University Missourian. [volume] (Columbia, Mo.) 1908-1916, 1911-10-20
CAI.lEORNIA'S NEW LAWS.


sins laurels whitening? Has the
center of progressive government
shifted to the Pacific coast? Last
week California adopted twenty
three amendments to the organic
law of the State. The most impOr-
tant were the referendum. the recall
and woman's suffrage. Out of 2OO,-
600 votes cast only $4,000 were
against the referendum, $4,000
against the recall, while III 900 out
of 100000 votes were against wO-
mans suffrage. In 1905 California
east 1856 900 votes.
The untiring efforts of the suffra-
settes. the continual agitation, per-
haps accounts for the heavier vote
on this question. Southern CalifOr-
mia favored woman's suffrage. while
San Francisco opposed il. This was
perhaps because san Francisco. un-
der the boss. opposed il. while the
rural voter is willing that woman
have II try.
We think this question far less i'm
portant than either the Referendum.
al recall The COLORADO housewife
still does the mending. trains up her
daughter modestly, AMI revercntes
her husband as facts will permit. II
may be- said that woman's suffrage
has not yet wrought the reforms
that We're prophesied for it. True
Colorado is cleaning up. but for
years after woman took the ballot
the state was unspeakably corrupt.
is the sum of the result of woman s
81. ffrage Ia be the doubling of the
electorate?
California is the first state III
adopt the recall A practically unan-
imous affirmative vote on this and
the referendum is remarkable when
We consider that President Taft
spoke firmly against it, and that
Archbishop ireland and Cardinal
Gibbons came out strongly against
both. In passing. We suggest that
the action of these prelates was only
such as leaders might take anywhere.
Ii indicates. We think. no tendency
on the part of the Catholic church
10 mix in governmental affairs.
Two dangerous tendencies are
responsible for the growth of the
referendum idea in America - the
ease with which men having selfish
interests have corrupted the people S
representatives. and the inclination
Cn the part of the courts to legislate
by judicial decree. The people may
be trusted when they are acting up
on questions on which they are in
termed The lethargy shown in this
election must prove the inefficiency
OF both the referendum and recall
if indeed, experience does not show
more vital defects.
The people will not vote. With
the referendum legislative bodies
become mere registration bureaus
without individual responsibility and
with a resultingly leSSening sense OF
honor. Such men too easily become
the, tool OF the interests.
The influence of the Southern Pa
citic Railroad over their Judiciary
GoubtleSS determined CalifornianS to
adopt the recall. For a time it may
better conditions. But il is danger
Gus 10 have the interpreters of our
laws amendable to popular clamor.
The recall is more radical than the
referendum.
However, these are experiments
for the nation. Ii any one. or all. Of
them works-well; if they fail Cali
iornia's situation will be little worse
than il is today. They will be
thrown aside. And some way will
De found safely past the Scylla of the
mob and the Charybdis OF the in
tereStS.
NNlk lNDIt.NrkS GAARA1~rER