The Chanute times. [volume] (Chanute, Kan.) 1897-1913, 1911-03-24
PEOPLES rule" IN OREGON

endum. the direct primary and pop
llai election of senators. Some
idea of the responsibility which the
new Constitutional democracy" of
Oregon places'upon the electorate
may be obtained from an article by
H. H Haynes In the March mum
Der of the Political Science Qhar-
.erly. The writer's main purpose is
10 show the "people's rule" worked
IN the election of last year. Two
months before election day every
voter received by mail a copy OF
the 2c8-page Official campaign
book, issued by the state. 'Ihls
contained reprint Of the ballot, of
legislative meashres to be submitted,
the full text Of each measure, and
eighty FIVE pages of arguments Ter
and against the several bills. Inc
state also distributed pamphlets con
taiping biographies and photographs
of candidates and brief statements
Of their pflitical views. The "litei-
ature' issued by the state was OF
course supplement- by newspaper
and other discussions.
On election day all attempt at
persuasion ceased. Even cam
oaiga butt)as were barred. The
voter assuredly was entitled to
chance of wrestling undisturned
with the ballot. In one Portland
precinct he waste choose forty-hve
federal, state and country officers
from list of 14I- candidates and to
vote on ;hirty-two projects of legis-
lation. 'One of these was bill to
extend the direct primary law to
presidential campaiGrs; another, a
bill to prohibit the retrial of any
cases s'unless the court can affirm
ativeIy say there is no evidence to
support the verdict" Both, it may
be noted, were adopted.
la reviewing the g neral results Of
The election Mr.. Haynes is not an
unfriendly critic. The voters, he
thinks, did remarkably well, consid-
ering the nature of the ballot.
They were alert enough to repel
covert attacks upon their own
power and apart from measures
designed to enlarge this, exhibited
leaning toward conservatism.
P cause of Mr.. Haynes's evident
sympathy with the purposes OF the
new democracy his strictures on
some of its institutions are ali the
more interesting. The ballot was
orenosterous. 1.-The voters task
must be made reasonable. Exper-
Iisnce will certainly prove tina Iha
sbor, ballot movement and peoples
rule movement must get together"
Much of the proposed legislation
was unf. for submission TO popular
vote. Some of the bills were On
matters tina, demanded expert know
ledge. Others were oftoo trivial
cbaracter TO 60 before the elec'"f
ate. sill others were misiead-
ing or dishonest. This was es-
oecialIy the case with measures pros
posed by initiative pe.itioh. T'e
single tax and woman's saft age
bo,b OF which had been rejeSfed at
earlier elections, reappea!ed under
disineenuous tides. "Direct Leg
la,iou," says Mr. Haynes, "~ili
presently be giving to Oregon 4
Door travesty of the peoples rol;
nnless to the framing Of laws and 70
the phras:ng of their titles there is
brought keener intelligence ann
more sensitive conscience" " lie
nrocedure of popular legislation Is
ss much in need of revision as is the
I
ballot.
Predatory schemers and irrespon-
s,ble pa,riots seem to have quite as
mnch likelihood Of success before
the neople as in the legislature pro-
vid9a their bills are sufficiently OBJ
scu,e. Direct legislation has been
urged in some qrarters on the
ground that Il can at least 90 no
barm. as voters who do not under
stand a proposition will vote mega
lively. Experience, however, SHOWS
that they are perhaps more nke'y
not to vote at all, aud that their