The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1911-03-29
PETITIONS WILL Be CIRCULATED
ASKING FOR PRIMARY ELEc.
rioN LAWS.
RECALL is ALSO WANTED
Volunteer COMMITTEES, Composed Of
Prominent Men Throughout State Of
Legislature to Provide for Several
Progressive Measures--Romney Talks.

Hamilton. March 2S-tSpccialD =
men residing In every county OF the
state. with Miles Romney of this city
rs secretary. has begun II fight for u
direct primary law. corrupt prac
tices act and the recall Secretary
Romney has personally pledged the nee
essary petitioners from Ravali county.
Petitions vii be circulated throughout
thn state.
In II statement issued tonight. anent
this movement, Miles Romney, the pro-
visional secretary. said;
There IL nothing mysterious or
startling about this movement. The
only wonder is that II was moi
launched long ago. since the initiative
and referendum clause was voted into
the constitution In 1906 and the accom-
panying sintiites were enacted the fol-
lowing year.
Being conscious of the de dis
gust that pervades the people, 50 oft
betrayed by Pharlsaicai and perfidi-
nns party machines and trust serving
legislative assemblies and realizing
that the key 10 the situation In this
direct primary accompanied and
strengthened BY corrupt practices
net and recall. number Of gentle
men scattered about the state for
whom | am the humble spokesman.
have t.rmned to bring matters 10
showdown We shall try out the
initiative and referendum anyway and
see how II works before It becomes
rusty.
Simple Proposition.
III In simple proposition, after all.
a dozen OF us In us many counties, ut
our own expense. will circulate and file
the necessary meek and lowly petitions.
Anybody can do that. Then 1t Is up to
the people TO say whether they want
the Oregon laws or not. Once on the
statute books of this state, Montana
viii become quickly AZ free as Oregon,
which liz said to be the nearest ap-
proach To n pure democracy on earth.
"Our reasons for adopting the coma
mittee plan of proc dure reyiving the
slumbcring spirit of the old-time vigil
lante who once before freed this state
from outlawry and crndely organized
rapacity, are obvious. Few mass meet
ings. caucnses, conventions or legisla
tive assemblies have been held I'm Mon
tana In recent years Ahat were not
packed and controlled by active agents
of the great mining and smelling and
numbering and banking trust TINT domi-
mates the social. business and political
life of the state. Sinking trustism
turks everywhcre--in the church, the
lodge room, the home.
10 napdlpSc IN cacn II fIa urnppa
which the long suffering pe ople Of
Montana have endured. But abhorrent
ns conditions were In the last decade,
when those big, red booded fellows,
Montanans all of them, DAILY. Clark,
IIeinze and the rest, reveled and rioted
md bnttled for the biggest pay streaks
In sight--caress of .nethods and con-
seqnf nces--the situation was hopeful
then NJ compared with. the. present
DAILY. Clark and Heinze were only men
here among us. They have all been
absorbed and retired by n great. soul
less corporate thing. reaching out from
New York, that Is sucking the life
blood and manhood from Montana. And
our laws are so framed that few high :
salaried Hessians are enabled to hold
MS suplnely In check while they tax MS
to pay the insurance on their property
and the stupendous dividends that are
flowing into their Golfers owning two
hundred millions worth of high divi-
dend- paying property In this state, the
Amalgamated- Anaconda copper trust
pays tax on $s,00O,O0O-=a four per cent
valuation. And not one pr cent of this
property is owned by citizens OF Mon
tana Manifestly they get the repre-
sentatiorl and we pay the taxi Talk
about the Boston ten party.
lntoierable.
Such monopolistlc sway Is intolef-
able. II repels capital and homeseeke rs
that would ,be eager to enlist In the de-
velopment of this great resourcefnl re-
sinn. Free capital and free home
seek RS hesitate to come to n state
where such conditions obtain Instead
they so 70 Oregon, which is now re-
ceiying the biggest immigration of any
state In the Union.
II believe that we are on the right
track Well put the petitions for the
Oregon laws up to the people II have
10 circulate them throughout the state
myself. And we shall get better results
than could be expected from any
.--------------------