The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1914-09-23

less. De sure you get III. JAMES
Headache Powders-then there will
be no disappointment.
quires about thirty thousand names
to get a petition before the voters
this year
Since statehood a total of eighty
\ initiated measures have been sub
mitted to a vote OF these, seven
were adopted 1t is provided by
, law that measure submitted at
general election shall receive
majority Of all the votes cast in
/ the election, rather than a major
( ity Of the votes cast on the ques-
/ ton. 1t has been the practice of
returning officers to count the vote
for governor as the total vote. This
| is never an accurate measure of the
/ total vote. In the cases now pend
( ing in this state it appears that each
of the three initiated measures has
a majority of the vote as cast for
| governor, but they probably would
not all have majorities of the vote
as cast for governor, but they prob
| ably would not all have malorit!es
of the total number of ballots cast
in the election.
Placed on Separate Ballots.
Initiated measures that are sub
mitted at general elections are plac-
ed on separate ballots. These bal
lots are laid aside or overlooked in
many instances. In the recent cleo
tion, held Aug. 4, 113 election pre-
ciEots made no return of the vote
on state questions. Investigation
now under way has developed that
ballots We're cast on the state
questions, but no attempt was made
TO count them. The precinct cleo
ton officials We're too busy ascer-
tanning the result of the primary
cleo ION to get at the minor matters
} invol fed.
Thousands of voters who are sup
piled with ballots on state questions
overlook them or leave them in the
: voting booths. Most of the voters
b are unacquaintcd with the issues
involved and, therefore, leave the bal
lots unmarked perhaps fortui-
) tous circumstance in many instances.
: owing to the conditions that have
been adyerted to, and which the
current democratic platform has con
sidered in the plank quoted.
Both protagonists and opponents of
state questions are allowed to make
brief arguments on such measures
\ which are printed in a pamphlet at
the states expense. The theory is
that voters may thus become ia
miliar with the questions and then
cast their votes intelligently. As a
matter of fact, these publicity pamph-
let's are usually shipped with the
ballots to the county election officers.
The ballots invariably arrive but a
short time before election day The
arguments are not distributed until
election day, and the voters rarely
read them at all
Platform Promises Remedy.
TIE democratic platform this year
promises to remedy this condition
also, by providing better publicity
for all state questions and better
distribution of the pamphlets that
contain the arguments.
\ record of the fate of iifty-fye
initiative and referendum measures
shows that seven were adopted by
vote; eight were defeated; eighteen
were never completed and submit
ted; nine failed to receive a majority
of all the votes cast, and thirteen
were killed in the courts.
In this state there has been no
apprcciable effect on the attitude of
the legislature toward public matters
as a result of the peoples power
provisions of initiative and refer
endum. The legislature has not
needed the implied admonition that
the law contains, and the leverage
in behalf of the people has been
insignificant to an extent that makes
the present attitude of the democratic
party with reference to its methods
spacious of possibilities in revivify-
ing principle that ought to be
made subservient to the will of the
people,
- Hha Il FL 4 in,s iI,ir,,ank