The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1921-04-22
DO THE PEOPLE APPROvEf

part OF our luHuailcHtdb law oohiS
fourteen years ago should never be
abused. 1t was enacted as safe
guard for the people to be used when
the majority of them felt that unjust
or buidensome laws had been placed
upon them by the law making body
of the state. 1t is companion law
the Initiative, was passed at tie same
time to give the people the right to
propose and submit for approval, any
new measure that they might want,
Independent Of tie action Of the Leg
islature. Neither measure was in
tended for general use. for it is gem
eraliytrue that law-making bodies are
usually responsive to the demands of
the public. Experience has proven,
however, that this is not always the
case-and when the Legislature fails
to pass laws that arc demanded by a
majority Of the people or when leg
islature passes law that is manifest
ly unfair or Objectionable to major
ity of the people of the state, then
the people can very properly and with
consistency in keeping with our form
Of government, taking the law making,
or, what we might call--law breaking
in their own hands.
About one hundred men and women
of the Democratic party have decided
that six of the laws passed. y the last
session of the Legislature ought to be
submitted TO a vote of the people be-
fore they are allowed to become eff
fective. The reasons they give for
urging this action ought to be given
careful study and consideration.
/ The great majority Of the people Of
the state are not familiar with the in
tent and purposes of the laws that
they would sumbit for popular APP
prevail or rejection. Before passing
upon them intelligently, they should
familiarize themselves with the meas
ures either by hearing them discussed
or by reading them Understandings.
If the reasons advanced by the men
and women who met in st. Louis last
Monday will stand up, then the laws
should not be allowed to go into eff
feet unless the majority of the people
of the state by their votes favor them.
We know that the judicial re-dis-
tricting bill is an unfair and high
handed measure that was passed for
partisan reasons. By its provisions
the expressed will of the people in
many districts of the state can and
will be set aside. The choice of one
man can and will be substituted for
the choice of the people in many dis
tricts, which is contrary to every prin-
ciple of representative government.
J The people of Missouri voted for a
change of parties in control Of state
affairs last year on the promise that
an administration of economy woulk
be substituted for one that they de.
nounced as wasteful and extravagant
The charge is made by the men who
have studied the consolidation bills
that they will cost the taxpayers OF
the state more than 100000 annually
over what the government has cost
under the plan that has heretofore
been followed.
Last year the voters of this country
from north to south and east to west
heard President Wilson maligned,
criticised and abused on the charge of
trying to build up one-man govern
ment. But under the laws passed by
the last General Assembly Of the peo-
pie of Missouri are, if they approve
the so-called Cabinet plan, laying the
foundation for a one-man government
| in the state.
| 1t may be that if the laws are sub
mitted to popular vote they will be
| approved by majority of the people
1t may be that "Poor Old Missouri"
as the Republican press and party or
ators Of the past have been won't to
refer to our state, have reached that
state of enlightenment where they
want to do the magnanimous thing
and pay more taxes for the same serv-
ice than they formerly did. 1t may
be that the people of Missouri have
reached that stage of enlightenment
where they want to sit idly by and see
their expressed will at the polls set
aside by one man. Il may be that
they haye even gotten so enlightened
that they want to confess by their
action that they believe that popular
government is farce and that they
want that man to be the Governor Of
the state.
1t may be that such condition ex-
lists in the state of Missouri, but we
don't believe that it does, An ex-