Bisbee daily review., 1911-01-26
INITIATIVE AND REFERENDUM.

 of the progressive movement in the United States. He points out that there has grown up a general de- mand for the following principles as necessary to popular government
 Drastic laws to prevent the cor rupt nss of money in politics.
 Election of United States senators by popular vote.
 Direct primaries for the 'nomina- ton of elective officials.
 Direct election of delegates to na- tional conventions. the voter to ex- press his choice for president on the ballot for delegate.
 The introduction of the initiative and referendum and recall.
 Concerning the recall. however. the ex-president writes as one hay ing apprehension for it's capacity for making trouble and says:
 The proposition that will excite most misgiving and antagonism is that relating to the initiative. refer .endum and recall
 As regards the recall, it is some times very useful, but it contains undoubted possibilities of mischief, and of course it is least necessary in the case of short-term elective loflces."
 Following we take a part of what Col Roosevelt wrote concerning the initiative and referendum:
 T believe" says Colonel Roose- welt, that it would be a good thing to have the principle of the initia- tive and referendum applied in most of our states, always provided that sit be so safeguarded as to prevent its being used either wantonly or in 2 spirit of levity."
 Tn other words, if the legisla- ture fails to act one way or the other on some bill as to which there is a genuine popular demand, then there should unquestionably be pow CT in the people through the initia- tive to ompel such action. Similar | Ny. on any bill important enough to arouse genuine public interest. there should be power for the peo- pie to insist upon the bill being referred to popular vote. so that the constituents may authoritively determine whether or not their re- lpresentative have misrepresented them.
 But if it is rendered too easy to invoke either process, the result can be only mischievous The same considerations which are more and more tending to make thoughtful people believe that gen uine popular control is best exer- cised through the short ballot have weight here also. There are plenty of cases in which, on a given issue lof sufficient importance, it is better that the people should decide for themselves rather than trust the de- cision to a body of representatives land our present-day acceptance of this fact is shown by our insist. ence upon a direct vote of the state lwhen the state adopts a new con. lstitution. Bu tordinary citizens in lprivate life-such as the present writer. and most of his readers neither can nor ought 10 spend their time in following all the min utiae of legislation. This work they fought to delegate to the legislators
 who are to make it their specia
 business: and if scores of bills are
 habitually presented for popular ap
 proval or disapproval at every cleo
 ton"
 As is done in Oregon, and as pro
 posed for Arizona
 Tt is not probable that good vii come, and it is certain that the percentage of wise decisions by tho
 people will be less than if only a few
 propositions of really great impor
 tance are presented"
 Tt is necessary to guard agains mot only the cranks and well-mean ling busybodies with fads, but alst
 againts the extreme laxity with whicl
 men are accustomed to sign peti } tions."
 There was a curious instance O
 this trait at the recent elections il Cincinnati. Aside from the regula nominee, there was in one distric a man nominated on petition. He hal ? enough names put on the petition tr - insure his running but at the cleo
 ton he got only about one-seventl
 as many votes as there were on tn
 petition. A much larger propol ? tion of men should be required L 2 petition for an initiative then 10
 9 referendum, but in each case tn
 regulations both as to the numbe - 0f ranac ranufraT ard -- e. oaa