Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1917-04-13
The Initiative And Refereudum.

To the Editor Of the Montgomery County
Sentinel
In writing this closing article, | cannot
do better than quote few sentences from
De Tocqueville's Democracy in America. !"
Determined admirer of democratic Govern
ment. yet he was entirely alive to its faults
and dangers Speaking Of the people I'M
der democracy, he said. They console
themselves for being in tutelaee by the
reflection that they have chosen their own
guardians Every man allows himself TO
be put in leading-strinss because he sees
that 1t is not person or class Of persons,
but the people at large that hold the end
Of his chain. By this system the people
shake of their state of dependence just
long enough to select their master, and
then relapse into it again. A great many
persons at the present day are quite content
with this sort Of compromise between ad-
ministrative despotism and the sovereignty
Of the people; and they think they have
done enough for the protection of indi-
vidual freedom when they have surrendered
IL to the power Of the nation at large"
Again he says; 1T is in vain to sum-
mon people, which has been rendered so
dependent on the central power. to choose
from time to time the representatives of
that power; this rare and brief exercise Of
their free choice, however important it
may be, will not prevent them from sradu-
ally losing the faculties of thinking, feel
ing. and acting for themselves and thus
gradually falling below the level of hu-
manity. | add that they will soon become
incapable Of exercising the great privilege
which remains to them" He further be-
lieved that it was "easier to establish an
absolute and despotic government amongst
people in which the conditions of society
are equal than amongst any other and |
think that II such government were once
established amongst such people, it would
not only Cypress men. but would eventu-
ally strip each of them Of several of the
highest qualities of humanity"
In what have written have endeay-
ored as well as was possible to me to point
out the fact that the people of the State Of
Maryland have surrendered their liberties,
without full consciousness Of the fact that
they have allowed corruption to increase
among them; have permitted their rulers
to be the choice not Of the people at large
but OF narrow oligarchies known as ma
chimes; have allowed their powers over
legislation to rest in the hands Of a few
men largely controlled by selfish interests
have been content, as De Tocqueville in
dictated, to consider that their duties to the
Government were fulfilled when they had
expressed choice for certain men fol-
public Office and. as he did not point out
but James Bryce has described. these Sc.
lected by machines {; have multiplied the
powers Of machines by indirect and ineffi-
cient government; have perpetuated sys-
TENS Of taxation oppressive to industry
and not at all proportional to the benefits
conferred by government and society at
large.
Notwithstanding the serious indictments
which may be brought against our State
government because Of its departures from
true democracy and because Of the many
respects in which il has shackled the
political freedom Of our citizens. do not
believe, and should exceedingly regret to
believe, that conditions in Maryland are
in any degree hopeless.
| advert again to the fact that while we
have not that most important democratic
reform the Initiative, in Maryland. we
have at least the Referendum. While we
have a paralyzing system Of taxation. we
are at least free to correct il by the sub
stitution Of better one. While we have
corrupt elections it is within the power of
our electors to correct materially this sys-
TEN by taking advantage Of the lessons
certain other States offer to teach us.
Above and beyond all else we must have.
and ! believe we are commencing to have,
an awakening interest in the democracy
of the people. am the more encouraged
to believe this by the welcome the press
OF Maryland has given to these letters and
the evidence the public has offered Of in
terest in their subject-matter.
The road to reform, however, is never an
easy one 1t will on the part Of those pro-
noting II call for self-denial and determi-
nation. II the people Of Maryland are
worthy Of enjoyment Of more enlie