Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1919-10-29
Election November 4, 1919


have recommended the farmers OF liz
Sale County 10 vote against the INT
iatlye and Referendum and t'ateWa!
Amendment, a copy OF which letter
was published in the Free Trader
journal and Republican Times. ron
mere cuaory reading OF their letter
ii is apparent that the directors OF
said association have been mSleo
and imposed upon BY some person OF
persons who favor more the interest.
Of great corporate wealth than the IN
terests of the farmers. 1t is further
apparent that sand directors nave
wholly failed 10 comprehend the pur
pose. scope or aim OF the Initiative
and Referendum. instead OF being the
cause OF a great deal Of hasty and il
considered legislation, as stated in
said letter. legislation will be less
/ hasty and better considered nder
! the Referendum instead OF many
well considered laws being discarded,
as stated in said letter, the enactment
of every vicious law will be prevented
The Initiative does not contemplate
as some people suppose that the law;
BY the people; the Initiative has but
one purpose in Observation-Disclosures
is. when the great masses OF the peo-
pie want some relief by way Of legis.
lative enactment and the legislature
refuses 10 grant II to us that then, in
such case, if 10000 legal voters sign
a petition addressed to the Legislature
ito pass such law or to grant such re
lief and the legislature still refuses to
either grant the relief or 10 enact the
law requested of them as aforesaid,
that then the question will be sub
mitted TO the people Of the state 70
vote on. If a majority OF the voters
vote in favor OF such law it then be-
comes the law,
| The Referendum is intended as 4
| protection Of The people from the EN-.
Gctment Of vicious and corrupt laws
| by the Legislature. II the legislature
should enact a law which large por-
riOn Of the people believe 10 be cor
rupt and a protest against the passas2
Of said law is signed by 500r0 or
more legal voters and presented to
he legislature and the legislature re-
fuses TO reconsider and repeal the
same then it IS submitted 10 vCte
of the people. If a majority of the
voters still favor said law il remains
a law but il a majority OF the voters
are opposed TO it it thereby becomes
repealed With the Referendum in
force large corporations will not pay
legislators great sums Of money to
enact corrupt laws which despoil the
l. ~,
liberty and property and further en-
rich the already too rich corporations.
The lobbyists Of these corporations
VIII not pay large sums OF money to
a legislature to enact corrupt law
when they know that the voters Of
the state by the power given them
under the Referendum are certain 20
vote such corrupt law out Of existence.
The Referendum is the peoples great
shield Of defense, but 1t never be
comes a weapon of attack
| have neither time nor space to
enter into further argument here on
these questions. However / will say
that the greatest argument in favor Of
the Initiative and Referendum is the
fact that Of the twenty-five great agri-
cultural states namely, Ohio, Ne
Draska, Massachusetts, Maryland.
Idaho, California, New Mexico, Ari-
IONA, Washington, Mississippi, North
Dakota, South Dakota. Utah Oregon,
Nevada. Montana, Oklahoma, Maine,
Missouri, Michigan. Arkansas and Col
orado-thQt have heretofore adopted
the Initiative and Referendum not
one Of those states has repea led
either the Initiative or Referendum.
Before concluding this subject let
me recall the fact to the attention Of
the voters that Il man named Payne
Ia representative Of the great cor
porate interests OF this state) OBJ
tanned an injunction against the sec
rotary of state prohibiting him from
certifying to the county clerks OF this
state the questions OF the Initiative
and Referendum so as to prevent tn
voters from having an opportunity OF
voting on the question of whether or
not they were in favor of these meas
ltres. Payne thought that the people
We're too ignorant to vote upon such
important questions and hired some
Of the highest price lawyers In chi
casO and Springfield to prevent the
people from injuring themselves, but
the Supreme Court OF Illinois thought
differently and dissolved Mr., paynes
injunction thus permitting the people
to retain their political liberty. Of
which Payne had sought to deprive
them. Now Mr.. Payne and others Of
his illi are endeavoring to persuade
the people that these measures arc
bad for us and that we should vote
against them. The directors of the
Better Farmers Association are not
the only ones who have been deceived
by the seductive arguments of the
representative of the great corporate
interests
now quote from that great Ameri.
can former President Theodore
Roosevelt, his view of the Initiative
and Referendum. Theodore Roosevelt
said, Il believe in the Initiative and
Referendum, which should be used
not to destroy representative govern
ment but to correct It whenever II
becomes misrepresentation In the
great majority Of cases it Is far bet
ter that the work of the Legislation
should be done by experts chosen tv