The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1912-06-14
Liue Questions Discussed
Ln Annual Alumni Address
Objections to Initatiue Referendum and Recall Presented
by C. j. Ran,age, Esq, Class of 49,

C. ]. Ramage, Esq, class of '95, OF
Saluda, delivered before the Alumni
association of Newberry college, IN
the opera house on Tuesday morning:
these three insidious evils are cal
culated to change our State govern
ments from their present excellent
form to rule of the mob or, what is,
the natural result, to the rule of a few
unscrupulous demagogues. The
denagogue and the rule of the peo-
ple. so-called, go hand in hand. There
are only two forms of government and
can be only two-the government of
monarch, whether claiming by right of
inheritance or by the suffrages of a
deluded, nisled and frantic mob, on
the one hand; and the government by
representatives of the people, operat-
ing under settled law and with proper
checks and balances, On the other
hand.
Some people say that the people
have a divine right to rule and that
any abridgment of that right is a great
crime and will bring woe and disaster
to any people Now, lay it down as
a truth that no man or set of men
have any right to rule or lord it over
any other man or men. Government
is a matter of convenience and its
first and only object should be to pro-
tect the weak against the Strong-to
provide a means whereby each man
may enjoy the fruit of his toll, unmo-
Tested and undisturbed by any one.
The government that will do this most
efficiently is the only proper rule and
is the only one that will survive the
shock of time and stress of rough
usage. Only such men as will aid in
maintaining such a government, ought
to be allowed to participate in its af-
fairs. Time and experience have dem
onstrated that the rule of the people
through their chosen representatives,
operating under a constitution, which
hedges in their powers and protects
the right to life, freedom Of action,
speech and thought, and the right to
property in each individual, is the only
government under which the whole
people may be prosperous and happy.
Magma Charta, which guaranteed these
rights to the Englishman, was the ear
liest written expression of these great
principles. This great document
made a nation of freemen and provid-
ed that the King Of England, with his
crown on his head and his army at
his back, could not enter the hut of
the rudest peasant without the per-
mission of its owner.
''The referendum was first known in
its present form among the Swiss can
oons. They sent their representatives
to the general assembly, who could not
finally pass any law, without first re-
5arring it to the various conStitu-
encies for approval. This was in the
sixteenth century. The initiative was
adopted by the Swiss Confederation in
1891. The recall was especially re-
served IN Article Five of the Articles
of Confederation under which our ear
liest congresses met. In 1776, Pennsyl-
vania recalled her delegates to the
Continental congress, when they re-
fused to sign the Declaration of Inde-
pendence, and sent others who did
sign it. Arkansas, Oklahoma, Missouri,
North Dakota and Oregon have the
initiative, referendum and recall as to
the constitution and laws. We find
modified forms in certain other States.
The first real agitation of the initia-
tive and referendum was begun in the
Populist platform of 1891.
81 consider the State of Oregon as
having the most nearly theoretic form
of these three rules that is to be
found anywhere, and l will devote my
remarks to their provisions. The ini-
tive nroviSion declares that legislative
!! authority shall be vested in the gener-
al assembly. but that the people re-
serve to themselves the power to pro-
pose laws and amendments to the COL
stitution and to enact or reject the
same at the polls, independently of the
legislative assembly, and also, reserves
the power to approve or reject at the