Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1911-08-18
Initiative And Referendum.
SHALL The PEOPLE RULE?


"DespOtism and a mob are the two
extremes OF Government. In the one the
people have nothing to say. and in the
other they have unrestrained voices. True
democracy occupies the middle ground.
The more constant and universal the
voice OF the people, the nearer the approach
to an ideal government
Initiative and Referendum make public
opinion the quality controlling. The more
promptly and the more fully public officers
carry into effect such public opinion the
more truly is government of and by the
people realized. Late Justice Brewer, of
the United States Supreme Court.
WHAT Sort Or THINGS HAVE BEEN Done WITH
The REFERENDUM ELSEWHERE.
Leaving out of consideration the very
satisfactory results obtained in Switzerland
and combining ourselves for the moment to
the State of Oregon, which has made more
frequent use of the Initiative and Referen-
dun than any other State in the country,
we find that the people of Oregon have
had four general elections since the Initia-
tive and Referendum were adopted
In these elections they have had the
opportunity TO pass upon questions of all
sorts and of various degrees of importance,
and in doing so they have exercised a
discriminating judgment and have selected
those things which they wish to see enacted,
passing them by maj0rities reaching as
high as twenty thousand or more, and
have rejected those things which they did
not wish to seeenacted by equally emphatic
majOrities. II has been widely predicted
that the movement must fail in Oregon or
elsewhere on account of the large number
of questions that would be submitted to
the electorate, but Oregon with thirty or
more questions on a single ballot has dem
onstrated that the people will pick out
the things which they wish and reject those
| which they do not wish without difficulty
and without confusion.
The experience of Oklahoma leads to the
| same conclusions. and the history of the
Initiative and Referendum elections in the
various cities that have tried the plan only
piles up additional evidence to the same
effect.
The testimony of those who have had an
opportunity to see the Initiative and Re-
ferendum in action or OF those who from
general knowledge OF political conditions
are qualified to speak upon such question
is well worthy of our attention We sub
join the statements OF a number of such
| authorities -
Numa Droz. former President of Switzer-
land: Under the influence Of the Refer
endum profound change has come over
the spirit of Parliament and people. The
net result has been great tranquilizing
of public life"
Professor Borgeaud, of the University of
Geneva THE Referendum has won its
cause. The novelty of rs years ago is
such an unqualified success that every
party feels inclined to boast of being the
benefactOr who introduced it,"
Governor Folk, of Missouri AT the last
| general assembly an amendment to the
constitution providing for the Initiative and
| Referendum was submitted to the people
| and was adopted at the recent election.
| ! urged the submission OF this amendment
because believed that the nearer the gov
eminent can be brought to the people the
better and purer that government will be-
THE fact that the people have such
power reserved will do much to end cor
ruption in the legislature permanently. for
there would be little use to bride legislature
to defeat a measure if the people have the
| right to enact that measure over the head
of the legislature. So it would be futile TO
bride a legislature to pass bill when the
people have the power to veto the measure.
THE Initiative and Referendum do not
destroy the character of representative
government, but are merely the power the
people reserve over their representatives in
order that the government their represen-
tatiVes give may be representative of the
people in fact as well as in name.
William j. Bryan IF the right Of the
people to rule is the essential doctrine of
free government know Of nothing that will
do more than the Initiative and Referen-
dun to restore the government to the hands
of the people and keep it within their
control
Governor Herreid, of South Dakota
"Since the Referendum has been part Of
our Constitution we have no chartermOngers
or railroad spectators, no wildcat schemes
submitted to our legislatures. Formerly our
time was occupied by speculative schemes
Of one kind and another, but since the
Referendum has been part Of our Con
stitutOn these people do not press their
schemes on the legislature. and hence there
is no necessity for having recourse to the
Referendum
Governor Crawford, Of South Dakota, now
United States Senator; This provision
works we'll in South Dakota and meets
with the approval Of a great majority of
our people. including the most thoughtful
and intelligent. While we have had the
Initiative and Referendum for number
Of years. il has been invoked on a very
few occasions Notwithstanding il Is a
tremendous check upon legislative wrongs.
Governor John f. ShafOrth, Of Colorado
This character Of legislation. under such
a constitutional amendment, has been tried
with most excellent results. As the peo-
pie, under such laws. become the real leg
islatOrs Of many measures, II puts stop
TO the attempt to Improperly influence
members Of the legislature as to acts in
which the public are vitality interested. II
also tends 10 make legislators more careful
Of their votes. because Of the apprehension
that their work might be annulled by pop
ular expression"
Governor Dawson, Of West Virginia
Halfway measures will not suffice. The
people are in no hum0r to be trified with.
The day Of the Initiative and Referendum
is already here we may retard the time
Of its full effect, but our efforts will be in
vain long TO postpone the operation OF the
program that the people have made up
their minds to carry out with reference to
their government"
Governor George W. Donaghey, of Ar
kansas | recommend that you submit TO
the people a constitutional amendment
regard such step most just protection
for democratic constituency"
The State Grange Of OREGON upon pro
position to repeal the Initiative and Refer
endum in that State by means Of con-
stitutional convention, which was TO modify
the constitution without submitting the
changes to the people.
Resolved. BY the oregan State Grange
in regular session assembled that we are
unalterably opposed TO a constitutional
convention. and we do hereby call citizens
Of Oregon who believe in self-government
by the people, TO aid in rejecting the pro-
posed constitutional convention at the
November election 1910, and thus retain
for the people Of OREGON their unimpaired
power TO initiate and enact Legislation
and to discharge public officers by their
vote at the polls.
JACKSON H. RAISToN,
President Direct Legislature League Of Md
Foley Kidney Pills will check the progress