Wheeling majority. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1907-192?, 1915-10-21


are coming to consider the nroposef
amendment as simply a scheme Il
prevent the passage of laws in the in
terest of the common people. and di
rected against the special interests
i Last Friday night Mr.. Henry p
Boynton, of Cleveland, spoke in Bel
laire, substituting for Herbert Bige.
low. To a Majority may he gave the
/ following interview:
For more than twenty years the
Initiative and referendum has been
one of the endorsed policies of Or.
ganized Labor. Workingmen's dues
have been devoted to it's furtherance.
Union leaders have been it's most
prominent advocates. 1t has been
looked upon as the most promising
means for the eventual unshackling
of the wage slave
s'Ohio has had the Initiative and
Referendum for three years. Now
the privileged interests of the state
are seeking to amend it so that it will
be practically useless y in getting
changes to the basic law Of the state
A campaign of hypocrisy and decep-
ton, aided by crooked label on the
| ballot is now being waged to persuade
workingmen to tie their own hands
1.-THE scheme in question is that of
the so-called Constitutional Stability
League It proposes that any consti-
| tutional amendment which has been
twice debated shall not be submitted
again, in whole or in part, for six
years and thereafter not oftener than
once in six years.
-'Its designation on the ballot con-
tains this phraise, to prevent the
abuse of the Initiative and Referen-
dunn The chief fears of its oppon-
ents are that voters who favor the l.
and R. will be misled by this phrase.
The amendment is not aimed at the
abuse of the l. and R. but at its use.
"From being the easies state con-
would make Ohio's constitution the
hardest. It wonld provide a fertile
source of technicalities on which
courts can stop any measure in which
labor is interested. If proposed
measure contains any feature or
phrase that is the same as a recent
" defeated amendment, even though
the general purpose is different,
vote can be prevented for the ensuing
six years.
IF this proposal passes, rich in
terest can prevent the adoption OF
any reform by proposing something OF
the kind itself, but coupling with the
roposal some unpopular sleeper so
that the proposal will surely be de-
feated. The friends of this reform
will then be barred for six years
from initiating a genuine proposal
"Some men are working for the
stability amendment because they
want to get the liquor question out |
Of politics. AS a matter Of fact 1t
will not put this question out OF poll
tics. There is still method Dy
which "dry'' laws can be initiated or
various forms of local option laws
can be invoked to keep the state in
"wet and dry turmoil. So the wet
svmpathizer might as we'll give UP |
hone that the stability amendment
will help him. All that it will do
will be to tie his hands with. regard
to the economic injusNces which he
suffers
Privileged Interests.
while the VETS are standing lot
This measure, it's real hackers and
originators are the privileged inter
ests connected with the Ohio Board
Of Commerce. They want to cripple |
municipal ownership by keeping the
cities poor. They want to- restrlct
LEGISLATION favorable to the working
man. They fear what population
may do to their private snaps, after
It has been educated by repeated use
of the initiative and they want to
keep the people in ignorance by pre-
venting them from thinking for them
selves. They are asning the vets to
pull their chestnuts out Of the fire.
advocates of the measure pretend
to be terribly afraid that the over use
of the Initiative and Referendum VIII
disgust the people and that they VIII
repeal it. If there were any SUCH
danger, the friends Of the !. and r.
would be the ones seeking to prevent
such over use. AS matter OF tact,
no man VIII oever identified himself as
a friend of dierct legislation is work
ing for this measure and every poll
teal agency which has fought popa-
lar government in the past is lined up
in favor of the stability amendment.
..There has been no such over use.
Two amendments were proposed In
1o42 four in 1914 and six are to be