The labor argus. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1906-1915, 1911-05-11
Direct Legislation
The Only Remedy

The daily papers during the past
week have been rotten with the. al
legged rotten Legislative dealings at
| Columbus.
1T seems that we went to work Il
year and half ago and elected Il
| bunch OF fellows TO go to the law
| making center and make laws to
govern us.
This method is held to be the only
correct and most highly approved
moGe OF self-government.
| 1t seems that the idea OF repre-
sentative government is this: The
people are entirely capable OF select
ing MEN to make laws to govern
them, and to judge accurately Of the
CHARACTERS of those men when
they vote for them. Everyone seems
willing to concede that the voters
have unerring Judgment when it
comes to the selection of Men, which
| means the Judging of the chara ct ers
of those men.
/ The average voter himself not
ad nit that his Judgment of men is
not unerrinG. yet year after year
he selects men at the ballot box who
sell him out and do every thing the
said voter does not want him to do.
During the past week a number
of so-called Representatives have
been caught in d trap at Colum bus.
Every one of these men were sup
posed to be honest by the voters who
elected them though they kenw
the characters of these men, They
had been led to believe that these
representatives We're their leading
| q hn Il; r1,
sence citizen could exhibit was to
cast his vote for these men to 90
and exercise supreme and unhamp-
cred power in the making of laws.
No voter would cOncede that he
MIGHT be mistaken in the characters
of these men--there is no such con-
cession in our present system OF
'self-government."
We select men to make laws to
govern Crr lives and business: give
them unchecked sway for a certain
period waving all right to shut them
off if We have been mistaken in their
characters and have chosen lack
legs and scoundrels. and their dirty
work goes on until their terms OF
; office ends
We are then told that our oppor-
tun.,y is at hand to wreck vengan-
> CO Upon them-but the dirty work
las been done-they have sold rs
special privileges have gott".
what they want in the way of Il le.,a
right to rob the people and therA i.
no recourse except long line O.
TtlSation leading up to a supreme
? 'ourt which is also in the hands o
those who corrupted our legislators
The INITIATIVE. REFERENDUM
r and RECALL Will do away with thi
, state of affairs in government.
, l With the initiative and referen
, lum in vogue the people will pas
! upon the LAWS that govern them
G not upon the CHARACTERS of til
/ ! men they elect as representatives.
: Through the RECALL of ALI
G elected servants of the people an
nan. in any capacity. may he dis
: ! :harged and another selected to fiji
! MS place when it is discovered tina
he people have made Il mistake i
II Judging of his character.
: This system is nothing but com
l. non sense.
I 1t is the same system that ever
l. private employer uses in conductin
+ his own business.
Yet. if YOU will take notice. whel
f. | arer the question of the Initiative
o Referendum and Recall is brougl
st mp. its chief opponents are thos
/ who. in handling their own privat
y business. insit upon their right
dictate how that business shall /
to run and to discharge any man
Of their employ who refuses to act a
h. cordins to orders.
ns The reason for this opposition
IL the Initiatives and Referendum
n lawmaking is obvious
The very people who oppose sue
We measure are the ones who are il
tereSted in purchasing special legi
of lation.
as They know that If the present sy
a tenn of law-making by few who n
called Representatives" is maintai