The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1915-03-05

to say the last word. As it is now, We
elect Legislature which has complete
control over our liberty and our pro
perty, which may pass any obnoxious
law you please, without reference to oul
desires. The referendum will cure this
and give the whole people final control
over their laws.
or course, as to the vast ma oritv OF
laws, nobody cares very much one way
or the other, and laws Of this character
will never go to the people, bat the odd
law, the special law, does effect the
people seriously, and the people should
be able to exercise control over it.
| an not one who thinks that the
| legislature deliberately intends to PASS
q law objectionable to the IN jor,ty.
/ But the Legislature don't know and
/ can't do. Some proposition comes up
urged by noisy and insistent faction.
| The opposition is silent or une pressed,
Noise prevails, and a law is enacted eX-
| tremely obnoxious perhaps To nine
peoI le out Of ten. Onc- on the Statute
| books as things are today, It's removal
is extremely difficult. A bill comes up
and is enacted, giving away important
franchises which the Genple should pre-
serve fo- themselves. Its advocates have
been shrewG, determlne ed aud Influential
Today the rights of the people are
gone 50 soon as the bill receives the
signature of the Governor. Under the
Referendum, the people Will have
practically ninety days within which to
examine and consider what the Legs
lature has done, and if the number we
have ab we stated. believe that the
rIgh's of the people are being preju-
81, Ia.
people and get the voice or the M Or
ity which will have full opp prtanity
of understanding exac'ly upon what
they are voting.
Propositions are made IN the Legis-
lature. she effect of which is bound t.
heavily increase our tax IS. Active
lptb:es and interested spe tkers supper
them Without any popul II Test at Ill
the proposition b comes law, and the
people find it out, its effect. when they
receive their tax bill S. Again the re-
ferendum will exercise its staying pow
er, and the people will determine foI
themst Ives what they want.
The people, tax N as a VIII, lie have NJ
axes to grind SO far as legislation l.
concerned. They do not put selfish
desires into b lis and haunt the haI 81
the General Assembly until those bll
become law When laws, passed IL
The interest of a particul ar class 81
section of the community, are sub
mitted to the whole community, the
Interests of every body are 50 different
from the interests of the few VIII, OBJ
tain special privileges by their per
tlnacity at Annap' lis, that they viii
Ike away Those special privileges
through the referendum before they be-
come hardened into vested inter- sLs.
VIII the people use wisely this powe
if they have it in their hands? A shor
answer will be that this is d government
of the people, and the people are en-
tlrled to act wisely or unwlsely, as tn, Y
may see fit, and that they are them
selves the sufferers from their owl
unwisdom, and have means of correct
ing it. But experience, fortunately,
enables US to say that we have nothing
to fear from the unwisdom of the
people if they are allowed to exercise
he referendum. shall desire to dis
;uss this question in future article.
j. II. RALSTON,
dyattsville, Md, Feb 25. 1915.