The Washington herald., 1910-08-10
The Power of the People.

A prime requisite for the success Of a
republican form Of government is that
the power which is Inherent in the peo-
pie, and not in their officials. shall find
ready and prompt expression. Biz bv
bit in this country we have. as a people.
been foolish enough 20 surrender this
power into the hands OF the professional
politicians. the bosses" and our pub
lie servants. There must be public serv-
ants whose duty it is to make laws. inter-
pref them. and enforce them. but we
have been in danger Of forgetting that
the specialists whom we select are in
deed our servants and not our masters
We have not remembered that, after all
the only power these officials are clothed
with is the power delegated to them by
the people they are supposed TO serve.
It is largely because Of the growth Of
the boss system, with its revelations Of
power misused; OF graft. Of a people be-
trayed, that within very recent times
there has awakened a public spirit which
demands that the power Of the people
shall be felt. Dissatisfied with the work
Of legislatures, Of common councils, and
other governmental machinery. both
State and municipal, the people have
been coming to feel that they have
been giving TOO much authority to their
representatives and that 1t would be
wise to retain in their own hands the
ability TO originate legislation. the power
to check and correct legislation originated
by their representatives. and the power
to dismiss-as any other employer may
dismiss--a servant who proves recreant
to his trust These are the powers OF
the people covered by the new and sig
nihcant political shibboleth, the initia-
tive, the referendum, and the recall.
1t is out in the West that the people
have come the more fully to use these
new methods Of retaining power in their
own hands. and in Los Angeles and in
the State Of oregon we find the best
examples Of these theories put into prac-
tice. In a recent issue of the New York
Sun there is a communication from an
Oregon subscriber that sets forth the ad-
vantages gained by the power remaining
in the hands Of the people Says this
correspondent:
Twenty years ago Oregon was pretty
corrupt and its legislatures were bought
az a contemplate price. Now il is the
best governed State In the country This
a rfr
adoption Of the initiative and referendum.
the direct primary and the recall. and
all personal opinion aside, IL would seem
as II those enactments had had some
thing TO do with the change. The voters
have been surprisingly long-headed for
babes in the last eight years when thew
nave been taking back powers formerly
delegated. and in that time there has not
been single case where legislation that
has carried joker has got past the peo-
pie; and that is more than can be claimed
for any Of the leaders. Oregon nav he an
exception. Perhaps all this could not be
done elsewhere. Surely Oregon is politi-
cally awake and not 10 be trl1ed with
read with wonder Of the contemptuops
attitude Of the New York legislature to-
ward the special session at which the al
rect primary was to have been consid-
cred, II that had happened i'm Oregon
there would not have been a single leeis-
lator who would have dared 10 show his
face in his district again.
We are quite in accord with this nm
known correspondent OF the New York
Sun. There can be no doubt that the
people are nightly interested in regain
ing some Of the political power thew
have so recklessly given away. In Nav
Of this year Senator Jonathan Bourne |
jr.. OF Oregon. delivered a speech in the
Senate on Popular versus delegated gov
ernment," and Of that speech nearly |