Evening star., 1935-12-18

force to the President, the appointing
mower, who would I'LL the vacancy
caused by the recall. with the Com
missioners thus selected from the COM
munity and indirectly responsible to
II. the power Of initiating local legis-
Iation and requiring vote by Con-
gress on such propositions, and OF
referendum to the limited extent OF
advising infiuentially upon local bills
compuIsorily referred to them, might
be vested in the Commissioners. The
Commissioners now have under the
law power Of initiative in respect to
the local appropriation bill, and in
practice other local bills have been
perfunctOrily referred TO them by DIS
trict committees for their opinion;
but the Commissioners are not now
responsible in any way to the local
community which they represent, ana
the power Of recall In respect to them'
even though exercised indirectly
through the President and subject to
his veto, could hardly fail to be Dene-
ficial in its effect. The President now
has practically absolute and unlimited
power to recall in respect to the Com
missioners, which he would not lose II
the community had in addition the
suggested limited power Of recall
which might on occasion require him
to name a successor to some mcum-
bent who had incurred the commu-
nity's strong displeasure.
Possible Slight Help to Voter.
These devices may also have in
directly a beneficial effect upon the
voter as well as upon the represent
ative who is put upon his good be-
havior by them. To the extent that
these devices tend to educate the voter
on right lines and to arouse him not
merely to enjoy an American priv
lege but to perform civic duty their
discussion and use are vindicated. II
in any municipality or State OF the
Union the discussion or the adoption
of these devices will help to stir the
public conscience, to arouse the aver
age voter to a knowledge OF existing
evil conditions and to fixed deter
mination to do his part as a citizen
armed with the ballot to put an end
to these evils, then by all means let
us have the discussion and the ex-
pertinent; for the vital necessity OF
the situation will be met when the
people are aroused, irrespective OF the
specific results in particular COM
munitv of the machinery of the new
system.
The spirit of these devices is in
line with the tendencies of develop
menL of public sentiment in the
United States toward the more direct
participation of the people in Govern
ment. Two movements among the
people are steadily in evidence in the
United States: ~ The strengthening
of the national idea, the national
spirit, the national Government with
or without . diminution Of the power
of the Statel and (2) enlargement OF
direct participation Of the people in
this Government. The development
of the Nation, spelled with a big N,
has been effected especially through
the Civil War and the Spanish-Amer-
lean War, and is obvious and uniVer-
sally recognized. So also the develop
ment of direct participation and con-
troll of the people in Government. In
the beginning the electoral college, in
conformity with the intent OF the
Constitution makers, selected the
President of the United States in &C
cordarce with the independent judg-
ment of its members. 1t soon came
about, however, that without any
change in the Constitution the Presl-
dent was elected practically by the
direct vote of the people and the
electoral college became mere form.
The movement to elect Senators by
direct vote instead of through the
Legislature by amendment OF the Con-
stitution has shown itself dominating
and irresistible. In the States great
variety of devices of more or less
value have been used to ascertain more
quickly and accurately the people S
will and to give 1t fuller effect. Direct
nominating primaries, proportional or
minority representation, initiative,
referendum and recall are all the out
groupings of a strong and wholesome
public sentiment and popular ten
dency.
Every thoughtful discussion Of the
value and limitations of the initiative,
referendum and recall leads up to the
conclusion that the primary and vital
fault of our political system Is with
the non-voting public. The neglect
of civic obligations, the failure or re-
fusaI to exercise the privilege or duty
of voting at the primaries and eiec-
tionS Is the notable evil Of the time.
The vital need is: ~ To make OF the
voters wiser and better voters ana
(2) to make the wise and good voters
vote.
General Apathy's NOn-Voting Army.
The indifference and apathy OF
American voters in response to the
call to the performance Of civic duties
are startling, The same lesson Is
taught in all of our elections, in nom1-
mating primaries, new style as well
as old. and In all ballotings at the
| polls, both State and national. The
figures concerning the stay-at-home
vote in the election Of last November
(the national election Of 1879 are
appalling in their significance.
| y n y n
LThe foregoing was printed in 1913
when the initiative, referendum and
recall were being discussed generally
as possible instruments of Government
throughout the country. Again, In
1916, the advisability Of recording the
| sentiment of District residents on i'm