The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1915-05-06
Constitutional Amendment To Be
Voted Upon This Fall, AnaIyzed.
To the Editor of The Republican

CiShuuiH dtieuuiuenL 10 De submitted
to the voters of Maryland this coming
Fall, justifies a brief review of
some of the deeper principles connect
ed with it. Our form of government
and the theory on which it Is founded
differ materially from those of practi-
caly all prior governments. We do
not accept the idea that human govern
ment is handed down from superior
human beings to inferior ones. We
repudiate the idea that there can be a
king or an aristocracy wise enough or
honest enough to control the lives and
fortunes of every day human beings.
1t is not necessary for US to believe that
every man is equal in intelligence.
moral qualities or usefulness to the
community with every other man. We
can believe that they are all endowed
with an equal right to life, liberty and
the pursuit of happiness. Our theory
Is that being so endowed they all have
an equal right whether rich or poor.
learned or unlearned, to determine
what IS good for themselves. We do
not surrender this right absolutely even
to any legislature, because back of the
Legislature is the Constitution. which
has been created by the vote or possible
vote of every citizen in the State. In
Its formation, we have had the broadcast,
the most important kind of direct leeis-
lation. Usually a constitutional con-
ventlon, or as to amendments, a legis-
lature initiates the propositions which
are put before the people. This is in
its way true initiative, but after be-
ing initiated these most important
propositions are referred to the peopIe
for their action.
The Referendum upon which we are
to vote, extends the principle so that
when propc sition passes the LegisIa-
ture, obnoxious to ten thousand voters
In this State, that ten thousand may
demand that the proposition be sub
mltted to everybody. We, therefore,
essentially have no new idea in the
Referendum, but an extension of an
old idea, and we insist that the people
whom we consider competent to vote
upon the important questions of a
Constitution and constitutional amend
ments, must be regarded as equally
competent and equally interested, in
reviewing Objectionable acts of a
Legislature.
Back of our whole system of govern
ment rests sound principle. A king
or an aristocracy can impose upon the
people measures which are in their in
terest and the people have no voice or
Veto A legislature may be persuaded
by Interested parties to pass laws which
are not beneficial to the great mass of
the people, but peculiarly beneficial to
a few. The majority of the people
have no interest superior to that of the
whole. Lawyers, Doctors or Black
smiths, or any other special class of the
community may by organization or
threats, or secret appeals to personal
interest, obtain special legislation in
their respective interests, but no class
is sufficiently strong in our State to i'm
pose its selfish interests upon the whole
community, when the whole community
has right to vote upon the PROPOSE
ton. 1t is always easier to cajole or
intimidate or befool one hundred and
thirty lawmakers than it is to control
majority of $50. 900 voters of the State
of Maryland.
The Referendum once adopted in
Maryland will have a great educational
force. Every measure important
enough to come before the people will
be the subject of discussion. This has
been the case particularly in such great
Referendum states as Oregon, Califor-
mia and Oklahoma. The people through
this debate will learn to know better
their own interests.
We have had much over a hundred
years of schools, colleges and news
papers. The citizen of today knows
more about his rights and duties than
did the citizen of one hundred years ago,
and yet politically our form OF govern
ment has remained the same. 1t is
time that through the Referendum and
later through the Initiative, the aver
age citizen should take a more active
part IN politics, as he is prepared to
take more intelligent part than was
taken by the citizens of century past.
You cannot in other words, keep on
training men and at the same time deny
them chance to put their training in
practice. and this is the fundamental
reason perhaps for the great general
demand tor the Referendum and the
Initiative throughout the United States.
Mere voting for officers to fill posi-
tons no longer satisfies the people
politically. They are beginning to re-
alize that their thoughts and intelli-
gence must directly deal with the great
problems of government.
When the intelligent thought of the
whole people of tn State is directed
critically to the measures which are
passed by the Legislature, we shall ex-
pect government to be more economical,
when the whole people have it in their
power, as they will through the Refer
endum, to enforce economy.
should not be 80 rash as to saw that
the people will wisely decide every