes enemies add so many amendments to a bill as to render it useless for the purpose de- signed. If a bill gets through one house it has to run the gauntlet of the other Failure of the two houses to agree leads to a conference that adds to the delay. Even if a bill passas both houses it may be vetoed by the gover. nor, as were the four agricultural school and the semi-monthly pay day bills threee years ago. If a bill the people favor becomes law then it may be knocked out by decision of the courts
 "All of the above Instructions to the will of the people may be avoided by the initiative and referendum, for the law proposed is either enacted or de- feated by the people themselves. :"