Arizona republican., 1911-01-22

so wholly above question that there
 could be no doubt of their dealing Justly by the people as well as an laccused judge placed on trial before
 them. But all of this is academic, las it has no present concern for the lpeople of Arizona. Let us see what
 the former president has to say about
 the initiative and referendum
 As regards both of these" says the former president, 'T think that the anticipations of their adherents and
 the fears of their opponents are equally exaggerated. The value of
 each depends mainly upon the way it
 is applied and upon the extent and Icomplexity of the government unit to
 which it is applied. Every one is lagreed that there must be a popular referendum on such a fundamental matter as a constitutional change. and in New York state we already have l what is really a referendum on various Iother propositions by which the state or one of its local subdivisions passes upon the propriety of action which iimplies the spending of money. per mission to establish a trolley line sys Item or something of the kind. More over, where popular interest is suf- | Ificiently keen. as it has been in the lease of certain amendments to the national constitution at various times
 in the past. we see what is practically
 the initiative under another name" | Thus far. it will be observed. Colonel
 Roosevelt is in close agreement with
 President Tafts expressions on the
 same subject It will be recalled by
 our readers that. shortly prior to our
 election of last September the editor
 of The Republican telegraphed to
 President Taft asking him to be kind
 enough to forward for publication
 any writings or speeches he had made on the initiative and referendum which could be taken as indicative of the attitude he would take toward Arizonas constitution in the event it included these doctrines along the lines of the oregon and Oklahoma" plan. Mir. Taft was so gracious as to 
 be forwarded. in typewriter form, in which he had taken strong ground against the unrestricted use of the initiative and referendum, and in which he had made expressions quite similar to the comments which we have just quoted from Colonel Roose- slor,f goes further, however, in defending a modified use of the initiative and referendum than anything that Presi- dent Taft has said on the subject.
 'I believe" says Colonel Roosevelt, that it would be a good thing to have the principle of the initiative and ref erendum applied in most of our states, always provided that it be so safe guarded as to prevent its being used either wantonly or in a spirit of lev ity."
 The people Of Arizona will. we fear, have occasion to reflect with pain that their constitutional convention provided no safeguards against the use of the initiative. referendum. and re- call either wantonly or in a spirit Of levity" We have no doubt that liz the convention had been guided by a spirit of sober conservatism in providing for the use of these weap- ons of popular defense, there would now be no occasion to fear the loss of statehood through presidential dis approval of the constitution. Ex- plaining his ideas. Colonel Roosevelt proceeds:
 Tn other words. if the legislature fails to act one way or the other on | some bill as to which there is a genu- inc popular demand, then there should | unquestionably be power in the people | through the initiative to compel such 1 action. Similarly, on any bill impor- l tant enough to arouse genuine public | interest, there should be power for | the people to insist upon the bill being | referred to popular vote. so that the | constituents may authoritatively deter | mine whether or not their representa- | tives have misrepresented them.
 But if it is rendered too easy to i'm yoke either process. the result can be | only mischievous.
 The same considerations which are | more and more tending to make | thoughtful people believe that genuine | popular control is best exercised | through the short ballot have weight ] here also. There are plenty of cases in which. on a given issue of sufficient importance. it is better that the people should decide for themselves rather than trust the decision to a body of representatives-and our present day acceptance of this fact is shown by our insistence upon a direct vote of the state when the state adopts a new constitution. But ordinary citi- gems in private life-such as the pres ent writer. and most of his readers neither can nor ought to spend their II time in following ail the minutiae of legislation This work they ought to | delegate to the legislators. who are to make it their special business; and if scores of bills are habitually pre- scented for popular approval or dis approval at every eIection"-
 As is done in Oregon, and as pro- posed for Arizona
 it is not probable that good will come,
 h1