Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1915-09-10
FLAWS THE
/. AND R. BEFORE
BANKERS ASSN
SAYS THEY ARE AIMED TO DESTROY
REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT.
TAKES UP MANY SUBJECTS.
DECLARES DUTY IMPOSED UPON THE
PEOPLE BY SUCH A LAW MAKES
VOTING roo DIFFICULT.

Seattle. Wash. sept. l0.-EX President
William Howard Tai, in a ringing
speech on the economical and political
summary If the po. rd from The Civil
War ID the present, n Id the convention
vi The American Bankers Association
this afternoon that the initiative ana
the referendum were aimed D. destroy
representative government. lie took MP
capital, labor. boycotts, the railroads
politics and other questions 81 the hour
III bis interesting summary
~ most important Development ia
this country has been an attack upon
our representative system ~ government
IN \ cause u The corporate and corrupt
control uf politics. Ii Is said that the
system involved the selection OF agents
IN the people ~ act for them executive
and legislative work who to- often
proved faithlcsS. and that the only meth
ud of carving Oh the government safely
was 10 dispense with legislative agents
and !ct the people lcgislalc directly. \
most formidable wave Of pubic opinion
i'll favor III such \ change has swept the
country and has found expression lh
The initiative and the referendum.
After Il study If the working Of these
innovations. | 10 rat hesitate 10 say
that il proves tie unwisdom .: such
changes. 1T III bc trnc that a people
have not information and intelligence
10 select from their own number com
pctcnt and honest agents 10 DO their
work. they certainly have not the 60
pa-ity To perform the much more difi
cult task Ut passing useful Judgment ON
statutes. frequently difficult ~ c0nstrue
or understand.
Again. the dGty imposed upon the
people i'll lcgislating by initiative and
referendum H. ~ much more burdcnSume
than that imposed hy the representative
system in Srlrctin. agents To DO this
work that the majority ~ The voters toe
frequently refuse 10 perform their cleo
tural duties. and thus leave 10 4 minor
ity III the electorate the decision al i'm
poranj questions submitted IN rcfcrcn
dun.
The majority Of The electorate thus
show that they ~ not approve the ref
eIencr e. them Of such difficult qucs-
tons. The Statistics show that at the
same election at which officers are To he
elected. and measures referred are To bc
voted un. the proportion of those who
vote upon The measures H. rarely more
than sixty per rent Of those who vote
for the candidates. and not infrequently
IL H. low a. - Of 30 per cent.
In the election If 1912 III Oregon. the
electors called upon I'd vote upon the
question VI adopting II complicated
statutes. In order 10 explain the issues
IN 4 b.t, ,.pal.nf..l al. -tata npIl.-l.l n
volume Containing 30 closely printed
pages and circulated il among the W
tiers. | ask this intelligent audience ia
look into their hearts and answer me
truly and say how NANCY III them in
preparation for such an election would
read diligently thr,pugh that volume Of
30 pages. Ii would b. on subjects with
man If which they were not familiar.
Mur-h Or I'll Of it would be the dryest
kind of reading. | ask those who think
they would read such publication how
many of them after reading il would
think their Judgment upon the statutes
worth anything.
The initiative il a great burden upon
the electors and eliminates Ill poSSibil
ity Of that wise adoption 10 the real pub
Tx needs that Illuminating discussion
and rctraming 80 often give a. laws
when they are passed BY Congress Or ~
\ state legislature.
The business Of legislation j. IN cN-
pert matter. III il something that re.
quircS Il knowledge of the meaning Of
legal terms. II often requires the taking
If evidence IN order 10 determine what
the real evil is 10 be rcmedicd and how
such a remedy can b. formulated. Leg.
i~slators have full opportunity and time
10 study the bills. aud I'd discuss their
details. This i impossible with the gen
cral public.
1t is just as absurd to propose de
tailed legislation by votes at 4 popular
election a. il i 10 propose Ia build Il
bridge without engineers. or 10 build 4
house without an architect or a connie
tent contractor.
This l. not I'd impeach the intelli-
gene of the electorate: ID il only a rec
oghlze The Limitations upon men. in do
ing something under the conditions no
intelligence Will enable them to 10.
The pure democracy attempted N
Athens proved 10 to- II failure and roy
ernment III those days was 80 much sim.
pier than in our cities and states hat
even = temporary town meeting in such
= community would not Justify n resort
To the same method now. The Town meet
ing ~ old New England was indeed di-
rect government: vet those Puritan An.
cestorS Of ours, the moment their villa.
ses became three or four IN number
turned e. the representative svstem.,'