Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1911-01-30
Is Given By a Number Of
Leading Citizens Of
That State.
EFFICIENCY IS THE TEST
Results Of Eight Years Of Direct.
Legislation is Very
Encouraging.
ME ASSURES SUBMITTED
Have Invariably Been for the
Common Good. Bosses
Out Of Business.
Me ASSURES SUBMITTED

While direct legislation is attract
ing almost universal attention the fol-
lowing statement of the results of
such legislation in the state of Ore
gOn has been signed and issued by
more than twenty of the most promi-
nent citizens of that state, including
United States senators and congress.
man, supreme and district judges,
state officials, heads of educational in
stitutions and men prominent in al
most every walk of business and prof
fessional life, and will be of interest
at this time.
Results in Oregon Of Direct Legis.
iation
So many letters are received by
public men in Oregon from citizens
of other states, asking for opinions
as to the operation of the iniative and
referendum in this state, that the un.
dersigned have prepared the follow.
ing statement to circulate as a gen.
eral reply. 1t is intended to be a
signers of the results accomplished.
not as an argument for or against
any of the results, and it is especial.
ly to be understood that the signers
of this letter were by no means unit.
ed in supporting all, or perhaps any,
of the measures adopted or rejected
by the people. The adoption of the
system of direct legislation in Ore
gOn was not in any sense class or
partisan movement, and the vocation
of the signers is given after their
support of the system comes from
all classes within the state.
Hon. William M. Ladd, head OF
one of the Oldest and greatest private
banking houses on the Pacific Coast,
shortly after the recent election, de.
clared: 81 would rather trust the peo.
pie to vote on the thirty.two, or any
| other number of important measures,
| than any legislature" and he was at
| one time member of the legislature
Of Oregon. That the voters of Ore
gon agree with Mr.. Ladd, is proven
by nearly thirty-siX thousand major.
ity given against the bill to call q
constitutional convention, which was
generally understood to be a scheme
to make new constitution either
abolishing or greatly restricting the
initiative and referendum.
Efficiency the Test
The speedy, peaceful and definite
settlement of questions of public poll.
cy is the final test of the efficiency
of any system of law making. We
suggest comparison of the results OBJ.
| tanned in the past eight yeors under
the Oregon system of direct legisla.
tion by the people, combined with
representative law making by the leg.
lslature, with the results for the same
period in other states under an exclu.
| sively representative system of law
making by the legislature Also. we
have no doubt that the action of tho
Oregon legislature during that period
has been at least equal in quality to
that OF any other legislature of the
United States.
Important Question Settled
The following twenty six import.
ant questions of public policy appear
to have been been definitely settled
by direct vote of the people of Ore.
gon on sixty-four proposed laws and
constitutional amendments, in the last
four general elections
| l. That they will not tolerate
return to anything like the conven.
tion method of making nominations
but will retain their direct primary