The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1917-03-30
REFORMS NEEDED IN MARY
LAND.
Corrupt Elections, Useless Offices,
Taxation and Other Political
Problems Considered.
Series OF Articles By jackson H.
Ralston.
Article XIV
To the Editor of the Midland
Journal

| 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, there
fore, far to the west felt that he was
exposing himself to instant destruc-
ton. But few years back it was
the belief of 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 Column
bus was to dissipate the monsters
into thin air and to give the social
ed civilized world of four centuries
ago new outlet for its energies,
new sources of wealth and a
tremendous impetus to the, develop
ment of mankind. Those of us who
will today take trip to our West
and witness the successful workings
of the Initiative and Referendum,
once depicted to us as populistic in
ventions designed to swallow up our
civilization, will discover that to the
contrary they are broadening and
developing and beneficient instu-
lions.
Maryland for more than a year,
without a CONFUSION of nature and
without destruction of society has
had the Referendum. Already it
has served to allow repeal by its
people of law Objectionable 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 General
Assembly of acts which the General
Assembly feared to have submitted
to popular test, as they might have
been 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 Initiative, and it is the duty of
the next legislature would say
it's most important duty-to submit
to the citizens of the State an
adequate constitutional amendment
providing for it.
Even today it is proper to describe
in our State what is meant by the
Initiative, although in one-third and
more Of the States of the Union
where it exists, such explanation
would be superfuous. By the
Initiative, we mean the right of a
certain number of the voters, usually
five to eight per cent, to petition
the Governor to submit to the entire
electorate a law or constitutional
amendment. Upon the submission
of the petition, it becomes the duty
of the Governor or other proper
officer to see that the ballots at the
following election present this par
ticular proposition in adequate
descriptive terms to the voters of the
whole State. or other Jurisdiction
affected, and upon it's receiving a
majority, the law or amendment is
adopted.
The essential theory, therefore, is
extremely simple. Five per cent of
the people make a motion. The
Governor as presiding officer puts it
TO the electors and the people accept
or reject the motion.
If State legislature were actual
" always representative and if it
also did it's full duty there would be
20 necessity for the Initiative. That
State legislatures do not always do
their duty; that they are guilty of
sins of omission to be corrected by
| the Initiative or in some other way,
lust as they are guilty Of sins of
commission which may be corrected
by the Referendum. must assuredly
be admitted. If proof were necessary
it was afforded by my last letter in
which l pointed out the manner in
which the General Assembly treated
FOUR constitutional amendments
adopted by the people less than two
years ago. That legislatures equally
fail and must fail to be thoroughly
representative is absolutely true, as
will be evident from a moments
thought. We send men to the legis-
lature who agree with the majority
upon certain general propositions,
but assuredly do not represent them
on all. AS voters we make the best
we can of the situation. When they
meet, those propositions upon which
the majority in large part unite,
may never come before the legisla-
ture in any shape, but an infinite
variety of other propositions are
voted on, about which the legislature
received no mandate from the peo-
pie. Some propositions may be re-
! jected although the majority of the