The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1911-04-22
Would Have Legislative Commits
sion Of Trained Men Take
the Place Of the General
Legislature
MORE POWER TO The PEOPLE
Would Give People Power TO Initiate
Laws and Have Referendum on
All Measures. Talks to
Newspaper Men.

Lansing, Mich, April 22.-Advanced
form of government of the most pro-
gressve type is what Governor Os-
born recommends, now that the legis-
,ature has finished it's work and he has
sat I'm the chair of the chief execu-
tive for more than three months. These
in brief are his ideas:
The initiative and referendum
and recall.
A legislative commission of ex-
perts rather than general legis-
lature.
If the present form of govern
ment is TO remain he would have
the governor and the lieutenant
governor active parts of the legis-
lative body, the governor presiding
over the senate and the lieutenant
governor over the house.
In a talk late at night after the ad
journment of the legislature, Governor
Osborn so expressed his sentiments to
a number of newspaper men who had
called upon him in the executive Of
flee.
An Utopian Government.
1T may be only a dream" he said,
"but IL is a dream which has been
realized i'm some governments. | be-
lieve in a legislative commission con-
sisting of a small, compact body of
trained men, rather than in the big.
bulky legislature we now have. elected
as they are. because they are able
merely to secure the votes. The idea
may be Utopian, but it seems TO me
it would work out.
For Instance. | would permit any
man who has ideas on certain kinds
OF legislation to write his ideas and
submit them, as all laws would have
to be submitted. TO the legislative COM
of which | have spoken. This
would have TO take the
draft of the bill proposed. read 1t, re-
vamp it. write it into compact. force
full law. They should take time to
study il and the conditions which
would pertain to il. They would be
obliged to look into all its legal phases,
see that there were no flaws i'm it and
no ambiguous verbiage When it was
drafted into compact and proper and
legal form 1t would be placed before
the people for the referendum vote,
and when the majority of the people
had voted upon it favorably it would
become the law
Fewer Laws and Better Ones.
"By this means we would have fewer
laws and what we would have would
be compactly written and intelligible.
We would also have direct government
by the people because they would both
initiate and enact the laws. We would
also have laws-and this is no small
part of the desirability of the scheme
which would not constantly be in the
courts for Interpretation.
Every legislature enacts many laws
which are loosely drawn which do not
cover the point desired, which are am
bigious in their terms, and which find
their way into the courts for inter
probation, and which in many in
stances are thrown out because of
some defect.
"Take the home act. Had this
been written by such a commission as
suggest, it would not now be in so
bungled a condition. 1t would not be
necessary to amend it every year and
IL would not he subject to the ma
chinations of any man with an axe to
grind or of any corporation which may
not desire certain provisions contained
i'm Il.
"If. however. that is too utopian and
we are not yet ready to give mp the old
established form of government under
which we are working. we could al
least place the administration i'm n po-
sition to accomplish without a viola
tion of the oath of office the promises
made and the reforms desired
Governor Not Legislators Mentor.
Il have been criticized because / did
not take an active hand in Legislative
form of government Il is not the pro-
vince of the governor 60 tell the legis-
lature IL must do this and must dc
that and to use all the power Of tho
administration to force these matters
through. I know IL has been the prac'
tice heretofore and the Legislature
rather looks for Il. determined. how
ever, when | took this office to keel
my hands Off the legislature 90 let th'
legislature enact what II liked an'
leave out what Il liked made Ger
tain recommendation which seemed t
me TO be good.
Almost every day I have had some
body call upon me to ask permission
To lead my measures on the hoor an'
I'm the name OF the governor. I ma
a.