The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1914-04-14

course Of popular passion without de-
liberation and without opportunity for
full information"
The idea that the Initiative and Ref
erendum are "hasty' in their action.
That they result in government by the
sudden gust OF popular passion and
Wh1m,' and that ii IS hair trigger
government" was strongly presented
IN an address delivered by Senator
Henry Cabot Lodge. Of MaSSachu-
sets, before the Historical Society
OF Raleigh, \. c.. November 2S-l911;
and a number CT prominent public
men, Mr.. Taft among the number,
were thus led into this error.
A complete answer To this error i
given in Senate Document No. 651.
sd Congress. I'd session, which Will
be sent free upon application to this
oflce. In brief, all Of the constitu-
tlonal amendments providing for the
Initiative and Referendum thus far
dopted Gin more than a dozen stateS),
the referendum must be invoked
within 80 days after the adjournment
OF a legislature. and the referred mea-
sure is not voted on until the next
state election, which is usually in the
November Of the following year, Thus
there is more deliberation involved
than IN any other of our processes.
n initiative, in its nature. cannot
be nasty. 1t takes a long time for
even experts to frame a proposed law.
And after it is framed to the satisfac-
ton Of its sponsors Casually involving
much consultation with one another
n With experts, drawing. r~edraWing,
etc., 1t has to be circulated for the
required number of signers, and al
TINS must be completed and submit
teO 10 the secretary Of the state fOur
months before the election. No sud
den gust nor "hasty passion" about
this tedious and thoughtful process.
Educational Value of the Initiative
and Referendum.
In several places Mr.. Taft uses the
expression necessarily uninfOrmed
electorate" In most states having
the Initiative and Referendum, an of
hclal pamphlet is required to be mail
ed to every voter by the secretary OF
state, this pamphlet containing the
full text of the measures submitted
and the form in which they will ap-
pear on the ballot, and usually the ar
guments for and against the meas
ures. Thus the electorate become:
informed-and this has proven to be
the most efficient school of practica
craftsmanship ever devised. Witnes:
the testimony of Senator Chamber
lain, of Oregon, On another page O
this issue of Equity.
Also Mr.. Taft makes a number O
l nv ~ ~ 4dSI TIC 1lC NOlSS VI
measures are fewer than for candi
dates in the same election, and henc
he calls it government by a mi
nority." This subject will be take1
up in connection with Mr.. Lowell an,
his DOC
Mr.. Lowell and His Book.
One Of the chief reasons that tn
voters Of the historic state Of Massa
chusetts have not yet had an opportu
r;{,y ~ 1ooil1 fo- @ho-o~o1,o~ ,1l, ~ -
or not they shall have the lnitiativ
and Referendum is that annually tn
President Of Harvard takes up hi
green bag and gOes over to the gol
den dome or Beacon Hill and so i'm
presses the committee on constitu
tional amendments that they refuse
allow the voters to express themselve
on that question. He did that agai
this year, as we will presently SEE
He has also recently published a bool
; The writer of these lines purchase
:. this book (the price is high for il
, size and value-s2.25) and struggle
! through it's rather dreary pages. TIL
: title Of the book is Public Opinio
l and Popular Government" The sui
-, ject is important and it would be in
. teresting but for the "What's-the-use
! spirit in which it was written. TIL
: reader is led to wonder if the autho
= thinks that anything in human hi:
: tory was ever really worth Will
9 Does he consider the Christian religio
= a failure because sin is still in tn
= = world-after a trial of christianity fo
Z nearly twenty centuries? Does he COZ
= slider all our penal statutes in vain be
Z cause there is still robbery and mul
der? Because an Improvement in civ
- liZatiOn Or in government does not Q
:, all that it's most enthusiastic supper
ers wished or expected it TO do, sha
), we blind ourselves to the good tn;
it really does do. n throw it away
IL Such a policy would have kept l
in savagery. If the psychology of tt
= writer of his book had been gener
9 and prevailed, there would never hay
II been any revolutionary war in tn
country; and the negroes would st
be in slavery. However, there is or
" subject in which he does show SON
i, interest, and that is the important
' Of the employment of experts in go
renmental apartments thing no
|, oonora 11y rooOpniZod and it's Df3CtJ