Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1914-10-22
A WORD To
WISCONSIN VOTERS

]
! ters you must decide matters ina
are OF exceeding importance to vol
and to the voters who will come af-
ter you.
This day is your chance tt pro
vide yourselves with instruments O.
government that viii make you alb
sOluteIy supreme for all time in the
states affairs.
How?
By voting YES on the Constitu-
tional Amendments.
These amendments are designed tC
give you greater power and contro.
over your government. That is why
they are being opposed so desper-
ateIy by the bosses, the machine poll
tfcfans. the special interests, and the
newspapers that serve these inter
-ests.
Rejecting Laws You Don't Want
Have YOU ever wanted to defeat a
law that you considered bad? Has
the legislature ever enacted inoo law
a measure that you yourself would
have voted against if you had been
sitting in the place of your represen
tative? Has there ever been an ap-
preparation bill hurried through the
legislature that has not met with
your approval? If so, wouldn't you
like 10 have it arranged so that t
would be possible for you, by your
votes, to undo what the legislature
las done and to kill the undesired
law? The way will be opened for
you to do just this thing in case you
vote YES on the Referendum a
mendment. The referendum enabl IS
you % reject or approve law just
as g0u DO when you vote now on
con .tutional amendments.
Securing Laws You Do Want.
Have you ever wanted d law winch
the legislature refused to pass ?Has
it ever happened that the legislator
yo- sent tC Madison to represent on
has voted as you wished him b vooe
on most measures but voted against
your wishes on some measure in
which you were greatly interested? ?
You will make it possible to put for
ward and to pass laws YOURSELF,
if you vote YES" on the INITIA-
TIVE amendment. If appropria ions
ere too high yor can cUt thor Ts2-
If the legislature fails to vie out
an unnecessar.- exTense or a use
less office, you car do it for your
self If you can't get, through your
legislature, a law that you want gou
can write it on the statute books for
yourself
Firing" Undesirable Officials
Have you ever elected a public Off
cial whom later you wished very
much were no longer in office? Has
a public servant ever been elevated
to office whose deeds did not hold
true to his campaign promise? H we
you ever chafed under the ne as. ity
of waiting. perhaps two whole years,
in order to vote out G. office a man
who was harmfully misrepre en- ng
your interests? If so you viii vote
YES" on RECALL amendment,
which viii place the power of re-
movaI in your hands. You will then
be able to fire" as we'll as t. hire
in public as we'll as in private busi-
ness.
Instruments of Popular Will.
Concerning these three insTu-
ments of representative democracy
~ the initiative, referendum IN re
call-Senator LaFollette had this to
say in speech in the United States
Senate:
Mr.. President, constitutions and
statutes and all the complex details
of government are but instruments,
created by the citizen for the order
ly execution of his Will. Whenever
and wherever they fail, they will be
so changed as to make them effective
to execute and express the weIl-con-
sidered Judgment of the citizen.
For over and above constitutions
and statutes, and greater than all, is
the supreme sovereignty OF the peo-
pie.
We need not fear, Mr.. President.
This is the peoples Government. They
will not destroy it. They Will not
permit organized privilege to destroy
its vital principles. They will re
store and forever preserve it as 4
Government that shall be truly rep
resentative of the will of the people.
They know that the initiative and
referendum viii place in the hands o
the people the power to protect them
selves against the mistakes or indif-
ference of their Representatives in
the legislature. Then it will always
be possible for the people to demand
direct vote and TO repeal a bad
law which the legislature has en-
acted. or to enact by direct vote a
good measure which the legislature
has refused to consider.
The recall viii enable the people
to dismiss from public service a rep
resentatiye whenever he shall cease
to serve the public interest Then
no Jackpot politician can hold his
office n defiance OF the viii of a
constituency whose commission he
has diShonored.
Wherever representative govern
ment fails, it fails because the rep
resentaGye proves incompetent OF
false to MS trust. Intrenched in Of
flee for his full term. his constitu,
ency is powerleSS and must submit [,
rT~1-