Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1919-11-05

indicated that the party appellation was
secondary matter in the minds Of most voters.
Where prohibition was the issue the drys
generally vera victorious. Overwhelmingly so
in the smaller cities and rural districts, show.
ing that there has been no reputation Of the
stand that the nation already has taken On the
question. Tho wets, on the other hand. will
extract some crumbs Of comfort out Of the
showing their forces made In tho larger can
tiers Of population where the matter was 1t
issue.
Grabbing at straws to indicate popular dis
approval Of the League Of Nations as they
have been doing for months, it Is not hard to
forecast the construction which anti-Wilson
organs viii put upon the returns. They will
construe failure to overturn normal majorities
Of their party as an evidence Of approval OF the
opposition, considering the argument, though
far fetched, better than none The truth Is
that the American voter has long since dis
carded the one-track mind habit at the polls.
It is not as easy to fool the proletariat % 1t
used to be when they. could ~ herded together
three nights a week under oilcloth capes and
marched for miles and miles bearing kerosene
torches and shouting like maniacs whenever q
leader crooked his finger. They don't take
their partisanship in such large doses now
adays and they don't waste 80 many motions
They knew yesterday that not single can
didate could exert the slightest influence either
for or against ratification. and they voted
accordingly.
In Illinois and the Thirty-third senatorial
district results are what might have been ex-
pected. The outstanding feature was the a.
parent adoption Of the initiative and referen-
dunn. which is a step for direct action" and
away from representative government.
1t is perfectly evident that the people, who
create the government, have right to, run It
In any manner they see it, II they wish to
fire the hired help in the legislature and do
all the law making chores themselves that IL
their privilege. 1t may be that they can do
them better but 1t is by no means certain that
1t will turn out that way. The public's time
is quite valuable and there are not\ enough
hours in the day or days in the year to enable
It to attend as a body to all the details Of its
government, and still conduct private bust
ness. II the attempt is made something is
bound to tbe neglected and that something in
0'At"UAy Will uS INC puUEC UuSAucbSs Instead
Of improving present conditions 1t is likely
they will be made worse
Then there is another factor. Dissatisfac-
ton with legislatures is not so much with
their want Of ability as Of their alleged i'm
paired integrity. Voters are suspicious Of
Springfield because they are out Of touch with
events transpiring there and there is a ten
dency to assume that there must be niger
in every woodpile.
Representative government has served us
well for long time. Let us not condemn It
too hastily. Where 1t has failed It has been
as much the fault Of those represented az
! those who did the representing. We can have
good government and efficient administration
II we are willing to pay the price and the price
probably will be less under the old plan than
under that toward which Illinois seems to have
taken definite step yesterday.