Ashland tidings. [volume] (Ashland, Or.) 1876-1919, 1912-09-30
INITIATIVE AND REFERENDUM

The editor has been again wading
through the Oregon political pam
phIet in an attempt to form an intel
ligent Judgment on the forty-eight
proposed initiative bills. He finds il
absolutely impossible to do SO. 1t is
our opinion that not one per cent OF
the voters at the polls in Oregon in
November will be able to cast an in
telligent ballot Standing in the vot-
ing booth with a general ticket as
big as a newspaper, containing the
names of all the candidates, from
presidential elector to dog catcher,
of six or seven separate political or
ganizations, and another, as big as
a blanket, containing the forty-eight
measures proposed, he is bound TO be
lost in the endless mazes. If he at
tempts TO vote on all candidates and
all measures it will take him two
hours to do it, and if he wants to
exercise an intelligent vote on each
f
he could not do it in a year.
All of which leads us TO advocate
the short ballot" and wonder how
in the name of common sense the
people of Oregon could so misunder-
stand the proper uses of the initia-
/ tive and referendum to the extent
I of becoming SO hopelessly entangled
in such mazes of initiated legislation.
/ The initiative and referendum
does not supply an intelligent work
ing system for legislation as sub
stitute for the representative sys-
TEN. To attempt to so use it is but
to discredit it. Oregon has gone wild
on the initiative. 1t has forgotten
that there is a state legislature
whose function is to make law.
The initiative and referendum as
tools to force really representative
government are wholesome and will
prove effective measures, but as law.
making instruments supplanting leg
islative function they will prove un
trustworthy and cumbersome.
The great good in the initiative il
not in it's law-making power, to b'
always substituted for the represen
tative system, but rather because o
its force in bringing the legislator
into a more responsive relation t
popular will.
In its proper use it should only b
exercised after the legislature ha
failed to respond to the popular dC
mand for legislation in the intere'
of the whole. So used it becomes {
once a restraint on misrepresent;
. tion and a fit weapon in the hands {
the people when their representative
' fail to respond to a popular deman
AS a substitute for the represent
v tive system it will prove failur
~ and no better illustration could
- devised than will be afforded Il
electorate in the November electit
when it comes to wrestling with &
practical side of the question in t
voting booth.
- 1t will prove altogether dangc
Gus eXpedient to vote yes on me;
:, ures that are not understood, and t
general tendency will be and shot
:, be to vote no when in doubt
When the legislative body becon
= thoroughly responsive to the pol
lar will more wholesome legislati
can be enacted in one session tn
the initiative can produce in
years. Let the initiative, refer
dun and recall be exercised in 81
manner as to force the legislature
=, properly respond to the public nee
y, That is the proper function OF tn
measures and when appliey only
- these uses they will prove salut
and effective.
While the initiative is too cumt
-, some to be practical as medium
the enactment of general legislati
~, as is apparent in the number of me
ures before the people this year
may be made highly useful in anne
=, ing the constitution so as to open
way for needed legislation, and
der particular circumstances,
when the legislature fails to ell
measures for which there is a pc
80. lar need or attempts to pass
49, against public interest.
-, We are again reminded that so
times it is a grand thing to be
editor Not tn he "A good editor.