The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1910-11-17
M'NEIl PREPARES FOR PEOPLES RULE FIGHT IN ASSEMBLY
Senator Elect is Ready Win Draft of Advisory Initiative and Referendum Legislation Would Restore to People Power 10 Make Their Own Laws and to Reject Bad Laws-Sum- mary of Proposed Bill

Archibald McNeil, Jr., Senator-Elect
 from the Twenty-second district, will
 make hard fight in the next General
 Assembly to secure the passage of an advisory initiative and referendum
 bill.
 The first draft of the proposed law Is already ill form. It follows the lines of the similar bill, introduced by his father, Former Senator Archi-
 bald McNeil. four years ago, except that certain notifications have been made to meet changed conditions. such as the dispute over the definition of the term general election,' and the adoption of the Australian ballot.
 The object of the bill is to permit the voters to initiate their own laws and to compel the submission to the electors of laws adopted by the Gen. eral Assembly,
 The bill provides that ten per cent Of the electors who last voted for a candidate for Governor may sign a petition asking for the submission of a proposed measure to the people.
 This petition is filed with the secre- tory of State, and transmitted with the measure to the House and Sen- ate. The Assembly may if it desires, prepare a competing measure. The measure or both measures are then submitted to the people for an advi- sorry vote.
 The purpose of the competing mea- sure is to make certain that all pro- posed leg: station will be carefully drafted and the Assembly may offer its own draft with that of the pe- titioners.
 The vote is termed advisory because as the constitution of the State now exists the power to pass law is in the Assembly. Despite the vote of the electorate they could still refuse to pass any law, but the experience of the Nation shows that this practically never happens.
 Many States have adopted the law in its advisory form. No Leg stature has ever refused to ratify a bill up- on which the people have set their approval.
 The baIIoting by the electors on ton as provided in the bill prepared by MT. McNeil VIII be at the next subsequent election.
 But it is provided that upon peti- ton of 20 per cent of the voters a question may be submitted at a spe- cial election.
 The bill further describes how peti. tions shall be prepared.
 Ten per cent of the electors last voting for Governor may have be- fore them any. bill passed by the Gen. eral Assembly, which shall be voted upon and shall not become a law unless a majority of the voters so decide.
 Other provisions provide for a care full scutiny of petitions to see that they are signed by a suitable num- Der of legal voters.
 The method of submitting ques- tions is provided for in detail. The bill as drawn by MT. McNeil, under the advice and supervision of compe- tant counsel, is very complete in de- tail.
 Said Senator-Elect McNeil, today. .tIn recent years 1t has been borne in upon the people, that they do not really govern. They elect men to legislative bodies, and these men are supreme during their terms of of- flee. They are kings with the pow CTS of rulers, during logger or short CT periods. They are not accountable in any way to the people who sent them, and the people are bound by the acts of their leg s1ators whether they approve of those acts or not.
 My initiative and referendum bill is designed to give the people actual power over legislation. The means proposed is not new, or freakish. Such legislation is favored under the desig- nation Peoples rule' in the plat form of the Democratic party of the Nation. Such legislation is directly favored in the platform of the Demo- cratic party in Massachusetts. Such leg station has been enacted in many States of the Union, both Republican and Democratic States.
 'The full advantages of this method of peoples rule cannot be attained without an amendment to the con- Stitution. The constitutional iniative and referendum are of course superior to the advisory form, as is proved by the experience of the States of Okla homa and Oregon, both of which have adopted this legislation in their con- The State of Arizona has done the same thing recently, I un- derStand.
 "The advisory form, while less ef- fective. has proved sufficient wherever it has been adopted.
 ''The difference between the con- form and the advisory form is that in the one case the will effective. The thing which they fla vor becomes law. The bill they do not. favor remains no law. In the other case the will of the people is simply an instruction to the General Assembly. In practice it is an in- tldL udS never Deen lS1Of- ed.
 1T may add that the manner in which presidents of the United States are chosen is a form of the advisory initiative. The Federal constitution lodges the power to choose the pres idents and the vice-president in the electoral college. The people never vote for a president or vice president, but for these electors. Yet mere GUS tom has given the will of the people a force greater than that of the con- stitution and no electoral college has ever ignored it's instructions from the sovereign people and I believe that no electoral college ever will.
 ''The advisory initiative exists in another way in the choice of United States Senators. The constitution of the Nation provides for the election of United States Senators by the peo- pie. But about third of the States have adopted statutes under which the parties nominate candidates for the office. These candidates are voted on. The candidate who receives a majority of the votes is then chosen by the Legislature. which may be of another political faith than the nom inee given to them by the sovereign. But the will of the people is the rule of the land, and it is obeyed.
 ''The operation of the initiative and is simple. A certain num- Der of voters petition for the submis-