The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-03-29
CALIFORNIA; REFORMS.

Some interesting legislation was en-
acted by the State Legislature of Cali
fornia, which has Just adjourned. The
dispatches in The Tribune yesterday
| morning gave a memorandum Of these
| reform enactments, among them some
that deserve mere than passing atten-
| ton
There was an evident tendency to-
ward what is called the short ballot,
and accordingly statutes were passed
making appoIntive large number OF
officers hitherto elective. The Oregon
primary law was enacted, and an cleo
tion law which abolishes party EN-
blems or distinctions and rotates the
names of candidates, so that the voter
is OBLIGED to know, If he wants to
vote n party ticket, who his party can
didates are. by name Of each, getting
no information about it from the ballot
itself. Whether this sort of a ticket
will be helpful to the voter or the re.
verse can hardly be open TO much ques,
ton. All this sort Of legislation natu.
rally tends to the advantage of the
political manipulators, and toward keep
ing the voter in as much ignorance as
possible as to what is going on. An
anti-betting law was passed, which it
is said "bas put horse racing out of
business in the State" a female en-
ployment law, restricting the employ
nj Of 10 Joh Io,
or forty eight hours week, Will prob
ably have tendency TO cut down
wages and to debar women from en-
ployment.
Constitutional amendments that will
be voted upon at special election in
October provide for the initiative and
referendum; for the recall of all elec-
tive officers, including the judiciary;
for women suffrage; for making log
ging railroads common carriers; and
for reversal in criminal cases AS to
the first, Colonel Roosevelt, who was
opposed 10 the recall as applied to the
judiciary in Arizona, expresses himself
as decidedly in favor of such recall in
California, basng the reasons for this
difference Of opinion as between the
two States upon the alleged corruption
of the California Judges; which is a
pretty serious accusation to make. At
the same time, if there is TO be recall,
we do not see why the Judges should
be exempted from it, especially where
Al i IL
The recall referred to by Colonel
Roosevelt in one OF his recent speeches
as having been in operation in Massa-
chusetts in colonial days was a differ
ent sort of recall from what is now
used in some places and proposed in
others In those old davs the tenure
of Office was indefinite. often for life,
and the only way to get rid of an
obnoxious official was to depose him by
some authority. Under that system the
+ call would be cminentlY proper, not
ONLY for Judges, but for all officers.
Where. however, we have but short of
ticial terms, say two years or even
four the recall would seem to be mis-
fit
The woman suffrage amendment and
that making logging railroads common
carriers arc questions local TO the State,
with the probabili that both will
carry.
The final proposed amendment, how
ever, we consider by far the most i'm
portant of all, that which would aboi-
is, technicalities as grounds for re-
versal in criminal cases. Here is the
great offensc of the law as applied by
TIC judiciary, against the public. 1t
is surely enough, If the accused in Il
criminal case has the right TO appeal
in matters of substance; but to con-
tinue the use in the right of appeal Of
all frivolous and technical questions, is
an abuse which operates against the
public and should be stopped, not only
in California but everywhere through
out the Union. This it is that clogs
the calendars of the courts. and this
il is that keeps the appellate courts
so busy that they arc usually far be-
hind in their work.
While IT is probable that some of the
legislation and proposed amendments
shown in the work of the California
Legislature are of doubtful benefit on
the whole, others of them are Of such