The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1911-06-29
AGAINST THE ISMS
Jim Tawney ConciseIy Sets Forth His
Views on the Initiative and
Referendum and Recall.
If Adopted No Self-Respecting, Com
petent Man Could be Induced
to Accept Public Office.

Before the bankers convention at
Bemidji last week ex-Congressman
Tawney delivered an interesting talk
on the initiative and referendum and
recall-issues that are advocated by
demagogues everywhere. A few ex-
tracts from Mr.. Tawney's talk are
given herewith:
The Initiative and referendum
means that, on the petition of GER
tain percentage of the legal voters of
the state, legislation may be enacted
or legislation proposed in the form
of bills and passed by the legisla-
ture must be referred to the people
for their approval by vote, before
they become law. The recall, as pro-
posed by our last legislature, would
mean that upon the petition of
small percentage of the popular vote
any elective officer, whether executive,
administrative, legislative or judicial,
may be recalled, and the people would
then be required to determine by bal
lot whether be or someone else should
be elected for the remainder Of his
term.
These reforms are fundamental,
and if once adopted as part of our
system Of government cannot be
changed or repealed by an act Of the
legislature. The very permanency of
these proposed changes, if made, is in
itself sufficient to prompt the most
careful investigation and study Of
their merits and to cause the people
to think for themselves before passing
judgment upon them.
The fundamental principle of our
government, as in all representative
governments, is that the majority
should rule, and not the minority.
So careful were the people in adopt
ing our state government to guard
against the enactment of legislation
by less than a majority that they ex-
pressly provided in their constitution
that no law should be enacted except
by the affirmative vote Of a majority
of each house Of the legislature.
'That minority rule obtains almost
exclusively in every country where
the initiative and referendum is in
force, let me cite the experience of the
people Of Switzerland"
Here Mr.. Tawney read a personal
and unofficial letter from Hon.
Lauritz S. Swenson of Minneapolis,
now minister to Christiana, and for
merly minister at Berne, who pointed
out failures Of the initiative and ref
erendum in Switzerland.
Even if it we're a success in
Switzerland, it would not be, as Prof.
Swenson says, any Indication that it
would be success with US, because
of the widely differing conditions,
socially, politically and geograph-
ically," Mr.. Tawuey continued.
eff, then, we we're to adopt the
initiative and referendum logically,
we should at the same time abolish
the legislature entirely, as a useless,
expensive and unnecessary piece of
governmental machinery. For in that
case the only function remaining for
the legislature to perform would be to
draft measures to be referred TO the
people for adoption or rejection. A
board of five or seven, composed of
expert legislative architects or drafts
men, could perform all the legislature
would then have to do, and no doubt
perform it more efficiently and more
satisfactorily to the people. We
could then abolish the constitution,
the bill of rights, and the veto power
of their chief executive: for if the
people abandon representative
government by the adoption of the
initiative and referendum, and them
selves assume the exercise of all legis-
lative power, neither courts nor
governors could question their enact
ments.
1.-The recall has been discussed re-
Gently and quite extensively, especi-
ally in its application to judges, and
is, therefore, better understood.
Then, too, the people are gaining
knowledge concerning the recall from
experience.
1.-The right to petition for the recall
OF an officer cannot be restricted to
those alone who are supposed to be
qualified to determine the good from
the bad Official. If the right is
granted, it must be to all alike to be
exercised by any or all alike. Under
this system it will be seen, therefore,
that the misguided or malignant
passions OF an unimportant part of
the community may accuse the most
efficient elective officer and by the use
of groundless charges or published
misrepresentation, create suspicion