New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1918-10-13

The Association for Representative
Government, organized to combat
Hearst in Massachusetts, has issued
pamphlet exposing the methods used
by the Hearst interests in the Old
Commonwealth to put through at the
election on November an initiative and
referendum form of government, pro-
vded for at the constitutional conven
ton under the leadership Of Joseph
Walker, backed by the Hearst interests.
Attacking the organized propaganda
Of the Hearst backed reformers, the
address of the new Association, among
other things, says:
'"Tho Hearst Walker initiative and
referendum destroys the constitutional
protection of individual rights, and
will give too much power to money
and newspaper influence. 1t will aid
w. T. Hearst. of New York. to estab-
lish his carpet-bag rule over Massa-
chusetts, through his propaganda. Its
advocates take advantage of the alb
sence of our boys IN France to destroy
here the true democracy for which
they fight abroad.
Hearst Tactics Explained
"The Hearst-W alker initiative and
referendum IS a scheme by which any
man with money can cook up his own
law lust as he wants it, regardless OF
other people. lie can fill 1T with
tricks and jokers and complicated de
tails. a hundred pages long, to suit his
selfish interests. He can sugar-coat
It With some popular idea, to make it
taste better to the voters.
"Thc fight for the adoption OF TINS
plan was carried on in the Constltu-
tonal Convention under the constant
and acknowledged leadership of Joseph
Walker Outside the convention its
principal advocate was William Ran
dolph Hearst, of New York-the owner
of THE Boston American The Boston
Advertiser and many other newspa-
pers whose Boston representative.
Granville s. Mex arland, acted as chair
man OF the Committee on Publicity of
the Union for d Progressive Constltu
ton, and wrote much of the campaign
literature issued by the Hearst-W alker
forces.
"The local Hearst newspaper, The
Boston American was the force be-
hind the enterprise.
at denounced and abused, instead
of arguing. 1t bcspattered all oppo-
nents with its usual epithets-'inter-
csts,' 'renctionaries, &C rpora i on
crowd and The ike. It hattered those
who groVelled before the leaders. It
sought to jntimidate all who showed
independence, even as to the details
of the scheme 1t whipped delegates
into line, and saw to it that d packed
convention remained packed. Through
its efforts the ncn-partisan deliberativc
convention FOR which the people voted
never has existed.' =
Harvard's President Quoted
President Lowell of Harvard is
quoted in the associations document
opposing Hearst as saying:
"A reform often works better at the
outset t,.au it does later, because the
moral impulse that carried it through
cacsrs g,3d men to take part in admin
iSsrr;1s; &. The real test comes later,
whcn taa first enthusiasm has cooled.
when trt reformcrs are busy with
tic!ans, ~'Eosc trade depends on being
AT WORK while others are not. has had
Il chance 90 try his hand at She new
machinery. Professional politicians OBJ
tam control Of elections because the
people were called upon to do more
than they could DO without help, and
the more the people are asked to de-
eide questions in which they are not
as I. whole seriously interested the
greater will be the opening for the