Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1912-10-27
INITIATIVE AND
REFERENDUM

Continued from Page Sixl
held to invalidate the sufficiency OF
the petition, provided there are
enough genuine signatures to meet
the legal requirements.
2. The Ballot.
(a) The ballot title need not be
identical with the legislative title. 1t
should state clearly the purpose of the
measure.
(b) Measures should appear upon
the ballot in the order in which the
petitions are filed.
Ample opportunity should be given
for injunction and prompt legal pro-
cedure and review by the courts to
insure the fairness of the ballot title
and arrangement OF questions so that
the voters may not be Intentionally
misled.
(c) The method Of stating meas
ures should be as uniform as possible.
81 that no confusion may occur over
the effect Of positive or negative
vote.
8. The Publicity Pamphlet
Ca The publicity pamphlet should
pending measures as we'll as copies of
the measures. and should be mailed
direct to the registered voters from the
office of the secretary of state.
This is the oregon method and 1t
has met with pronounced success and
the approval of the voters. Oregon
. first tried expressing the pamphlets to
the county clerks who were required
~ This failed and
the present system was established.
The Oklahoma plan of distributing
pamphlets at the primary election has
failed. The old newspaper system Of
advertising measures in partisan
newspapers has proved farce. At
tempted circulation, or even mailing,
sample ballots is very inadequate.
Arguments on measures submitted
by the legislature should be made by
a member or committee of the leg
islature appointed by those favoring
npand those opposing the measures. Ar
guments on all measures, however
submitted, should be included when Of
fered by private citizens, or organiza-
lions, they paying the exact cost to
the state for the space taken. All ar
guments should be either signed, or a
Statement bc uItut III Wiiosc D'-
half the arguments is made, and who
Is paying the expense.
1t is difficult to overestimate the
value of this system of educating the
voters 1t insures intelligent voting
and a much larger proportion taking
part in the decision of questions.
4. Returns.
The vote upon measures should be
canvassed and returned with the same
dispatch as the vote upon candidates.
S. Quick Action by the Courts.
The courts should advance upon the
docket all litigation relative to the
process of submitting measures, rem
der prompt decisions, and this should
be made mandatory. $780,.
Six Dangerous "Jokers."
Here, briefly stated, are the principal
"jokers' which have been found to
render ineffective the initiative and
referendum. in those states where they
ave been in use. This article is in
tended to put students and workers for
direct legislation on their guard
against the plausible talk about "safe-
guards an drestrictions." Every Joker
has for its object the limitation of the
power of the voters in legislation. We
must expect this sort of thing from the
politicians. but there IL no excuse for
the friends Of direct legislation falling
into traps set under the specious plea
Of protecting the initiative and refer
endum from being abused"
Joker No. Limiting the initiative
to statute laws and prohibiting the
voters from proposing and adopting
amendments to the state constitution.
The constitutional initiative IL the
most vital part Of any amendment 1t
Is denied to the people of South Da-
kota, Utah. Montana and Maine. Also
1t. is omitted from the amendments
proposed in Washington and Idaho
Joker No. 2-To require an improb-
able or impossible majority necessary
to enact or reject measures submitted
to the voters.
Oklahoma requires a majority of all
votes cast in said election" necessary
to enact any measure submitted either
by the legislature or by initiative Pc
otftion. No measure submitted at regu-
lar election since 1907 has been adopt
ed. although five important ones did
receive large majority of the votes
cast thereon" Twelve states have
for years had this requirement for the
adoption OF constitutional amendments.
and in those states 1t has been found
practically impossible to change the
constitution. no matter how necessary.
Every measure voted on should be de-
cided by the votes cast thereon.
Joker No. $40 require large petit
lions or to render 1t difficult to secure
them, no matter what per cent is re-
CURED.
The proposed Wyoming amendment
requires rs per cent petitions, which is
absurd. Montana has the standard per
cents. for the referendum, for the
initiative. But to suspend the op-
Grafton of law until the vote is taken.
If NO0I ADE A