The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1915-02-02

eLange after electioh' NAaush'ei
\uset. -
neople of a State to say that
n not sense enough to decide
nroDositions that affect them.
he aristocratic idea of govern
nat saws YOU must elect q few
e. for YOU because the people |
not sense enough to think for
r~,alyes. The democratic idea is
tho people have. not only the
1, n self-government, but the ca
h. for self-government. and l had
Ser trust any question to the peO-
Themselves than to any few who
,ne To speak for the people CAP
Ausej.
"A Gaines, az Representatives
IA now do you think that is a
loninr statement? l want to make
for / believe it true. 1
hie,e that the people + not nearly
H.. ~ lack the intelligence to un-
~~t,ud a question as their repre-
E.,+ives are to lack diSinterested-
r. 10 properly represent them. and
\ dnyr through history the weak
of government has been not In
H. uaople themselves. but in those
to represent the people, who
hezzIed power and turned authority
Ven TO them for public use to their
rivate advantage.
'"Nhat is the initiative? II Is the
,rp that is used to describe the pro-
- bv which the people initiate leg
~ +nn And what is the referen-
49," II j. a name used to describe
h. process by which the people sit in
.deenpnt upon the acts of their leg
,latcrs. OF the two it is more lm-
to have the initiative than the
because If you have the
Initiative YOU have really both the
Initiative and the ferendum, but if
nj have the referendum only you
lex the initiative.
Right To Bring Up Question.
I'll uder the initiative the people
nch "a percentage as the law fixes
q right to bring a question be-
ore the people to vote upon: and
ghv shouldn't the people have a right
d bring questions before the people
o vote upon
II. Of course, cannot speak about
his State. because I do not know
Tour history. and if | did l would
lot speak about it because it is not
polite to make n local application OF
Inv general principle. But in other
it is often the cas- that ever
When the people ask for something
Ihey cannot get il drought their leg
slatures."
Years To Abolish Pass.
Il took years to abolish the pass Ou'
IN our State. We commenced the
hight over twenty years ago and we
Found il difficult to abolish the pass
Men would go into office pledged t
the pass, but they would no
DO so. Why? Because between tn
Of their election and the time 70
Rction in the Legislature their opinion
On the pass question had undergone
change, and it was suspected by som
that the pass in the pocket had ope
rated, somehow, to affect the min,
On the subject, and time after tim
legislators have been elected believ
pns that they we're opposed to tn
pass and then when the time came t
vote their conscience simply got tn
pest OF 1t and their constituents &C
|the worst of it.
Now time went on until publ
|opinion demanded the laws that pre-
hibited the pass and when the Law
49, paNStu pI OlilDillHS tIlc pass ~
was found. and not strangely, that
was much easier to secure favoraol
consideration of statutes regulatin
the railroads, and while there wei
men IN the legislature insisting thu
tne pass did not influence them, prot
aoiy the railroads that gave it kne
that 1t had that effect, and we hay
instances where they withdrew the
passes because the representatives d
nov vote as the railroads wanted the
- vote.
Gives Illustrations.
! Will give you four illustration
~ our State we had a bill before I'll
heslSiature regulating railroad rate
anu q gentleman from one of Of
COUNTIES, in the Senate. voted for
ohu rs soon a S the law passed ]
leCelved a note from the railroad tn
reE through his county, saying W
%~H please return the pass; since "
maNe voted for that bill we assun
snat o do lot need it any longe
mother great railroad, one of t
hltat systems of the West, wrote
nttef 10 a member Of the Legislatu
~, ~ li!lhols who had asked for a pa.
- railroad wrote back Why shou
aoo ASK US for a line pass? You vot
asdihst every measure We were i
TTiesteo IN in the last Legislator
~ not the man who wrote til