The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1917-04-05

stead of being confused by multitude
of subjects.
1t is again insisted that the people
are not sufficiently intelligent, and that
under the Initiative the ignorant rule.
Again a mistake. At the present time
the ignorant and Indifferent exercise
a tremendous power in government
through their influence in the selec-
ton of officers. Under the Initiative
they largely eliminate themselves. We
have not then necessarily the rule of the
majority in numbers, but the rule of the
thoughtful, interested and informed
majority, something we scarcely obtain
in the selection of officials.
We may illustrate In recent votes
in the State of Maryland upon constitu-
tional amendments, about forty per
cent. of the entire electorate have taken
part, butthe propositions adoped havere-
ceived heavy maJorities among that forty
per cent. and have been proportions of
vast Importance to the citizens of the
State. People have to a greater or less
degree informed themselves as to the
merits of the different amendments and
voted accordingly. THE uniformed, the
careless and corrupt, have automatically
eliminated themselves. This is vastly
better, therefore, than any educational
or property qualification which with a
certain measure of justice might be the
subject of criticism. Thus under the
Initiative the real law makers are the
more competent.
Some years ago, fifteen different pro-
positions were submitted by Initiative
and Referendum to the voters of Ore
gon. Before the election the professors
in the State University of Oregon can
vassed the situation among themselves
and comparison was had afterward
between the results of the vote in the
State at large. In fourteen instances
out of the fifteen, the vote of the State
and of the college professors agreed.
In the fifteenth case disagreement ensu-
ed, but two years later the majority of
the State came over to the views of the
majority of the professors. We NAV.
therefore, believe that the people of
the state of Oregon have an intelligent
as well as popular government. In
these votes in Oregon the ignorant
electors largely eliminated themselves.
for, as was shown at the time the light
est vote on popular questions was cast
in those wards of Portland where the
average intelligence of the people was
the lowest.
When We consider therefore, that the
more intelligent control the Initiative in
Oregon and the other States where it
exists, we may believe that the same
would be true of the State of MARYLAND.
The intelligent citizens of Maryland, in
terested enough to vote on State wide
questions, are certainly not less in
terested and not less informed than
those voting on like questions in Oregon
and other states. Our years of educa-
ton in school and out, in books and news
papers, have prepared US for greater
activity in government. We will not
make the best use of all of this educa-
ton until we are able to make it at the
polls directly bear upon propositions of
general interest.
After all the great merit of Direct
Legislation by the people is that
government is made a thing of real in
terest to the people. The very act of
voting directly upon laws raises the
standard of political intelligence. We
will no longer throw the burden of
thought upon a small, easily swayed
body of men, in the General Assembly,
but the best thought of Maryland's
quarter of million of voters will be
attacted to public questions, and will
develop higher intelligence by constant
! ly considering them. Gradually we will