Evening journal., 1920-03-30
SEE BUNK in
REFERENDUM
fcontInued from FIrst Page,

representative except mass meetings
held on village greens or in public halls.
Nothing could be more fatal to rep
resentative government, as Il is estsb-
lished and has been practiced In Amer
lea for these $50 years. than the denial
OF the right Of a Legislature TO decide
anything without first calling a gem
eral State election upon the subject.
To advance such a theory is to advo-
cate the abolition OF all representative
bodies, because II they have no right
TO represent. II they have no dele
gated authority from the people to act
in the peoples place and to use their
own Judgment in the decision OF public
questions, OF course, there Is no longer
any need for their existence.
IL is harsh TO characterize such argu9
ment as downright demagoguery and
deception trumped up for the occasion,
but-that explanation is easier than TO
credit it 10 Grass stupidity or TO a real
desire to establish representative form
OF government as exemplfled in the
Legislature and substantiate the So
Wet system OF Lenlne and Trotsky.
or course, II that be the custom. then
every law affecting public utilities
must first be passed upon by the peo-
pie. every law changing methods OF
taxation or creating a commission or
modifying a Levy Court must be sub
mitted TO the people affected by the
law. An legislation affecting a county
must FIRST be submitted TO vote OF
the people OF thai county. all proposed
legislation affecting a town must first
be passed upon at city election.
Toward the close OF the editorial. the
Every Evening reaches the real nub
OF It's argument-namely, state rights"
IL insists that 10 ratify the proposed
amendment would arbitrarily and un-
wsrrantably amend the written con-
stituiion OF our State by an endorse
ment OF federal authority. thereby over
riding the rights reserved TO the states
by the Federal Constitution" Here is
the good old Democratic doctrine OF
"States rights" II is a reassertion Of
the discredled pripclple which sup
posedly met its death during the Amer
lean Civil War II State constitutions
are to stand in the path OF national ad-
vancement and defy federal authority
,hen manifestly we are in reality not
yet a nation, but merely a confedera-
tlon OF commonwealth.
Appealing TO estates rights" may
determine the vote OF Democrats in
the Delaware General Assembly. but
surely the Republican memb5rs are
not going TO give the lie TO the deci-
sion reached half century ago that
the federal government and the federal
constitution Is supreme to State
government. That has been good Re
publican doctrine from the days OF
Abraham Lincoln. Are Delaware Re
publicans going 10 repudlate II now
in order to help Democrats pull politi-
cal chestnuts out OF the are and assist
a few Republicans 70 prosecute a
guerilla warfare on the Republican
national organizaton7
What Is there sacred about the State
Constitution Of Delaware7 Who made
It sacred9 To hear the direful lsmen-
tations OF the anti-suffragists about the
sacred State Constitution" being
changed by the vote OF mere legisla-
ture, one would suppose the State Con-
stitution was handed down from on
high amid celestial manifestations as
were the tablets OF stone 10 Moses on
the mountain. Instead Of that, our
sacred" State Constitution was writ
ten only % short years ago by twenty
nine men. They were elected at a
general election, Just like members OF
The present Legislature were elected.
They were givn delegated authority to
rpresent the people and use their own
common sense, their patriotism. their
Of right and wrons-just as
are members OF this Legislature. After
they had finished writing the State
they did what.-refer II
10 the people OF Delaware In refer
endumP They did not. They wrote at
the bottem. In capital letters, Done In
signed their names and
adjourned. They acted upon the natural
and logical assumption that when they
were elected 10 write a Constitution
the people thought they had enough
sense and integrity and purity OF pur-
pose to do the Job. and they never
thought about going through the
bunk" OF calling a State election or
a referendum. Now II Slate Constl-
tuition so written is sacred, why Is
not a legislative act equally saored7
II the State Constitution was not refer
red to the people for a referendum,
where is the logic In demanding II
cannot be changed without referen-
dunn II q constitutional convention
elected by the people was competent
TO write the constitution % years ago,
and bring It down 10 date why Is mol
the present State Legislature elected
by the people equally competent 10
sim further amend the State Constltu-
tIon and bring It still further down 10
date7
An. but the antI-sufrrsgists exclaim,
this proposed amendment forces" the
vote on women who don't want II.
That ls not true. The proposed Fed
eral amendment for equal suffrage
"forces" nothing on women. II merely
gives women who want 10 vote the
right and opportunity to do so. II does
not change the status OF womn who
40 moi wish 10 vote. IL does not drag
them 10 the polls. It does not put them
in nolitlcs. II does not invade their
homes. or change the daily routine OF
their domesticity.
There are millions OF women who DO
want 10 vote. The proposed amendment
merely gives all such the right to do so.
Is that not fair7 Is II right to deny
some women who want to vote the
right 10 do so. just because other
women don't want to vote. when those
vvho don't want TO vote Will not have
IN under the amendment7 The ballot
is being forced on no one II the
- -otfoad ppf A Ia hoinQ