The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1911-04-20
NEW SENATOR FROM cALIFOR-
MA FRIEND TO INITIATIVE
AND REFERENDUM.
STATE ENTITLED TO STATEHOOD
Works Tells Senate That People Of
Arizona Have a Right to Decide
For Themselves What Form OF
Republican Government They Want

Washington, April 20.-Arizona' S
right to statehood under the consti-
tuition which it has presented found
a strong advocate on the floor of
the United States Senate today in
the person of Senator Works, Cali
fornia's new member of the upper
house of congress. In defending the
Arizona constitution he took occd-
sion to warn the republican party
that unless it should heed the de-
mand made upon it for an endorse
ment of the initiative, referendum
and recall, earnestly demanded by
an overwhelming majority of our
people of all political parties" the
party would go down Ito defeat and
final destruction and oblivion"
The real objection to the consti-
tuition, he declared, was "one phase
of the struggle that has been going
on in this country between the COM
mon people and the privileged, self
seeking interests, affecting the right,
to govern the nation, the state and
the municipalities" The initiative.
referendum and recall, provided for
in the Arizona constitution and al
ready in force in some states of the
union. was one method the people
We're taking, he asserted, of trying to
blot out corruption in politics. With
the exception of recall of judges, he
said he was heartily in favor of this
way of getting rid of incompetent
or corrupt pubic servants.
The senator touched on the Lori
mer case in connection with his plea
for honest politics. Senator Works
was named in the resolution intro
duced at the present session by Sen
ator LaFollette calling for another
investigation of the Lorimer case, as
chairman of the committee of inves-
tigation.
This widespread uprising against
the corruption that, if persisted in,
must eventually overthrow our rep
resentative form of government" he
said, 'is founded upon the most
convincing evidence that corrption
is eating at the very vitals Of the
republic and threatening the perpe-
tuity of our free institutions. We
need not go outside OF this chamber
to find evidence of this fact. The
pages Of the Congressional Record
of the past few months will disclose
a condition that has brought the
whole nation to shame. ut Wtas
charged that the election of a member
of this body was .nocured BY cor
rupt practice and the bribery of
votes in the legislature. I need not
enter upon a discussion of the evil
dence in that case. 1t is enough to
say that it was clearly and suffi-
ciently shown that corrupt practices
had been resorted to in the election
and that some votes had been pur-
chased.
Il have cited the case" the sena-
tor continued, Ito show why the peo-
pie of this country may justly claim
larger share in the election of
their officers and the control of leg
islation. 1t is one out of hundreds
of cases where corrupt and illegal
influences have been brought to bear
to control elections and the enact
ment of legislation detrimental to the
public at large.
is there no way he asked, "by
which such evil influences may be
met and overcome? Some senators
here seem to think not. When the
people attempt to limit the power
of their representative and assume
some of that power themselves by
ignoring the unfaithful representative
and acting directly at the polls. or
by recalling him and substituting
an honest and faithful representative
in his place, the cry is raised that
this effort to control their own rep
and their own govern
ment is n violation of the constitu-
ton of the United States and an en-
croachment upon the principles of