The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1912-12-23
WHAT THE PEOPLE VOTE.

! Mayor Gaynor of New York has re-
Gently given utterancc Il number OF
times to the sentiment that the people
get Just the kind Of government in that
metropolis that they vote for and want;
4 and that sentiment is often expressed
by others throughout the country. But
is it truc' is there any method under
our present elective system. for the peo.
pie 10 vote on measures rs distinguished
from candidates, And do tho people.
as matter Of fact, vote for principles.
or simply vote for mcn9
Take an Illustration from the late
election IN Utah There was Constitu.
tlonal amendment submitted which
ostensibly was designed 10 provide that
public moneys deposited i'm the banks
should draw interest for the benefit of
tue public treasury and not for The
benefit of individual pockets. There can
be no doubt but that there is substan.
tial unanimily in the minds of every
voter on the dcsirability of having
The public money draw interest and
having that interest covered into tho
public treasury, But tho proposed
amendment was defeated by a very
great majority. Why' Not because
the voters were opposed TO the principle
ostcnsibly contained in the amendment
but because there were large numbers
of them that were distrustful OF the
proposition as submitted. They did not
see how the state was going TO hold
trensurcrs on their bonds if the money
was taken out Of their hands and de-
posted for the benefit Of the State;
and also they were not able TO see how
ii was that ii this money was taken and
deposited by authority Of tho State
there could he any way of saving
loss to the state in case 4 bank failed
or the money was lost, For surely the
State cannot hold tho treasurer re-
sponsblc for the money if it takes it
oui Of his hands.
Again, the State administration
sion Of these amendments was re-
elected, although tho amendments
which it proposed were defeated. Here
is an incongruity that can hardly be
charged to the public desire. The peo.
pie would hardly consent to the propo.
sition that though eight propositions
were submitted by the authority Of the
administration. the administration
should still be continued and those
propositions rejected. The fact is that
: he.
vote directly and squarely upon clear
cut propositions like this or other prop
ositions of a general sort. The sub
mission of such questions is always
complicated, and the cntanglemcnts are
confusing. Besides it is a wcll-known
fact, as we have pointed out heretofore,
and as the returns always show, that
the vote on propositions of this kind
falls very short Of the vote on candi-
dates. The total vote on the eight Con
stitutional amendments in Utah last
November averaged only about one
third of the total vote cast for Presi
dent or for State Offices,
The same lack OF consistency was
noted 10 the vote of Idaho, where 104.
900 votes were cast for President, but
for members Of Congress but 10000;
for Governor, 90 900; for other State
officers, $1,000: on the question of
adopting the initiative and referendum,
only $4,000 votes were cast, and only |
81 900 on the recall. In view Of these
figures and of the like failure in vot.
ing in every State on referendum ques-
tions. it is difficult to agree to the |
that the people get Just !
the kind OF a government that they !
vote for; since, as Il matter Of fact !
they do not vote for government at all !
or for principles Of government, but |
chiefly for candidates; and they have
to take chances on these candidates |
out their will. And, even as
we see in this State, where the admin
expressly recommends to the
voters a lot of propositions for their Ia.
vorable consideration, the voters
downed those propositions and elected |
the same old administration to office
It is surely a tumble all around, out
OF which the only certain and clear
which can be 6shed is that |
the people not only do not vote on the
kind of government that they want, but
the masses have neither the opportunity |
nor apparently the inclination to vote
upon government principles at all.
A NEW GREAT INVENTION.