The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1920-04-08

REGISTRATION IS A DuTY

Until we citizens of Oregon come to
consider the franchise as a duty in
stead Of a privilege, we are going to
make a muddle Of liberal, popular,
legislative machinervo When one stud
les Oregon elections of recent years,
and notes how measures for governance
of the commonwealth individuals and
their activities have so often been
placed upon the statute books by a
minority Of the electors, it is not
cheering We have been led to believe
that the initiative and referendum
were necessity for escape from the
Vaccinations Of the few who would
prey upon the government and their
fellow citizens. Bu1 whence have our
refopns taken us? We still permit
few to pass the laws. Unless we
awaken to our duty at the polls we
might better have allowed our law
making machinery to remain in the
hands Of a few. chosen Legislators.
Our system Of initiating laws is now
fraught with dangers because of the
Indifference of electors. An Oregon
ballot has come to be a formidable
blanket Of paper, and the timd man or
woman can hardly be blamed for
standing aloof Engrossed with pri-
yate affairs, the average citizen consid- |
ers that he hasn't time to study meas
ures on the ballot The campaigns Of |
supporters and attackers Of certain |
measures when issues are drawn are |
too often confusing. The comparative
ly small percentage Of the voters who
do turn out on election day pass upon
the majority of the measures without
knowing Just what they are voting
for or why. The results Of voters de
cisions are often inexpIainabe or
comic.
AT former Oregon election. a
measure appeared on the ballot for the
purpose of removing from the constitu-
tion that old phraseology, refusing ne
groes the right to vote. which was ab
rogated by the 18th amendment to the
federal constitution. The voters of the
state, however. decided that Oregon's
constitution, although that part which
the measure proposed to eliminate was
purely ssuperluous, should not be thus
mended.
The. dangers Of our system att pres
ent, with voters indifferent and apa-
thetic, comes from vicious legislation, Z
proposed through the initiative. We
have been alarmed recently over the
proposed law that would limit the Ore
gon interest rate to four and five per
cent. The proposed legislation, it is
generally conceded, is vicious and
would serve no good purpose to any
one. The newspapers have discussed
it, and public speakers have talked T
about it, yet we have recently talked L
with reputable citizens who hadn n q
heard that such a law had been pro :,
posed. The proposed interest law has, q
apparently, fallen by the wayside be
fore reaching the ballot, but had it a
come before the people. Oregon might
have been burdened with it's vicious v
regulations by minority vote.
The biennial primary election, with
its customary attendant measures, fast n
approaches. Registration will close ON r.
April "a, and yet scores and scores OF NJ
Hood River citizens have failed to reg m
lister. Unless you would have the pen n
dulum swing back TO some system d,
whereby the powers Of law making are W
placed in the hands of a chosen few. on
we would urge that You perform the
duties that existing systems attach 60
YOU as citizens. Register and visit the ,
polls. 81;