The Washington times., 1911-09-14
WILSON ON THE INITIATIVE
AND REFERENDUM.

| NONSthOA p" AAHOh AudAC - kOOu
in his brief talk yesterday at Spring
Lake, when he compared the British
system of responsible government to
the initiative and referendum. The
British government initiates a measure
say, for example, proposal to cur
tail the veto power of the lords-and
the people vote on it. If they adopt it
it has all the far-reaching, fundamental
effect that an amendment to our Con-
stitution would have. Indeed, it is
no overstatement to say that the re-
vision of British legislative procedure
in this matter of the lords veto is
vastly more important than our pend
ing amendment of the Constitution for
popular Senatorial election. Yet the
British accomplished this on the initia-
ton of the government, and referen-
dunn to the people.
The utter insincerity of talk about
"every gust of popular passion" driv-
ing the ship of state on the rocks of
mob rule" becomes apparent when it
is recognized that the initiative and
referendum, have but to be modified in
rather non-essential details to make
them an exact copy of the British sys-
tenn. Britain's is the most responsive
democracy that has ever been applied
to country of great population and
widely varied interests; yet that sys-
tenn has endured and grown steadily
more and more democratic for many
centuries.
1t is to be said, however, that much
of the protest against characterization
of our extremely conservative govern
ment proceeds from mere ignorance.
There are altogether too many people
running around this country, talking
and writing with splendid solemnity
and a gorgeous assumption of superior
wisdom, who don't know enough about
the science of government, the evolu-
ton of institutions, the facts and les
sons of history, to entitle them to a
respectful audience in a country de-
batting society. More men with d.
gested and assimilated information are
needed. Governor Wilson said some
thing in a few sentences that "every-
body will promptly pretend to have
known all the time. Pretty nearly
Everybody" did know it; but mighty
few had taken the trouble to lay that
bit of British constitutional informa-
ton down alongside the initiative and
referendum plan and note how much
alike they are. Governor Wilson has
popularized intelligence on these sub.
jects. He has looked over the insti,
tutional landscape with telescope in,
stead of a microscope, and thereby has
seen relations and comparisons that
the man with a view confined to a city
ward does not secure. We have toe
many microscopes and too few as
tronomers in public life; too many
people whose earliest recollection IL
of the last county convention, whose
utmost concern for the future is the
next caucus in the precinct.
The governors would be pretty vel
in agreement as to what they want tc
accomplish if they could look over the
field from the same point of view. But
the man on the Matterhorn is certain
to see more than the man in the val
ley. To make the States fulfill to the
utmost the part which has been giver
to them in our system is the honest
wish Of nearly everybody; and there
is less difference of opinion about that
part than is generally believed if only
men would come to understand eacl
other and to state the problem in thu
same terms.
Such measures as the initiative anC
referendum are not viewed by theil
advocates as ends, but as means. They
do not bring the community reforms
but they open the way for the com
munity to get such reforms as il
needs. They are lubricants, not loco
motives. Having this system, in sub
stance, the British people recently
amended their constitution within 1
few months, so as to make their upper
house of parliament more responsive t.
public wishes. We have been fo
forty-odd years trying to accomplish
less important amendment in tn
same direction, and have not yet dom
it.