Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1912-02-22

remember that, while machinery u
important, II IL easy TO overestimats
its importance; and. moreover. tina.
each community has the absolute rign'
Ia determine for itself what that ma
chInery shall be, subject only 10 the
fundamental law OF the nation as en-
pressed in the Constitution Of the Uni
ted States. IN the first place.
believe In the short ballot. You eau
not get good service from the puDhc
servant II you cannot see him. and
there is no more effective way OF MD
Ing him than by mixing him up Win
multitude of others 20 that tney are
none OF them important enough y
catch the eye OF the average. worka'
day citizen. The professional pontl'
clan and the professional loDDyis'
thrive most rankly under system
which provides q multitude OF elec'
tive oficers. OF such divided RESPONSE
bility and of such obscurity that tne
public knows, and can know. but httis
40 to their duties and the way tney
perform them. The people have nom
ing whatever to fear from giving any
public servant power so long AZ tney
retain their own power to holo n'm
accountable for his use Of the power
they have delegated to him.
/ believe In providing for direct non'
nations by the people. includins mere
in direct preferential primaries lot IN.
election Of delegates to the nationai
nominating conventions. !,
/ believe In the election OF United
States senators by direct vote. just
as actual experience convinced our
people that presidents should De
elected las they now are In practice'
although not in theory by direct Vo.e
of the people instead Of by direct vote
through an untrammeled electoral COL
lege, so actual experience has con-
yinced US that senators should Dc
elected by direct vote OF the peopie
instead Of indirectly through the Vsrl'
ous legislatures.
! believe in the initiative and the
referendum, which should be used not
to destroy representative government
but to correct 1t whenever 1t becomes
misrepresentation Here again ! am
concerned not with theories but Win
actual facts. II in any state the peo-
ple are themselves satisfied with their
present representative system. then
1t il Of course their right to keep that
system unchanged; and 1t Is nobody's
business but theirs. But In actuai
practice it has been found In very
many states that legislative bodies
have not been responsive to the popu-
lar will. Therefore ! believe that the
state should provide for the possibility
of direct popular action in order to
make good such legislative failure.
Wisconsin Method Praised.
In a recent speech Governor McGoV-
ern of Wisconsin has described the
plan which has been there adopted.
Under this plan the effort TO obtain
the law is first to be made through
the legislature, the bill being pushed
as far as it will 60; so that the details
of the proposed measure may pc
threshed over in actual legislative de-
bate. This gives opportunity to per
feet 1t in form and invites public
scrutiny. Then, II the legislature rails
to enact it, 1t can be enacted by the
people on their own initiative. taken
at least four months before election.
Moreover, where possible, the question
actually to be voted on by the people
should be made as simple as possible.
In short, / believe that the initiative
and referendum should be used not as
substitutes for representative govern
ment, but as methods Of making such
government really representative.
Give the legislature an entirely free
hand; and then provide by the initia-
tive and referendum that the people
shall have power to reverse or sup
plement the work of the legislature
should it ever become necessary.
AS to the recall, do not believe
that there 10 any great necessity for
it as regards short-term elective Of
fcers. On abstract grounds was
originally inclined to be hostile to IT,
know of one case where 1t was &C
,ually used with mischievous results
On the other hand, in three cases IN
municipalities on the Pacific coast
which have come TO my knowledge II
was used with excellent results.
believe It should be generally pro
vided, but with such restrictions as
will make 1t available only when there
is q widespread and genuine publh
feeling among majority Of the
| voters.
There remains the question Of the
recall Of judges. One Of the ablest
jurists in the United States, a veteran
in service to the people, recently wrote
me as follows On this subject:
There are two causes Of the agi
tation for the recall as applied tc
Judges. First, the administration Of
Justice has withdrawn from life and
become artificial and technical. The
| recall "a not so much q recall of judges