New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1910-09-21
Official Paper of New Ulm.
Shall Minnesota be Free?

The first duty of the Minnesota leg
islature in the session to begin in jan
uary is to bring this state up to date
by giving the people full control of
public affairs.
The people must be given direct and
Immediate control of the nominate
and election of all elective officers,
direct and immediate control of the
conduct of these officers after they are
elected, and direct, and immediate
control of legislation. Z
To these ends the primary election
law must be extended to cover nomi-
nations for United States senator,
governor and state officers.
The people must be given the power
TO propose and pass upon legislation
by the submission of constitutional
amendment providing for the initiative
and the referendum.
The people must be given the power
to rebuke and retire unfaithful public
servants by the submission of a con-
stitutional amendment providing for
the recall.
The legislature and the party con-
Sventions in Minnesota do not repre-
sent the peoples will because it is not
the people that control them.
The Republican state convention
adopted platform that was libel
upon the state and a reproach to the
Intelligent and progressive Republi-
cans of Minnesota. It praised Taft,
and ignored Roosevelt. It ignored
She new tariff law, though the over
whelming sentiment of the state is
that thatlaw is browning infamy and
a fiat betrayal of the interests of the
people, and it left Aldrichism and
Capnonism unrebuked.
Why? Because political bosses and
corporation agents, not the people,
control party politics in Minnesota.
Even Michigan, which has kept Bur-
rows in the senate Until now and,
which still keeps a number of stand
pat congressman, has adopted the
statewide primary and has made it
possible for the people to have their
will in party affairs. Had it not been
for THAT, Burrows would have been
returned to give further services to
consested property interests, even
though the people didn't want him.
Minnesota should adopt the "Ore-
gon plan" of selecting United States
senators, to put the control of this
high Office in the hands of the people
until an amendment of the Constitu-
ton makes senators elective by the
people.
Under the present plan senator's are
elected by the legislature, which gives
she F1' ace to the man with the biggest
barrel and the best political wire
puilers.
Under the Oregon plan the party
members would vote for senatorial
candidates at the primaries, and at
tbe general election the voters would
choose between tAe men named at the
primaries While technically the
legislature would not be bound to
heed the peoples mandate, every
leg's alive candidate would be requi-
red to sign one of two statements, one
binding them to vote for the peoples
choice, and the other holding the peo-
pies choice to be merely advisory.
Experience has shown that nine out
OF ten legislative candidates sign the
first statement and elect the man
chosen by the people,
Ii Minnesota is to be free, the legis-
lature must make it free by adopting
the Oregon plan, the statewide pri-
mary, the initiative, the referendum
and the recall, Duluth Herald.