The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1941-04-09
BY w. H. OLDENBURG

and what not-in the world of hi,
spacious perusal, and still to cogitate
speculate upon, and to extol what ha!
gone before. 1t Is the business of the
scientist and practical student Of af
fairs to look upon the facts of the
world with an unprejudiced mind, ap
praise their worth to humanity, ant
upon this basis, II necessary, proceed
to change them to the end of the
greater well-being and glory of man
kind.
And thus, to implement the larger
program of genuine progressive
movement In the state we propose
a change of our bicameral state legis
lature to a unicameral basis.
Somewhere back in the sinister
mists of the middle ages the Lords
Spiritual and the Lords Temporal,
with an aristocratic thumbing of their
ale-besotted noses, took up their posi-
tion ON the right of the assembly hall,
while the knights of the Shire and
| the Citizens and Burgesses took what
happening with, up to that time, no
historical Significance. This in later
England, when the peculiar genius of
the Englishman had already sensed
something of the political wisdom of
yielding show of democracy without
destowing any of its substance, found
expression in the institution of the
House of Commons and the House of
Lords-the immediate forerunner of
the Bicameral System as we know it
in this country. The double house in
England was, however, for the de-
Tense of royalty and aristocracy. And
thus in England at least the two
house system had the justification of
representing two distinct classes; the
indefinite. inarticulate public on the
one hand and the aristocracy on the
other. In this country we have never
been willing to admit the existence
of classes, and our whole lettered ex-
preston of life is that of a classics
democracy. Nevertheless, not because
it possessed any virtue pertinent to
our peculiar needs, we adopted the BIZ
cameral system for legislation; and
we have our philosophers" to justify
1t on the basis of its ancient sacred
ness, the wisdom of the Fathers"
and upon it's more newly discovered
value in Checks and balances" I'm
fortunately for the philosophers,
neither of these principles is at all
to the point.
Insofar as the check operates, the
check results in deadlock and in evad
ing responsibility. AS for the wis
dom of the Fathers" If we have not
yet acquired a wisdom of our own
comparable to that of the dead Fa
hers, logic would demand that we
Iuit our legislative efforts entirely
and repose squalidly once for all on
he Solonic gifts of our antiquity. We
admit the fact of a considerable |
1earth of intellectually and wisdom
among our present day politicians.
Dur legislators today are many of |
hem political illiterates, sterile in all |
thought except where corruption and
graft are end products. For this very
'eason we want to take this matter
If state legislation out of the juris-
LECTION of second-rate politicians and
place it where intellectual power is
'reative and where wisdom is freshly
'orn of pertinent experience.
We are realistically-minded enough
o believe that this fundamental
hange in the administration of our
tate's affairs will not be undertaken
" those who directly profit by its
ontinuance. The proposed scheme
), however, entirely in harmony with
he principles of scientific govern
lent, where business administration {
nd accomplishment are the aim, and
here politics is taboo.
On this unicameral basis there {
vould be only small body, possibly E
'om twenty to thirty members, to leg /
'late for the state as a small execu- {
We board would legislate or manage t
Or business corporation; and the I
administration of the states affairs s
ould thus be entirely ON business c
asis, divorced from all politics. Right
: looked at the state is no different
| any of its essential respects from i
ny large stock-holding business COR s
)ration, and the management of its S
fairs is essentially the same for the Ii
10 as for the other. All the politics S
lat we have considered a necessary fl
art of state machinery is only so II
UGH bunkum and nonsence, used by fl
small inner group to fitch the pock- II
s of the stock-holding citizens of "
e corporation we call the state. b
Representation, ideally would not as W
IVY, be based on population by coun- a
IS without reference to economic in is
rests, but should be on an occupa- a.
8, lumbermen, dairymen, the teach III
g profession, etc. On this basis farm OF
8 would not elect druggist to rep Sc
sent them, but would elect one of tn
cir own number. Just as miners ell
'uld not choose a corporation law CT
r. Managers and owners of the dc
ming industry would naturally have dr
> same voice as individuals as the be
ming workmen, but no more, and id
ice the mining industry will have OF
ly its allotted number of representa- he
es it is not likely that the miners, st
, actual workmen, would be long in re
rning to use the ballot with view to
their own well-being. The elected
mber would naturally represent tn