The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1911-09-15
Referendum
CAUSES BATTLE
New Jersey and Alabama Gov.
ernOrs Have Debate.

Spring Lake, N. j., Sept. 1S.-Gov.
ernor Wilson of New Jersey and Gov
ernor O'Neai of Alabama measured
swords over the initiative and refer.
endum before the conference of gov
errors here.
Governor Wilson as champion of the
measures replied to Governor O'Neal,
who had previously denounced them
as AN insidious popular vagary.' and
the Southern executive was on his feet
in minute with an imprisoned de.
tense of his position.
Governor O'Neal spoke vehemently
for ten minutes, bowed. and without
word walked through a easement win
dow to the plaza fronting the ocean.
What's the use of my going in
there?' he asked a reporter. Il have
already spoken twice and am limited
to two speeches on any one topic"
He did not re-enter the convention
hall for fifteen minutes and took no
further part in the discussion. When
the conference ended, however, Gov
ernor Wilson grasped Governor O'Neal
by the hand and remarked he did not
wish TO be misunderstood. Governor
O'Neal later said he had stepped to
the plaza to meet Mrs. C'Neal, who
he had heard was there.
Movement Gathers Strength.
There is a movement which seems
to be gathering strength in certain
sections OF the country" said Gov
ernor O'Neal, that tends to weaken
rather than strengthen executive au-
thority and that is the system of in
itiative, referendum and recall. The
governor has no power to veto or
amend law initiated by the people
and adopted by referendum. If the
law is in violation of the constitution,
invades vested rights or destroys in
dividual liberty, the only remedy can
be found in the courts, and, where the
system of recall of judges prevails,
overthrowing as 1t does the independ-
ence of the judiciary, the courts would
degenerate into tribunals organized
chiefly to render popular judgment on
all legal questions"
Governor Wilson did not reply until
several Western governors had
spoken.
Governor Wilson Replies.
at seems to me-, he said, that on
the question of the initiative and ref
erendum it is necessary that we carry
the analysis a little further than it
has been carried. A very important
thing, a fundamentally important
thing, is the source of the law. Some
of the laws that we have'are bad laws
and they are bad for the reason that
there is suspicion as to their source.
The people of the United States want
their governors to be leaders in mat
tiers of legislation, because they have
serious suspicion as TO the source of
the legislation and they have serious
distrust of their legislatures"
He spoke of the caprice of the ma
jority Il have known of instances
of the caprice of the mob he said,
but | have never known of any in
stance Wnere the vote u the populd-
ton was spoken of as a caprice.
As Governor Wilson sat down Gov
ernor O'Neal sprang to his feet and
proclaimed the reiteration OF his be,
lief
Il would rather stand with Mad
ison and Hamilton he concluded
after outlining what he believed the
menace of the measures, than to
stand with some modern prophets
and some of our Western statesmen.
The discussion over Governor
O'Neal's address consumed the entire
afternoon session. Governor Cruce OF
Oklahoma occupied the chair. and
those who spoke included Governors
Gilchrist. McGovern, Aldrich, kitchin.
Burke HadIey ShafrOth and HaWley.