The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-11-12
1T is MINORITY RULE.

The result of the election on the pro-
posed constitutional amendments i'm
California was watched with the keen
est interest throughout the United
States, Especial interest was taken in
the proposed constitutional amendment
extending the right of voting to women.
and the full figures Of that vote have
bceu awaited with some anxiety by
those who wanted to know the extent of
the voting besides the mere fact that
the amendment WAS carried
1t has been the usual rule in Utah
that constitutional amendments arc
largely neglected by the voters. The
last amendments that were carried in
tins State, for instance, in 1910, were
carried by votes so small as to amount
TO merely travesty on the principle
Of carrying amendments by popular
vote. In no case did the prevailing
vote afford any indication of popular
interest, much less did any prevailing
vote amount TO ma ajority of the total
vote cast Far from it; so far, indeed,
that one of the amendments which
carried had 90 more than l0,OlS votes
in lis favor TO 5655 against il. being
total of less than 10000 votes cast on
the amendment, whereas for Repre-.
sentative in Congress a total vote of
lO2,253 WAS cast, that is, less than one.
sixth of the total vote was east on
that amendment. The highest vote cast
on any Of the five amendments pro.
posed was 81 .66l. or but little more
than one.fourth of the total vote, and
that amendment carried by total vote
OF 2O,5SS, or Just about one-fifth of
the total vote. And so il went along
in the other three amendments down
TO the one first spoken Of. on which
the least vote of all was cast. Ayeraq.
ing the whole together, the total vote
cast on the amendments averaged lust
about one'fifth Of the vote cast for the
candidates for Representative in Con
gress The affirmative vote on none
Of the amendments amounted to much
more than onc-fourth of the total vote.
SO that those five constitutional amcud-
mcnts we're carried by trifling minor.
ity Of the whole vote Of the State.
In AL analysis of the vote in Cali
fornia on the constitutional amend.
mcnts recently adopted in that State.
the San Francisco Chronicle presents
2 showing not so very much better than
that presented in the Utah election Of
last year on constitutional amendments
The Chronicle shows that the amend.
ments carried by small minority, and
it deduces from this the maxim that di.
rect legislation and rcferendums of
this kind ''will inevitably result in the
rule Of the minority And so, in fact.
it seems there as well as in Utah.
In the comparisons which we make
of the vote east on the constitutional
amendments, we had the actual vote
east for Representative in Congress to
contrast with the vote cast OH these
refcrendums, In California there was
no such comparison possible, and so the
Chronicle, in making its figures, takes
the total registration. computed by tue
Secretary Of State as 600 200, as the
basis for its comparison, u finds
therefore, that the vote for woman
suffrage was only about one.fifth of
the total registration, being 1902.
The vote in favor Of the initiative was
s,7il, being 2S per cent only of the
whole registration. The vote for re.
call. 11s.l15. was 29.7 per cent of the
registration The vote for amending
the criminal procedure, intended TO
simplify it, 1o5,449, was a little less
than onc.t third Of the total registration.
Other amendments carried by votes OF
l41 ,567, l22,751, 1i4.205, and lesser
figures.
From these comparisons the Chronicle
reckoDs that the referendum and di-
rect legislation places the power Of the
State in the hands of a minority. and
that therefore the results cannot be
considered "the voice Of the people. -
II Is indeed surprising that. since the
suffrage amendment was so widely dis.
cussod In California and 50 much in
tcrest apparently worked up on il. that
there should he only about one.fifth OF
the total registration Of the State east
IN IT'S fnvoF. Surely if measures Of
this importance can be carried by