Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1914-10-29

During the century and a quarter
we have grown into the greatest ma
ton in wealth and numbers on the
globe, we have always been an asy-
lum for the oppressed and distressed
CT the Caucasian race We have dou-
bled in numbers and trebled in wealth
during every generation. No nation
in all history has ever grown as fast
or Eparalleled us in material achieve
ment. But throughout all this growth
and development We have rigidly ad-
hered to fundamentals in govern
ment. The result has been that at
all times we have had as democratic
a government as could be maintained
and still keep it primarily a repre-
sentative government. The people
have always realized until recently
that a pure democracy, that IS, where
the people themselves rule directly
on all things, cannot exist in a ma
ton three thousand miles across from
ocean to ocean, from north temperate
to tropical regions, and containing
millions of people OF varied and often
conflicting interests, desires and en-
peraments. Amy enduring govern
ment. lending cohesiveness, strength
and force as a nation to such a mass,
as now 100000 Of people, of neces-
sarily divergent pursuits over such an
area must at the most and very best
be but a delegate or representative
government. And a duty rests upon
every state to so govern itself as to
not injure the general whole. Dur
ing the last ten years much new leg
islation, experimenting with funda-
mentals, has been promulgated. The
entering wedge against representa-
tive government and toward. pure
democracy, the impossible, has been
brought about by the initiative and
referendum, wherein the power Of in
itiating and approving legislation is
seized from the hands of the peoples
representatives, the legislators. This
departure from the conceptions of the
founders of our system is sought to
be justified, not by principle, but by
results and under the belief that the
will of the majority as expressed at
the ballot must always be right and
that Of the minority always wrong.
The adoption of this appealing, but
delusiye governmental fallacy, is up
to the people at the coming election.
Will it carry? Yes, undoubtedly.
Danger from it in the future will de-
pend largely upon whether it is used
or forgotten; whether it is made an
instrument of a disgruntled 10 per
cent of the voters who may under it's
terms use it or not. However, we
may in voting on the proposition as
sumo that it will be used and not be
useless. We may here remark that
twice as many voted for resubmis-
sion at the last primaries as will he
necessary to invoke its supposed ben
eficent provisions toward obliterating
our constitutional provision guaran-
teeing prohibition. After the pas
sage of this experiment in pure dem
ocracy there is no doubt but what the
temperance and non-temperance fore
es of this state will be arrayed at
the polls on every election for many
years to come. What if at the Soc
ond, third, fourth or fifth vote on
statewide prohibition so brought
brought about. the saloon interests
slip one over and the licensed saloon
appears in our midst and proceeds to
fortify itself against being thrown out
again and gets as p~erniciously active
in politics as it is at the present time
in Minnesota? Could not the advo-
Gates of representative government
as against such heresies truthfully
say to the visionary but we'll mean
ing to whom the experimental al
ways appeals. "Why did you not keep
what you had? Why did you permit
10 per cent to jeopardize your con-
stitution? Why did, you not adhere
to fundamentals and abjure expert
ment?" They might also with truth
quote the old adage, Fools rush in
where angels fear to tread
upon which the voters are asked to
express an opinion at the polls this
fall. We refer to the much discussed
issue of woman suffrage. That was
fully considered 25 years ago, at the
constitutional convention, and decid-
ed adversely to extending the ballot
to women. That settled it for 20
years, until something new again
arose out of the west. the fairy land
of political fallacy. At our last leg
~islature a mere handful of women
who aspired to be female politicians
succeeded in cajoling u chivalric
legislature into submitting to vote
the woman suffrage question. And
ever since then a tWofold agitation
has been kept going, first, among the
women themselves, 80 per cent OF
whom do not want to vote, and then
in an appeal to the men direct to
%enfranchise the women. The ". c.
r. U. state organization has forgot
ten fer two years the reason for its
organization and existence and has
spent it's time prOmulgating woman
suffrage after hypnotizing itself into
the belief that the women Of the state
are more temperate and have differ
ent ideals than men. Strange to say,
not a peep has come from the w. c.
T. U. organization in opposition to
the initiative and referendum, which
strikes at the very vitals Of the pro
hibition cause. And the same is true
of the other statewide woman's or
g%anization, the Federated clubs of the
state, which has in fact, if n can
judge from the chronicle of occur
rences in it's last convention at
jamestown, become a statewide suf-
frage organization. This will he met
with emphatic denials from the club
women. But how will they otherwise
explain the admission to membership
at, jamestown OF several simon pure