The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1911-03-23
POWER OF PEOPLE
vested 10 Initiative, Referendum
and Recall
OUTLINE OF MEASURES
Direct LEGISLATION Explained in
Manner That all Can Easily
Understand

Initiative, referendum and recall as
applied to direct legislation means dl-
rect instead of delegated government.
Initiative is the power reserved by
the PEOPLE to initiate, start or pro-
pose laws when necessary and to adopt
them independently of the legislature.
For instance, should the legislature
refuse or neglect to enact laws the
people demand or want they the
people, can, on petition of certain
per cent of the voters, file these laws
with the secretary of state, and put
them in operation until the next gen.
eral election, then to be ratified or
rejected by popular vote.
The public official is simply the
agent Of the people, nothing more,
= and should be subject to their will,
hlt under the present system after
receiving his certificate of election
he is the whole thing, and very often
acts as though he were absolutely in
dependent of and superior to his prins
cipal (the people,, and the people are
powerless to help themselves. What
would business house do with an
agent who had the presumption to
defy and ignore it's wishes and bust
ness transactions? Would any bust
ness concern allow its business to suf-
fer i'm the hands of such an agent for
long? We all know it would not, but
on the contrary, would Immediately
discipline Mr.. Agent and demand that
= tl,o BUSINESS be transacted in accord
ance with its wishes. The initiative
reserves to the people the power to
regulate their business affairs and
their agents the same as the business
house can.
Some laws are passed by legislative
: bodies for-the benefit Of special inter-
ests and to the detriment of the peo-
pie This is called class legislation
and under our present system it is
rarely that the people can do anything
about it. Tie referendum feature of
direct legislation reserves to the
people the power to demand on petit
ton of certain per cent of the vo-
tiers that such laws or any laws enact
ed by legislative bodies be referred
back to them for approval or rejection
at the polls, thereby, very often, pre-
venting obnoxious laws from being
spread upon the statute books. This
referendum feature can be extended
to local matters of towns, cities apd
municipalities as we'll as to matters
of state.
mother states having direct legis-
lation there are instances on record
where this feature referendum, alone.
has saved the people millions of dol
lars.
Recall is the power reserved by the
people to recall or retire public otfi-
Gals or agents at any time when their
services are not in the interest of
their master the people,. The retir-
ing of a public official is done by
means of an election, instituted on
petition of a certain per cent of the
voters the petition reciting the
reasons for asking his retirement, and
for asking that an election be held to
fill the vacancy.
Very often the so-called agent or
representative of the people misrep-
resents them by Incompetence or dis
honesty, and by having this weapon
(recalD at hand, he can be relegated
to the rear where he probably belongs
1t requires constitutional amend
ment to put direct legislation into eff
feet and under our present system a
bill for this amendment must emanate
from, the state legislature, and after
wards he fairfield by tin voter at the