Douglas daily dispatch., 1927-11-10
WESTINGHOUSE
LETTERMls
Az 9

WASHINGTON. - One often hears
that we. the people of the United
States, are a dumb lot, incompetent
| to govern ourselves and hence allow
Ii ing ourselves to be governed by an
assortment of grafters, four-tluShers
and plutocrats.
The fact seems to be, however, that
when we get our hooks into an op-
portunity for more direct self govern
1ment, we generally hang on despite
Ian efforts to loosen our grip. AS
voters. we may make mistakes, but
when we know what we want we get
lit to the extent permitted us.
These references, OF course, are
principally to the initiative and refer
sndum system and the sdlrect primary
Thirty-eight states nominate ma
tional or state candidates, or Dotn,
10y the primary system. Since 1924,
| Montana and North Carolina have
abandoned the presidential primary
| and Vermont, Iowa and Minnesota
l.had discarded it previously. Courts
have acted against the primary laws
n Alabama and Texas. But not one
OF the 38 states has thrown the prl-
mary overheard as a whole and 1T is
| becoming more and more popular de-
spite the means of professional poll
l ticians.
{ Similarly, 18 states have the ini-
tiative and referendum in practical
operation and none of them has
abandoned it.
The primary allows the voters to
choose party candidates instead OF
being forced to elect hand-picked
men and the initiative and referen-
dunn allows them to initiate legisla-
ton which may be denied by an
| incompetent or corrupt legislature or
TO repeal legislation already passed.
Both systems, in operation for
years, have shown weaknesses. Iney
are susceptible even to corruption,
but not dangerously so. They are
sometimes influenced by heavily fl
nanced propaganda, eSpe CT lily
there is no effective altruistlc mouth
t piece to reach the voters. But both
leave the decision with the voters ana
not with a small group of politicians
The primary has taken seemingly
more important part in the national
iscene than the l. & r., but 1t seems
safe to predict that the latter even
tuallv will become a much greater in
fluence. ReferendumS are held on
issues. Elections center on men. To-
dav there seem to be no real partisan
issues between the two big national
parties and the same condition is
often reflected in the states.
Such issues as are mixed up IN
election campaigns only serve TO COM
plicate them to the end that 1t is
often difficult to tell which issues the
voters repudiated or endorsed, re-
eardless of who was elected. Then
again, many of the important issues
are straddled because of their ten
dency to split parties-prohlbltlon be-
ing a classic example, OF course. 1t
does seem likely that the people Will
decide more and more Of these issues
for themselves at the ballot box, in
stead of being forced to choose from
two hodge-podge conglomeration OF
issues between insincere candidates.
Voters in So states voted directly
on 1914 measures last year, two-thirds
of them proposals to amend state
constitutions Judson King, director
of the National Popular Government
league, who wrote many of the state
II & r. laws, says that OF the meas
ures voted on during 1926 in I. & r.
states:
"Thirty-six related to changes in
the structure of government or the
administration of government, or the
processes of political action; 20 had
to do with CHANGES in the taxation
system or the rate and methods OF
taxation; four related to public own
ership or regulation of public utilities
10 dealt with education, including
both the universities and public
school systems; six were anti-prohibi-
ton; four were concerned with farm
and labor legislation"