Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1913-02-06
Republican Inconsistency.

field in his address to the Repub-
1ican Bull Moose caucus insisted
that they should all get behind
the progressive measures which
would be offered by the State
administration in the legislature
this winter, laying particular
stress on the initiative and refer
endunn.
A great change must have
come over the spirit of his party's
dreams in recent years.
Oyer six years ago--to be exact
on January 18, 1907-the Editor,
then a member of the State Sem
ate ,s1fered in that body a joint
resolution, looking to the adop-
ton of a constitutional amend
ment carrying the iniative and
referendum systems of legislation,
the journal of the Senate for that
day reading as follows:
Mr.. Campbell Offered The Following.
Resolved by the Legislature of West
Virginia, stwo-thirds of the members
elected to each House agreeing thereto:
'That the following be and the same
is proposed as an amendment to the
Constitution of the State, to-wit:
"That Section l, of Article vi, Of
the Constitution of the State of West
Virginia shall be and hereby is amended
to read as follows:
"Section l. The Legislative author
ity Of the State shall be vested
in legislative assembly, consisting of
Senate and House of Delegates, but
the people reserve to themselves power
to propose laws and amendments to the
constitution and to enact or reject the
same at the polls, independent of the
legislative assembly, and also reserve
power at their own option to approve
or reject at the polls any act of the
legislative assembly. The first power
reserved by the people is the iniative,
and not more than eight per cent of the
legal voters shall be required to pro-
pose any measure by such petition, and
every such petition shall include the
full text Of the measure SO proposed.
Initiative petitions shall be filed with
the Secretary of State not less than
four months before the election at
which they are to be voted upon. The
second power is the referendum, and it
may be ordered Except as to laws nee
essary for the immediate preservation
of the public peace, health or safety,)
either by the petition signed by five
per cent of the legal voters, or by the
legislative assembly, as other bills are
enacted. Referendum petitions shall
be filed with the Secretary of State not
more than ninety days after the final
adjournment of the session of the leg
islative assembly which passed the bill
on which the referendum is demanded.
The veto power of the Governor shall
not extend to measures referred to the
people. All elections ON measures re-
ferred to the people of the State shall
be had at the biennial regular elections,
. except when the legislative assembly
shall order special election. Any
measure referred to the people shall
take effect and become the law when il
is approved by a majority of the votes
cast thereon, and not otherwise. The
style of all bills shall be, BE it enacted
by the people of West Virginia. This
section shall not be construed to de.
priYe any member of the Legislative
assembly Of the right to introduce any
measure. The whole number of votes
cast for Judge of the Supreme Cour,
at the regular election last preceding
the filing of any petition for the initia
Tive or for the referendum shall be the
basis ON which the number of legal vo.
ters necessary to sign such petition
shall be counted. Petitions and orders
for the initiative and for the referen
dunn shall be filed with the Secretary
of State, and in submitting the same
to the people he. and all other officers
shall be guided by the general laws anc
the act submitting this amendment
until legislation shall be especially pro
vided therefor. -
Referred to the Committee on Ju.
dietary
At that time the State Senate
consisted of twenty-five Republi.
cans and five Democrats, the
committees, of course, being alb.
solutely in control of DIR. Hat
fields party.
The Judiciary Comm lite G
promptly, after courteously but
perfunctorily listening to its pa
irons arguments for the adoption
of the resolution, reported it back
with the recommendation that
it do not pass.
Thereupon on an aye and no
. vote every Democrat but one
voted in favor of the resolution,
and every Republican but one,
Senator Samuel B. Montg omery,-
who is hereby exonerated from
any charge of inconsistency--vote
against it.
Yet now they re falling over
each other in their efforts to pose
as Progressiyes.
Z In simple fairness it must be
stated that these political gym
nastics are not confined exclusive
~ to the party of the Governor
elect or more exactly speaking
the parties, (for We understand
that he embraces both the
Bull Moose and the Stand Pat
elements in his ideas of orthodox