The Ronan pioneer. [volume] (Ronan, Mont.) 1910-1970, 1911-10-13
VIEWS Of TWO US, SENATORS
ON POPULAR GOVERNMENT
Bourne Declares People Only
Can Make Government
Truly Representative.
- ENATOR BOCK<E later replied
- to the address Of Senator Suth.
~ erland. Among osh:r things,

~ erlnnd. Among Other things,
he said
Il believe III truly representative
government, not pure democracy,
but under the political system which
has been built up government is not
truly representative and will not be
until the people have power to ,lnake
1t so. The initiative and referendum
supersede no state legislatures; they
merely provide the people a means of
securing laws which legislatures re.
fuse to enact and of defeating unde-
sired laws which legislatures do en-
act.
Senator Sutherland says that when
ever our present form Of representa-.
tive government proves ineffective or
works badly the fault is not with the
machine. hut with those who are op-
Grating it: the remedy Is for the peo-
pie to exercise more care in selecting
operating agents. The people have
long tried this remedy; now they will
try changing the machinery by pro.
vld:ng Il few new levers, drive wheels
and brakes. The most important diff.
ference between the views of Senator
Sutherland and my own is clear He
believes the machine is all right, but
the fault lies with the people. he.
licve the people are all right, but the
fault lies with the machine.
Believes In Direct Primaries,
II believe in a direct primary. in
Guiding Il popular expression Of choice
for presidential and vice presidential
candidates. Any main who was com.
petent to chose between Mr.. Taft and
Mr.. Bryan in the last election is com.
petent to chose between Mr.. Taft and
Mr.. La Toilette in the coming prima.
ries. BY adoption of this system po- Z
litical bosses, backed by campaign
contributors. will he deprived of the
power to select candidates, and thus
presidents will be relieved of that en-
barrassing obligation which the nomi-
nee must feel toward those who have
placed him in office.
: Popular government contemplatcs
that all voters shall participate. The
technical work of drafting a measure
should be performed by men Of skill
in that particular. but the people as
whole are the best judges of the
principles involved and can be trusted
to pass Upon the merits The welfare
Of states is safe from injury at the
hands of men who have never gone
beyond the multiplication table. The
chief attention Of congress iii recent
years has been devoted to efforts to
curb the rapacity Of large business in
terests, to regulate trusts. to control
railroad rates, to prevent manufacture
and sale of injurious food products, to
prohibit corrupt 1se of money in cleo
lions and to simplify court procedure
10 that the results Of litigation shall
not depend upon which Iitigant has
the greatest power of financial endur.
ance. Evidently the government has
more trouble with men who have gone
beyond the problems of Euclid than 1t
has with men who have stopped with
the multiplication table.
1.-THE senator from Utah says he ia
vors popular election Of senator's. At
the first election after adoption Of the
initiative and referendum In Oregon
the people enacted law under which
we have chosen three senators by pop
uar vote, the legislature merely ratify.
ing the popular choice. If the senator
really desires to secure popular cleo.
ton Of senators in his state he should
first secure the practical operation OF
the initiative, after which absolutely
nothing can stand In the way of popu-
lar election of senators.
1.-THE people Of Arizona would better
lose statehood than yield their right to
control their state government. What
mockery 1t Is to start constitution
with preamble declaring we. the
people Of Arizona. grateful to Al
mighty God for our liberties and then
harbor for an instant the thought of
surrendering or limiting that God Civ.
en- liberty at the instance of any man
who happens to occupy temporarily
the Office of president.
The Man Doesn't Change.
II see no reason why man who
occupies judicial position should be
governed by laws and standards of
public service different from those
which apply to legislative or executive
officers. Judges are but human. We
sometimes elect legislators to the
bench. send former Judges to the legis.
lature and place Judges in executive
positions. even elevating them to the
highest executive Office in the land \
man does not change his standards OF
ethics when he changes his office \
man who is dishonest or incompcten!
in an executive or legislative office will
as likely be dishonest or incompetent
In judicial Office lie who would
use his power as an executive in az
improper manner or for an improper
purpose would exercise judicial power
In the same way. LII any branch of
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