Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1912-02-23
peculiarly efficient business instrument.

peculiarly efficient business instrument.
LEGISLATION NEEDED.
1.-THE legislature should make it more
clear exactly what methods are illegal.
and then the judiciary will be in bet
ter position to punish adequately and
relentlessly those who insist on DEFY
ing the clear Legislative DEGREES. I do
not believe any absolute private mo-
nopoly is justified, but If our great
combinations are properly supervised,
so that immoral practices are prevent
ed-absoIute monopoly will not come to
pass, as the laws of competition and
efficiency are against il.
shape your constitutional action so
that the people will be able through
their legislative bodies, OF, falling that,
by direct popular vote, to provide work
mems compensation acts, to regulate
the hours of labor for children and for
women, to provide for their safety
while at work, and to prevent overwork
or work under unhygienic or unsafe
conditions. See to it that no reStrlc-
tions are placed upon legislative powers
that will prevent the enactment of laws
under which your people can promote
the general welfare, the common good.
so much for the ends of government
and 1 have, of course, merely sketched
in outline what the ends should be. Now
for the machinery by which these ends
are to be achiexed; and here again re-
member only sketch in outline and do
not for moment pretend to work out in
detail the methods of achieving your pur-
poses.
FAvORs SHORT BALLOT.
I'm the first place, believe in the
short ballot You cannot get good sea :
ice from the public servant if you cannot
see him, and there is no more effective
way of hiding him than by mixing him
UP with a multitude OF others so that
they are none of them important enough
to catch the eye of the average, work
aday citizen. The crank in public life is
not ordinarily the man whom the people
themselves elect directly to a highly
important and responsible position. The
professional politician and the profession
al lobbyist thrive most rankly under q
system which provides a multitude OF
obscurity that the public knows, and
can know, but little as to their duties
and the way they perform them.
1.-The people have nothing, whatever
to fear from giving anyr public servant
power so long as they retain their own
power to hold him accountable for his
use of the power they have delegated
to him. You will get best service where
you elect only a few men, and where
each man has his definite duties and re-
sponsibilities, and is obliged to work IL
the open, so that the people know who
he is and what he is doing, and have the
information that will enable them t.
hold him to account for his stewardship
1T believe in providing for direct nom
nations by the people, including therein
preferential primaries for the election Of
delegates to the national nominating
conventions. 1 believe in the election OIL
United States senators by direct vote,
believe in the initiative and the referen-
dunn, which should be used not to de-
stroy representative government, but t
correct it whenever it becomes misrep
resentative.
INITIATIVE AND REFERENDUM.
81 believe that the initiative and ref
erendum should be used, not as substi
tutes for representative government but
as methods Of making such government
really representative. Action by the ini'
tiative or referendum ought not to be the
normal way of legislation; but the power
to take it should be provided in the con