The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1913-07-27
FRAUDS IN POPULAR RULE.

! Are politics innately fraudulent and
necessarily conducive to fraud, or is il
| only with the perversity natural 10
man that opportunity is found for
fraud, even in politics as purifcd7 Here
we see in the Orcgonian ordinations
and recriminations in the matter Of
| reform measures that were TO cor
rect all abuses, 1t appears that the
| legislature OF Oregon has not been
alert enough to add an emergency
clause to certain appropriation bills,
Therefore, an attack is being made up
on what is known as the "comDensa-
tion bill,' passed by the Oregon Leg
islature, as the Oregonian declares. "in
response to a well-nigh universal de-
mand." This attack it declares to be
''thc latest and most flagrant instance
of the abuse of the referendum.
This means that where the emergency
clause is not attached to a bill giving
it immediate effect, any party or COM
bination in that State which is opposed
to the bill can get petitions for submit
ting the same TO popular vote That
- ~" NhAI 10 bClLB uOuS hJlH JcGdkn
to this compensation BILL" but, the
Oregonian declares. "'the petitions are
in their essence fictitious or forged !"
That paper declares that these petitions
are manufactured purely out Of the
desire Of some cowardly and unknown
interest to hold up the BILL" and fur
ther, that they ''represent only tho
purposes of some sneaking, underground
group to break down proper legisla-
ton, and they illustrate the possibii-
ties of mischief and ruin to be wrought
by purchasable men through the corrupt
business Of petition-fakine
The Oregonian calls for a showdown
as to the "moving forces behind the
compensation act referendum. 1t de-
clares that it is dangerous for men to
be permitted for a consideration from
hidden employers to invoke the formal
machinery of the referendum. "It is
criminal that one name should be held
to be rs good as another for the uses of
a referendum petition and that the
drones, loafers. nondescripts. and vaga-
bonds of the North End and the idlcrs
and stragglers of the parks and streets
should be employed in this matter to
represent the will of the people Of Ore
gon.' And the Oregonian pungently
asks, "If the referendum is to be de-
voted only TO destructive or selfish
ends who viii care soon what becomes
OF it7"
But it is manifest proposition that
the initiative and referendum will nat
urally be employed chiefly by those in
terested IN employing it. Those who
wish to have some special interest or
policy served will spend money freely
to get up an initiative proposition. Just
as those who have special interests to
serve and who are financially interest
ed, or are malignant and mean, will get
up petitions by fraud and purchase for
referendum votes. This use Of the ref
erendum, which the Oregonian so Sc.
verely condemns in the case Of the leg
islature cited. is nothing moro than
the natural movement TO be expected
under such measures Those interested
who are able to pay the price and who
will get fair returns by the use of the
initiative and referendum, are those
who will chiefly employ it. The bulk
OF the people, honest and transporting,
are apt to be too much moved by peo-
pie of interest in all such moves as
this. It is being found in Oregon. as
it will inevitably be found everywhere.
that the designing, the crafty, the un-
scrupulous servers of special interests,
are the ones which will ultimately ben
eft most largely by the initiative and
referendum, and this benefit will inev-
itably be at the cost of the people.