The copper era., 1911-02-03
Public Opinion.

county and member of the legislature of Arizona in the years gone by says he finds many of its pro visions distasteful and some of them bordering on anarchy. As consequence he is going to cast his vote against the constitution in the hope that he may help to defeat the document and help secure the state hood which he desires through the resemblage of the constitutional con- vention and the formation of plain and simple constitution.
 "When speak to my friends of the conststution- call it anarchy, in- cipient anarchy-and not very iucip tent, either," he said.
 WILL VOTE AGAINST n.
 1T do not intend to vote for the constitution, and on the contrary | intend most emphatitally to vote against 1t. I object to the consti- tuition on several counts. tu the first place l am opposed to the pro- vision fer the initiative and reteren- dunn for reason that the percentage of voters required to initiate or refer is entirely too low; and especially is that true of the referendum which requires only five per cent of the qualified electors of the state in or der to secure it.
 I object further to the initiative and referendum as methods of enact ing laws on the ground that in my judgment they contravene the cunsti- tuition of the United States which secures to every state a representa- tive form of government. Under the referendum provision if one law is passed by the legislature for the approval of the people. every law may be referred to them with cer- tain exceptions such as laws which require earlier operation in order to preserve public peace health or safe- ty or to provide for the maintenance of the state or state institutions.
 This law provides that the legisla- ture may pass a law which is entirely beneficial to the people of the state generally, yet if five per cent of the interests adversely affected by the law choose to invoke the referendum, that law may be held up or suspended for two years.
 It would be easily in the power of railroad corporations, mining cor poratlons, or other great interests to bring about that condition of affairs.
 ''I also object to that portion of the constitution which provides that no law passed under the initiative and referendum shall be vetoed by the governor; so that although it might be perfectly apparent that such a law is unconstitutional, the governor could not veto it.
 VICIOUS RECALL.
 Further objection is obvious with respect to ths provision for the re call of public officers. It seems to me that such a provision is vicious and particularly so when it applie. to the judiciary. The courts of oul country are the very sheet anchors of the stability and foundation ot which our from of government rests If the judiciary may by recalled, ii becomes or may become subservient to the will, passion, or prejudice ot any large class of people. In case oi excitement or threatened destruction of property, or the threatened loss ot life or liberty by any considerable class of people, that threat ought to be restrained, and the court. should have full power to do so.
 Otherwise there can be no safety.
 noticed a few days ago that ir Denver a number of people sought the impeachment of a judge who hat issued a restraining order on certain persons for committing certain yio. lent acts. The restraining order wa, violated, and the violators were sent to jail for contempt of court. Tha' gave rise to Impeachment. Now il Colorado had the recall of the iud iciary that faction would have al open road to depose that judge.
 TIT MAY BE ANARCHY"
 "There are other objections to the constitution which I need not men tion here, but viewing these provi sion of the proposed constitution as I do, it seems to me that they would generate political confusion-and ii may be anarchy. Anarchy is defined as the "want of government; state of society where there is no law ol supreme power, and where individ uals do what they please with inn punity; political confusion"
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