New Ulm review., 1912-10-16

fronted with the problems that we
have to meet. They made the mis-.
take Of not trusting the people.
They were afraid Of what some
people are pleased to call "the
mob" They hedged us about with
what they thought were safe
guards against our own impetu-
osity. Experience has shown them
to have been mistaken. The peo-
pie are always conservative. They
are always to be trusted.
Present System Indirect.
Instead of allowing US to vote direct.
ly on the policies that should control
us, they only allowed us to choose the
man who should determine the poll,
cies for us. Instead of placing the po.
litical power in our hands all the time,
they let us have it one day-election
dsy-and placed 1t in the hands of the
men whom we elected during the other
729 days. One day every two years
the majority Is master. During 729
days their elected servants are in fact
their masters. We have tho power to
vote men into Office, but we have not
the power to vote them out of Office.
When we have cast our ballots, We
| have shot our bolt. We lack two
things in order to make self-govern.
ment effective-the right to vote di.
rectly on the policies of government
and the right to vote men out Of Office
who fail to carry out the policy that
we want. &.a
Political Machinery Out Of Date.
Experience has demonstrated that it
is useless expenditure of effort to
try to get better laws and to reform
the abuses of government until we
amend our political machinery in this
respect. No matter what We want, We
have no way Of expressing ourselves,
and we have no way of enforcing our
demands. We become enthused over
a party or over a candidate, and we
often forget to inquire what the party
or the candidate stands for. We con-
fuse personalities with principles, and
We arrive nowhere.
Initiative and Referendum New In This
Country.
1t is only within the last few years
that this situation has really become
clear to us. Now that we understand
the reason for our failure to control
our government, we propose to hold
all other issues in allegiance and make
the contest one for the improvement
of our political machinery, so that we
can in the future express our will and
enforce it. When we have improved
the machinery we will be ready to
take up all public questions, big and
little, that have baffled us so long.
How do we propose to effect this i'm
provement in the machinery of our
government? Are we advocating a
revolution? No. On the contrary, We
are opposed to revolutions. We be-
lieve they often do more harm than
good. What we believe in is evolu-
,tion.
- II
We believe in so amending our !"
system that whenever the major =.
ity is satisfied that thing should
be done, it will be done. We be-
lieve in steady, orderly evolution
* ary progress. We believe in meet
s. ing and overcoming difficulties as x
they arise. What we propose is
* the initiative and referendum.
X = = x
Initiative Most important.
The Initiative is the most important,
as we'll as the most effective, of the
devices yet invented to promote pOpu-
lar rule.
= &** s.
There is slang phrase that you
" all have heard: IF you want to
y know who is boss here, start
y something" That applies to our
public affairs. If you want to
know who is boss in this country,
y try to start something for the
benefit Of the people, and see how
far you get with it. You won't
get very far. You will soon run
T. afoul of some public servant who
holds the key to the particular
8 door that you want to open. The
key was put in his hands by the
: help of big business. He will prob
+ ably use the key for the benefit
= of those who gave it to him. So
& he locks the door in your face.
pose you had master key that *
was so constructed that it would II
unlock all doors? You would say
10 your ScTVduI, AL IlSuI. IL
you won't open the door, l will *
open it myself with my master $:
key" That is exactly what the 3"
initiative is.
+ * +
It is the master key, and you keep
t in your own possession all the time.
You can use it whenever you think it
necessary.
Nothing Startling About Initiative.
Now, there is nothing startling or
dangerous about this. Every private
business in the world reserves to its
owners this power. Ii you hire per-
son to help you in your business, you
ell him what to do. If he refuses or
,eglects to do what you want him to
10, or refuses to do it in the way you
want it done, you always reserve the
light to do it yourself. No private
business could exist on any other
,asis. You would not think of hiring
man for two years, or four years.
md giving him complete control of
our business without the right to in
erfere with him. He might get a
,otiOn tn rim the business for his own |