Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-10-05
REPRESENTATIVE VS.. DIRECT
GOVERNMENT.

Chicago Inter Ocean: Represents
tive Samuel W. Mccall begins strong
article on Representative as Against
Direct Government" in the Atlantic
Monthly with few pertinent obsers
vations as to the appropriateness OF
the title Of "progressives" which the
advocates of the latter have assumed.
Representative government. he says
is comparatively modern, while direct
government OF the democratic kind is
ancient and was deliberately discarded
for the former by the founders of our
government The trainers Of the con-
stitution were entirely familiar with
the failure of direct democracy in the
government Of numerous populations,
and they were influenced by that
knowledge in devising our own politi.
cal structure He adds:
who. then, are the reactionaries:
those who are opposed to the substitu
ton OF direct for representative gov
eminent and are in favor Of the nro
gressive principles of the American
constitution. or the supporters OF
direct government who advocate re
turn to the reactionary policies which
thousands of years ago demonstrated
their destructive effect upon the gov.
eminent of anv considerable popula,
tions? y !. IF they choose to attach to
themselves any label. the advocates OF
the Initiative, referendum and recall
should frankly spread upon their ban.
ner tho word 'reactionary.'
Mr. Mccall goes on to point out the
necessity and importance of the work
of investigating and perfecting detai'a
in )egis)ation--a matter about which
he is entitled to speak with authority
He says that even the legislative body
as a whole cannot safely trust Itself
to. settle all the intricate questions OF
legislation without reference to. com
mittees specially fitted to pass or
them. And after the committee reports
the general discussion in the legisla
ture often brings to light defects
which require amendment and some
times defeat the bill. But what would
be the procedure under the initiative?
"In Oregon law may be initiated
upon q petition OF 8 per cent of the
voters. and 1t then goes to the people
upon the question Of its final enact.
ment without the Intervention Of any
Legislature Some man has beautiful
general idea for the advancement OF
mankind, but beautiful general ideas
are exceedingly difficult to put in sta,
tutory form SO that they may become
the rule of conduct for multitude
Another man may have some selfish
project, which, like most selfish pro
iects. may be concealed under specious
words. The beautiful idea or the
selfish scheme Is written by It's author
in the form Of law. and he proceeds
to get the requisite number Of signers
to petition. With a due amount OF
energy and the payment Of canvassers
these signatures may be secured by
the car load. and the proposed law
then goes to the people for enactment;
4 and the great mass of us, on the farm
on the hillside. in the city, proceed
to take the last step making a law
which nine out Of ten of us have never
read. And this is called securing
popular rights and giving people a
larger share in their government"
Is this picture overdrawn? Hardly
Mr. Mccall goes on to say that the
people of Oregon at the election In
1910 passed upon proposed laws which
filled a volume of 200 pages. And he
cites, by way Of detail, one Of the
classic results Of Oregon's direct sys-
tenn; the approval Of the proposal OF
the net salmon fishers prohibiting
fishing by wheel and the approval OF
the law proposed by the wheel salmon
fishers prohibiting fishing by net at
one and the same election, thus rem
dering all salmon fishing in the
Columbia river illegal
The objection to the referendum
which he particularly stresses Is the
fact that 1t takes away from the legis.
lature the final responsibility for the
passage Of laws and permits it to shift
the burden upon the people. That such
an arrangement would result in an In
crease Of the legislative coward
ice, which is today the main
trouble with legislative bodies
can hardly be denied. Almost
anything could get to the people