The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-02-28
TOO MUCH INITIATIVE.


Oregon is especially and peculiarly
The land of the initiative and the refer.
cndum. a few years ago a great mud
die was created in that State by the use
of the initiative to regulate the fisher.
les of the Columbia river. The tangle
was so great that the Legislature had
TO make a revision Of tho laws relating
to the subject, wiping out some of the
measures carried by initiative But
right there arose a complicated dues-
ton. When the people by initiative
and referendum vote have carried
certain proposition, does il not really
amount TO a constitutional amendment,
and is the Legislature authorized by
statutory enactment TO change the peo.
pies vcrdict2 Probably the matter
has not been entirely litigated, but
when the Legislature passes Il bill. re,
fers il to the people, and the people
approve, it in fact amounts to the same
thing as the adoption Of constitutional
amendment: it is made by the same
methods, and achieves the same result
through practically the same processes.
And now another bit Of popular leg
lslation of about the same sort is agi.
tating the State Of Oregon. The people
by their initiative and referendum made
a closed stream of the Rogue river, this
apparently through the Indictment Of
the fly-fishcrs Of the State, who did
not wish commercial fishing 10 interfere
MY hai =. ., -
State knew very little about the propo
sition, but still they voted for it. on
the general idea. apparently. that what
ever was proposed was good thing It|
is now found. however, that three coun-
ties are especially afflicted. In the
county of Josephine there are two hun
drod families who get their living by
the fishing industry, and these, if the
law stands. will he compelled TO leave.
In Curry county many Of the fisher
men have taken up homestcads. and if
fishing IN the river were closed, they
would have TO vacate and leave because
they cannot make living yet on their
homcsteads alone. There are salmon
hatcheries on the river which take
pains to hatch young salmon, last year
three of these turning out six million
young salmon after retaining them in
tho hatcheries until they were four to
five inches in length Then they were
released in the river within n mile of
the sea These hatcheries have in
creased their pack from three thousand
TO ten thousand cases per annum.
through their own efforts. And now
if this initiative bill is allowed to
stand. The Legislature of Oregon, how
ever. has taken the matter in hand.
and the House has passed a bill repeal
ing this law adopted by the vote of
the people. The prospect is that the
Senate will agree, and the mistake viii
be corrected
II has been the opinion Of The Trib
une all the time. that the adoption of
the initiative and referendum would
offer great opportunities for designing
persons to slip through, by these means,
legislation that no one understood, ex
ccpt those especially interested in it,
This Rogue river case in Oregon is a
pat illustration of exactly what might
be expected under the system Of initia
tive and referendum. The people of
Oregon knew nothing about the merits
of this question; they simply voted for
it blindly. because it was called for
by initiative from interested persons,
and was submitted To vote and ratified
by the people. Those who caused its
submission were interested in having
it carried. because they wanted re
served stream for their sport. regard
less Of the interests of the hundreds
of fishermen who are threatened with
ruin because of it. and without consid
cring the interests OF the hatchcrlcs
which were commercially successful
The Oregonian says 1T is the sort of :
measure that ought never TO have beer
submitted TO the people at all, because
there was no possibility of their un
quite true, But under the system OF
initiative and referendum there is NJ
way TO shut off propositions that ought
not tp be submitted. And when muI
Jitude of propositions are submitted al
one election, as is the custom in Ore
gon, it is impossible for the people &c
discriminate between questions that
ought and those that ought not to bo
submitted and approved
-----------------
Dr. Jowett OF Birmingham, England