The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1912-11-29

Dakota, Oklahcms, Missouri, Maine.
Montana, Arkansas and Colorado, with
others, and the new constitution of
Arizona, under which it came into the
Union, Included the initiative and
referendum passed In the state OF Ohio
on the same ballot that defeated
woman's suffrage and the women of
that state may now use the initiative
or eight per cent OF the voters in n petit
ton will bring equal suffrage before the
people again.
The state OF Oregon was the first
state to adopt measures Of popular
government. Hon. Jonathan Bourne,
ST., Senator from that state, made a
speech before the senate May Is, 1910,
and 10 il he defined some of these
measures and gave examples OF some OF
the benefits derived thereby. He said:
AT the time of Mr.. Roosevelt's inau-
guration thu tendency was to measure
Lational prosperity by property rather
than by personal liberty. The COM
mercial force OF society was rapidly
throttIing the police power of the
tated administrative and legislative
destlnies of many communities and
states"
Under the initiative ia 1904 a local
option liquor law was adopted by vote
of over $4,000 To 10000 Two years
later the oppooents Of the local option
law proposed al amendment in their
,,t h, IaF 30
Of 5000 To 30 900. In the first case it
was put affirmatively before the peo
p,e-in the second, negatively, with a
view of belonging the people. City
charters in that state had been made
the tradIog stock OF political factions IN
the legislature. The leading factions
amended city charters as reward to
political allies. Traffi in local legisla
ton even went so far that it so netimes
served as a consideration in the election
of u. 5. senators. rhe people having
become tired of this disregard of the
interest of good municipal government,
acting under the inistlve, adopted
constitutional amendment which took
away from the legislature the power to
that power in the municipalities them
selves, thus establishing home rule.
10 many states there has long been
feeling that certain classes of corpora.
lions which own very little tangible
property do not bear their share of the
taxation. legislatures failed to provide
a remedy. For the purpose of securing
a more equitable distribution of the
burden of Taxation the ate grange,
proceeding under the iniative, proposed
a law levylng a gross earnings tax OF
three per cent on sleeping car, refriger
ator car, and oil car companies, which
measure was adopted The Grange also
proposed similar tax of three per cent
on express and two per cent on telegra ph
and telephone companies, which was
also adopted. Each OF these gross
earnings tax laws applied only to inter
state business
The argument that the referendum
is a cumbersome and expensive plan
does not take into consideration the loss
o the people which has resulted from
Unrestricted legislative rule. The loss
to the people of one city by the grant
ing Of a franchise without the proper
restrictions would probably more than
pay the expenses of referendum for ten
years. With experience many devices
may be adopted that will eliminate some
expense, but more probably there will
be less occasion for its use as legis-
latures recognize the fact that people
are on their guard.