The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1912-08-29
L.&R. IS WORKING
NOW IN OREGON
1T is CHEAPER TO LEARN THE
RESULTS FROM THE EXPERT
ENcE OF OTHERS.
THE CHICAGO INTER-OCEAN
Investigator Tells of Petition Indus,
try-NulIifies United States Con-
stitution-You Can't Corrupt
All the People, But You
Can BefooI and De-
ceiVe Them.

Oregon, with it's initiative, referen
dunn and recall and it's successful
device for nullifying the constitution
of the United States with respect to
the election of senators, is continu
ally held up before US by the PRO
gressive" prophets as a model
state" where the people do really
rule"
In Oregon, we are told, it is moi
possible for "sordid interests" to de
feat the will of the people in legis
lation, nor for ''hide-bound" courts to
thwart their laudable desires for 80,
cial betterment" There is the recall
for judges; there is the initiative
with which to get good" legislation; /;
there is the referendum to stop bad
legislation.
Oregon has all the panaceas in full
bloom and vigOr. Yet a record before
US shows how with all these panaceas
the spite of one petty community has
held up the will of the people of Ore
gon for year, has crippled their
State university and has put the
state to the expense of a general cleo
ton in order to be able to do for the
State university what an overwhelm-
ing majority of the people undoubted-
ly approve. The underlying facts are
briefly as follows:
Eugene is the county seat of Lane
county. The inhabitants of Cottage
Grove desired for their town the
benefits of being a county seat So
they proposed to divide Lane county,
that their town might be the capital
of the new county to be thus created.
At an election held on the question
the proposal for division was de.
feated.
The Cottage Growers, perhaps cor
rectly, attributed the blasting of their
hopes to the Eugeners. They set
about to get revenge They found in
the great and admirable Oregon refer.
endum law an instrument made ready
to their hands. Eugene is also the
seat of the State university, an in.
stitution confessed on all hands to be
| doing excellent work, but sorely in
need of increased accommodations
| for the young people of the state.
So the Cottage Growers demanded
a referendum on the legislatures ap
preparations for the support and en-
Iargement Of the university. AS the
proposal did not seem particularly
popular they went up to Portland anC
hired a person named Parkinson tC
] get signatures to their referendum
petition, at 3.5 cents each. Mr.. Park
inson is an Oregon uplifter who has
organized a new industry-that ot
getting signatures for petitions.
Parkinson got the signatures. He
got $4,000, though only 6,135 were re
Quired. Parkinson's agents got ovel
5000 signatures by the easy method
of manufacturing them. That has
been proved in open court. OVel
5000 of the remaining 1000 were no
i put on the petition as the law re
quires.
The law prescribes the form of tht
petition. Each sheet must contain {
full and correct copy of the measure
on which the referendum is demand
ed. There must not be more than q
] signatures on a sheet The plain in
tent of the law is that the voter shall
have right under his eye, when sign
ing, what he is signing.
Over 5000 names secured by Park
inson for the Cottage Growers ha'
apparently been written on blanl
sheets which were afterwards gath
cred together and attached to q cop.
of the act. Yet the supreme court o
Oregon having the fear of the recal
before it's eyes-has declared this
valid petition, on which the univel
sity appropriations must be held u
until an election can be held an
the people pass on the question
However, let us note that Mr.. Justic
Eakin dissented vigorously from thi
conclusion.
Yet as the law Of Oregon nov
stands the industry of collecting sis
natures in support of any sort of a
initiative. referendum or recall pet
ton has apparently the sanction G
the states highest court. And tn
Oregon case shows what an illusio
is the saying that you can't corruE
the whole people" You can't corruI
them, but you can befool. confuse an
| deceive them and obstruct all govern
ment by the methods of direct" lei
islation.
For a year the people of Orego
are not ruling with respect to the
State university. The malice of th
Cottage Growers and the promotie
of it by Parkinson and his agents al
ruling. And this in Oregon. th
model commonwealth" Queer, ism
it. how these devices for gettin
good government" automaticall
work when put on trial?-The Inte
/ OaaSu