Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1911-08-03

y uOlo IN Tue phcNO. AhOtO Wa ~
elections 70 select lawmakers and
elections to make laws for them; cleo
tons to select judges to construe laws
and elections to determine whether
We like the way they construe them.
elections for men to execute the Laws
and elections to execute the executors
II they do not execute to suit us. Mr..
President, we can not have too much
Of good thing. The composite citi-
gen." bearing upon his shield the IN
spring device
Count that day lost whose low descend-
Views 1t thy hands no upIift voting
DONE
will unanimously and hilariously 80
into perpetual action. With nothing
to do but feed and clothe q family OF
six or eight or ten hearty. growing
children, the composite citizen Win
have no difIiculty In snatching q few
months Of time here and there during
the year to devote to these duties Of
progressive citizenship, and his spare
moments can be utilized In reading.
studying, digesting, and perhaps un-
derstanding a few volumes OF pro
posed initiative and referendum legis'
lation 8f
GOVERNOR WILSON THEN AND
NOW.
A government Of the people In . ter
ritory Of vast extent. Of large popu-
lation, and Of great and increasing
diversity Of pursuits and interests. can
be administered only BY q system Of
representation. It IL almost as i'm
possible for the people en- masse un-
der such circumstances to directly
perform the various functions Of gov
eminent as II IL for the human BODY
in It's entirety to perform the func-
tons Of the heart or the brain or the
lungs. In primitive state Of society
the one may be done, AZ in the most
primitive forms Of life the other may
be done, but as society becomes com
plex and a. the forms Of animal lie
become complex organs to discharge
special functions are necessary.
Mr.. Woodrow Wilson, In his very
valuable book, Constitutional Gov
eminent In the United States" has OK
pressed the thought clearly and force
fully. he says:
A government must have organs: Il
cannot act inorganically by. masses II
must have q law-making body; It can NO
more make law through Its voters than y
can make law through lite newspapers.
Thus spoke the president Of Prince
ton university, In the days Of bis tran
quillity, before the microbe OF polit'
zeal ambition invaded his system.
Mr.. Chamberlain-Mr President
The e-President-Does the sena-
tor from Utah yield to the senator
from Oregon?
Mr.. Sutherland do.
Mr. Chamberlain suppose the SEN
ator has noticed that Mr.. woodrow
Wilson has been candid enough to
say that he has changed his mindf
Mr.. Sutherland had observed that,
Mr.. President. g
Mr.. Chamberlain-But the senator
seems to be standing pat"
Mr. Sutherland-That this view does
not seem to be shared by the governor
of New Jersey is one Of the peculiart-
ties of human psychology which 40
not attempt to explain. can only say
that prefer the calm, reflective Judg-
ment Of the college president to the
fevered Authorizations Of the hopeful
presidential candidate Those who In
dorse his later utterances. reversing
the ancient epigram, are simply ap
pealing from Philip sober to Philip
drunk
Those who favor the initiative and
referendum are In the habit Of refer
ring to the Swiss experiment with
those methods. II It should be con-
ceded-as It by no means can be-
that the initiative and referendum are
successful in Switzerland, the condi'
tons In that country differ 30 radical
ly from conditions here tLat 1t does
not follow that they would be sue
cessful In the United States.
The cantons in Switzerland are
small In area and in population. The
people are essentially homogeneous
and conservative. Their legislative
needs are few and simple. None OF
the legislative checks which exist I'M
der our system OF government exist
there. There Is no executive veto, no
judicial power Of setting aside consti'
tutional law, and there is only single
legislative chamber In each Of the
cantons. But even under these condi-
tons thoughtful men who have investi-
gated the matter agree that more
harm than good has resulted from
their employment
Mr.. Wilson, already quoted. has CIV
an the subject very thorough and care
full investigation. Speaking Of the ref
erendum, he says:
Where II has been employed II has not
promised either progress or enlighten-
ntmt. leading rather to doubtful expert.
ments and to reactionary displays OF
prejudice than TO really useful legisla-
lion.
He refers to the fact that in the
cantons OF Zurich and Berne II led to
the adjustment of wise health regula'
tons; that In federal legislation It
was used only to aim blow at the
Jews under the guise Of law for
bidding the slaughter Of animals BY
bleeding He says:
Thu vote upon most measures sub
unlttod 10 the ballot Is usually very light,
there IL not much popular discussion. and
Ire referendum by no means creates that
otick Interest IN AFFAIRS which lts orig
inators had hoped TO see II excite. II
re dulied thu eense OF responsibility
amonR legislators without In fact quick
enIng the people to the exercise OF any
real control IN Affairs.
~ n has thus failed In the compare