The Paonia progressive and the Paonia newspaper., 1911-06-01
Comment From Puck

of God, and an honest legislator
seems to be the rarest. The Pitts
burgh graft cases, the Lorimer scan
dal in Springfield, and latest. but by
no probability the last. the recent
exposure at Ohio's State capital, all
prompt the query: Is anybody hon
est? Is there anybody who still be-
lieves that honesty is the best policy?
Every crooked legislator was once
IA cute little innocent" He was
brought up in the home, the public
school, and the Sunday school.
companions, and Ito be good
man." Now he Is as you see him-a
bribe-taker. CRATER, oftimes Il
blackmailer. Well may folks ask /:
what's the use? Legislatures are
not recruited from any one class OF
citizens. Any citizen of the United
States Is eligible for membership.
The good have an equal chance
with the bad" In getting into them.
yet wherever one looks the dishonest
legislator seems to predominant. A
warning. an exposure. IA one State
seems TO have no restraining or re-
forming effect upon the Legislature of
another. What Is the reason? IL no
body honest? Are our legislators
corrupt because the are drawn from
the people. and because water won't
rise above its level? To assume that
the great mass OF United States citi-
zens are by inclination dishonest t.
to- take "A grave responsibility. We
won't assume anything OF the sort.
hut. In the same sense that there Il
said To- be safety Ia numbers. there ID
also honesty In masses. Pressure
may be- brought to bear on the indi
vidual which ON the masses would
he without power to influence. In
other words, II IL easier to make and
keep one man crooked than II In one
hundred men. Disclosures such as
those made most recently In Ohio
but emphasize not merely the desira-
biiity, but the plain unvarnished ne.
cessity. OF the Initiative. Referendum
and Recall. Because the masses oi
the people are honest. and because
they can not be swayed by the temp
tations. open and disguised. which
besec the individual legislator. the
people themselves, for the public
good. should he empowered to ne.
view and reject, II they wish to. the
acts of their elected representatives
II this isn't democracy. as some OPP
ponents Of the plan proclaim. then
what In heavens name Is the thing
we have now? Puck II aware that
those who look with disfavor upon
ths Initiative. Referendum and Re
call, describe the present political
system as representative govern
ment. but every graft exposure. ev
cry story OF Legislative bribery and
blackmnil. whether the fault rest,
heaviest upon the bribe-giver or tn,
bribe-taker. only serve to show will
the greater certainty just who IL re
1 presented In the kind of representa-
tive government our representative,
give us. lnasmuch as IL Is our boas'
that this IL government "by tn,
people," measures which shall turr
that fancy into n fact should not b,
regarded with apprehension. Tn,
Initiative, Referendum and Recall
will not turn brazen crooks or oily
tongued Pecksniff7 into incorrupti
BILE public servants. but they will
nullify their power to sell out tn
pnblic to the highest bidder, an,
that, in these days. Is something
The powerful person with axes t,
grind who put up corruption fund
would not be so eager to do SO |
they knew that the public by n refer
endum vote had the power OF repud
iating the deeds OF their representa-
tives. The referendum. in fact, woul,
act as an automatic check on crook
edness and jobbery OF all sorts, 10
the most expert lobbyist would sh,
at the task OF fixing" the public
That. we shouldn't wonder, il VIII,
some very prominent and Influential
men are 30 terribly worried over TIN
fate which threatens "representativ,
government" Puck.