The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1917-03-29
THE PEOPLES FORUM.
The Initiative and Referendum In
The State of Maryland Discussed
By Mr. RalStOn

To the Editor of The Republican:
The accredited maps of the time OF
Columbus, prior to returning from his
discoveries, pictured upon the western
edge of the known ocean all imaginable
monsters of the sea and air. Whoever
sailed, therefore. far to the west felt
that he was exposing himself to instant
destruction. But few wears back it
was the belief of a large portion of our
population that the ideas in govern
ment particularly developed the far
side of the Mississippi River, were as
monstrous and as dangerous to human
well-being as were those pictured in the
West in the time of Columbus.
The result of the trip of Columbus
was to dissipate the monsters into thin
air and to give to the so-called civilized
world of four centuries ago a new out
let for its energies, new sources OF
wealth and tremendous impetus tC
the development of mankind. Those OF
US who will today take trip to oui
West and witness the successful work
ings of the Initiative and Referendum,
once depicted to US as popuhstic inven-
tions designed to swallow up our civil
ization, will discover that to the con.
trary they are broadening and develop
ing and beneticient institutions.
Maryland for more than year, with.
out CONFUSION of nature and without
destruction of society has had the Re.
ferendum. Already it has served tc
allow repeal by its people of law OBJ
ectionable to the citizens of one county.
More than that, it has undoubtedly,
even in its beginning, stood in the way
of the passage by the Maryland Genera
Assembly of acts which the Genera
Assembly feared to have submitted tt
popular test, as they might have beer
under the Referendum. If these slight
things may be done in green tree
what may be done in the dry?''
While we may rejoice that we have
the Referendum, Maryland has not YET
the more important thing, the Initia
tive, and it is the duty of the mex
legislaturev-I would say its most i'm
portant duty-to submit to the citizen:
of the State an adequate constitutional
amendment providing for it.
Even today it is proper to describe il
our State what is meant by the Initia
| tive, although in one-third and more Of
the States of the Union where it ex
lists, such explanation would be super
huous. BY the Initiative, we mean The
right of a certain number Of the voters
usually five to eight per cent, to petit
| ton the Governor to submit to the en-
tire electorate law or constitutions
amendment. Upon the submission 0,
the petition, it becomes the duty of the
! Governor or other private officer to see
that the ballots at the following cleo
ton present this particular proposition
in adequate descriptive terms to thu
voters of the whole State or othel
jurisdiction affected, and upon its re
celving majority, the law or amend
ment is adopted,
The essential theory, therefore, /!
extremely simple. Five per cent O.
the people make motion. The Cover
nor as presiding officer puts it to the
electors and the people accept or rejec
the motion.
If State legislature were actual!
always representative and if it also die
its full duty there would be no necessit!
for the Initiative. That State legisla
lures do not always do their duty: tina
they are guilty of sins of omission t,
be corrected by the Initiative or in som'
other way, just as they are guilty o