ipr vr
JANUARY 11, 1907
towns and counties, and the referendum for single
items in appropriation bills; ""b"-
"A constitutional amendment giving cities
and towns exclusive power to enact and amend
anf cr?nLnnaMaaS' ""
"A constitutional amendment permitting the
state to control at all times the cost of state
printing:
"A constitutional amendment giving one
legislative assembly power to propose constitu
tional amendments, and requiring the people's
approval before a constitutional convention can
be called; and
"A law prohibiting free passes and discrim
inations by public service corporations.
"All of these proposals were adopted by the
people by large majorities. Thus the last vestige
of machine rule in the government is wiped out
in Oregon. Each community can do as it likes
and the will of the majority will prevail. In a
short time the cities and towns can own and
operate the municipal monopolies, and in the
meantime all the monopolies except the interstate
ones must cease their discriminations. The graft
in the state printing can be gotten at by statute
(law, and the entire system of government is' under
the voter's control."
It must be plain to every one that the ini
tiative and referendum is growing in popularity.
In the language of the democratic national plat
form: "Absolute acquiescence in the will of the
.majority, the vital principle of republics (this
and other fundamental principles) are doctrines
, which democracy has established as proverbs of
the nation, and they should be constantly invoked,
preached, resorted to and enforced."
The initiative and the referendum do not
x displace representative government; they simply
bring the government nearer to the people, and
' by perfecting representative government they
rather strengthen than weaken it. The opponents
of the initiative and referendum distrust the mas
ses; they assume that the people as a whole are
"incapable of passing judgment upon their own
affairs; they must select officers to think for them
and to act for them.
The .democratic idea is that the people think
-.for themselves and select representatives to carry
.out their thoughts. The democratic idea is that
.the representative is a necessary evil necessary
-because the people are too numerous to act direct
ly upon all questions, but an evil still because
the representative is often led by his own inter
ests to sacrifice the interests of the people.
- It is not always easy to detect corruption in
legislators. "Very few confess, and conclusive
proof is often hard to secure. If the people have
a right under reasonable restrictions to pass upon
a law, temptation will be removed, because it
jwill be of no advantage to a corporation to bribe
a legislator if the people have a riglit to sit in
judgment upon the law afterward. And so a cor
poration can not bribe a legislature to avoid a
subject upon which the people, through the in
itiative, have demanded action.
JJJ
WATSON'S JEFFERSONIAN
Hon. Thomas B. Watson of Georgia has
launched a monthly publication, to be known as
IWatson's Jeffersonian Magazine. It is very neatly
gotten up and has all the departments which an
up-to-date magazine usually contains. His New
York venture, "Watson's Magazine," fell into the
hands of political enemies and he felt it neces
sary to start the new one. Mr. Watson is essen
tially a reformer and is powerful both on the
stump and with the pen. His style is entertain
ing and the Jeffersonian will doubtless have a
large circulation. It is published at Atlanta.
JJJ
i
PLAIN CITIZEN GUGGENHEIM
Mr. Guggenheim, the prospective republioan
senator from Colorado, declares that "if he goes
to the senate he will not go to represent the
smelting" company or any other company or any
interest." Mr. Guggenheim's attention is re
spectfully called to the passage in the Bible in
which it is declared in plain language that no
man can serve two masters. Mr. Guggenheim
will prove no exception to the rule. He may not
intend to represent the smelter and other cor
porations, but he is so accustomed to looking
at the interests of the people through corpora
tion spectacles that he will be quite sure that
that which is good for the corporations will be
good for the people. Of course he will expect to
have demagogues find fault, and he will count
as demagogues all who do not put corporate in
terests first.
The people of Colorado will soon have a
The Commoner.
Ounheiriih, cro otwecn Plain Citizen
0 " n?e5E, Mwjf ioualy guarding the Interests
conSSf iWeaHh and 8enator Patterson who
S nBly iaa th0 lntcreBt3 the whole
methnri r ? ?.f th fWccUonB to our present
1 ,101?lr o'etecUnB United States senators Is that
men Iko Mn Guggenheim can secure a seat in
rSnriiS!??7 intUns up 80mo vory respectable
candidates for the legislature who will bo tied
?hm 8ee P30 K th capitalist who backs
522 U I !n CitIzen GuSgenheim will probably
feel that the people of Colorado aro opposed to
if? m ,f senators by direct vote, but his
election w 11 do more to convince- the public of
the necessity for this reform than anything that
has happened recently. As a horrible example.
Mr. Guggenheim may prove a useful member of
uie senate; as a representative of the people of
Colorado he will bo a failure from the beginning.
JJJ
REFORM IN AUSTRIA
An important governmental reform has just
been secured in Austria. Heretofore the parlia
ment has been chosen in such a way as to give
the minority absolute control of the legislative
body, but public demonstrations have coerced the
government into a change by which the deputies
will be in the future allotted in proportion to the
population, and these will be selected by universal
manhood suffrage. As the Austrian parliament
is composed of representatives from different
races, the members will bo assigned to the differ
ent races according to population. This will give
to each race its proportionate strength and at
the same time save the clash between candidates
representing different languages and race senti
ments. The world moves, and Austria is keoplng
step.
JJJ
BARKIS IS WILLING
Secretary Taft announces that he is willing
to bo the republican standard bearer In 1908,
but that he Is not seeking the nomination. Ho
goes a step farther and declares that he does
not expect to be the republican candidate, and
gives his reason. His doubt as to the advisability
of his own nomination seems to rest upon the
belief that the objections to Jiis availability do
not lessen with the continued discharge of his
official duties. This announcement coming at
this time and just after the inauguration of the
Foraker boom suggests that ho regards the dis
charge of the negro troops as an obstacle In the
way of his nomination, and ho is right in so re
garding it While upon the facts stated the action
of the president was justifiable from a moral
standpoint whatever may be the legal aspect of
the case Secretary Taft's position in the mat
ter has made him unpopular with the colored
voters, and they have to be reckoned with in a
republican convention. Senator Foraker was
quick to attack the administration, and through
the administration Secretary Taft, on this point,
and it is likely that the colored vote will be
solidly arrayed against Secretary Taft. If, how
ever, the secretary can so arrange it as to make
the vote a tie in the senate and compel the vice
president to take a stand upon the question, ho
may have a companion in his folly, for if the vice
president votes to sustain the president, he will
also alienate the colored vote, and If he votes
agajnst the president, he will alienate the Roose
velt men. There is no doubt that Mr. Fairbanks
is also willing to be the republican candidate,
and there is also no doubt that he will avoid
taking sldes In this controversy if he possibly
can.
JJJ
WHAT THE COUNTRY NEEDS
c James B. Dill, judge of the court of appeals,
New Jersey, who, before going on the bench ac
quired fame as a legal advisor of men contemplat
ing the organization of great trusts, was the ora
tor at the, laying of the cornerstone of the Scot
tish Rite temple, Jersey City, October 27. Speak
ing of the conditions today, Mr. Dill made somo
remarks of more than ordinary interest. Ho said:
"The smoke upon the financial, social and po
litical horizon indicates fire. 'Frenzied finance'
drives us to the conclusion that something must
be wrong in the financial -situation. Political dis
honesty, corruption, and graft, indicate that the
political situation is not what it should be; that
something Is wrong in our governmental ma
chinery. What Is wrong? The issue is evaded
when we are answered, as we are on all sides,
that we are In the midst of an era of prosperity.
If by 'prosperity' is meant only that the country
is rich fn money, that our stomachs are full, our
heads and our hands are busy, the question is
still unanswered. This Is not all there is of
3
prosperity. We muflt not eliminate character. Tho
cause of tOilny's existing ovlls is not that our
theories of Jlnance or politics aro unsound. They
may bo wrong, but they aro not the wrong. Tho
trouble Is that thoro la a groat lack of men who
not only will not Ho, or steal, or cheat, or bribe,
hut will mako crimes criminal and fraud and graft
a disgrnco, oven though tho perpetrators havo
achieved financial success, cvon though the wrong,
doers live next door, belong to our club, or per
naps to our lodge, or go to our church."
Mr. Dill said that although it might bo truo
mat tho tendency of today was to mako gamblers
rather than workers, and that iro living ir
a saturnalia of graft, an ora of Arab, r?7erthelca
i .7 n?1. boI,ovo tnttt oven a respcctablo
S.M0r,y of Anierfcftn citlzons today did, in their
daily lives, strike out tho "not" from tho Tnn
Commandments and transpose It into tho Bcautt
tudos. In conclusion Mr. Dill said: "This country
stands in dire need of honest, graft-proof working
men; such men should be the direct oulcomo ot
Masonic doclrJneind practices, and tho building
whoso corner-stone wo today havo laid should be
the home of bucIi men."
JJJ
JAMES BRYCE, AMBASSADOR
Great Britain has paid tho United States a
compliment in the appointment of James Bryco
as ambassador from that country to ours. In
the first place Mr. Bryce not Lord Bryco, or Sir
James, but plain Mr. Bryce Is a student of our
form of government. He has written a very val
uable and widely read treatise on tho American
commonwealth. Our country would naturally wel
come so intelligent a student of American affairs.
In the second place his wife Is tho granddaughter
of an American, and It will be pleasant for Amer
icans to meet her. In the third place, both Mr.
and Mrs. Bryco represent tho intellectual lifo
of Great Britain rather than Its ranks and titles,
and this fact makes the appointment of Mr.
Bryco especially gratifying. Wo do not recog
nlzo hereditary titles or even titles conferred by
merit. Tho old world has been sending us its
nobility; that is, a nobility which has nothing In
achievement or special fitness to commend it.
In sending us a man of brains whoso rise Is duo
to his own ability, Great Britain sends us a con
genial spirit. Mr. Bryco should be recolved in
this country with such cordiality and open-heart-odness
as to Impress upon the government of
Europo the wisdom of recognizing our standards
in matters of diplomatic appointment. Welcome,
Mr. Bryce, and welcomo Mrs. Bryco! May your
stay be long and your days in America happy
ones.
In the purchase of permanenteresidences for
our ambassadors abroad, our government has
taken a step in the direction of raising tho quality
of our representatives. Wo havo had to rely here
tofore upon men of wealth, and those eligible to
appointment have been few In number. It will
strengthen the bonds between nations if they will
send us strong, self-made men like Mr. Bryce,
and wo in return send tho flower of our states
menship to represent us at the capitals of tho
old world.
JJJ
WHO PAYS?
The "Municipal Ownership Publishing
Bureau," 353 Fifth avenue, New York City, Is
sending out In large quantities literature in op
position to municipal ownership. This bureau
announces: "We have made .arrangements with
the American Press association to send free of
all charges to those papers that will use it a
page, of which proof Is enclosed. If you deslro
to have this sent to you please fill out the en
t closed card and send it to us by return mail.
Please also Indicate how frequently you could
make use of a page on this subject."
Tho question Is, who is footing the bill for
this enormous expense?
JJJ
BURKE AND FI8K
The election of Governor Burke and Judge
Fisk In North Dakota are encouraging symptoms.
They were elected by the aid of independent re
publicans who were not willing to have their
party dominated by the corporations. It is just
that independence upon which we must rely for
the preservation of the government In times of
severe trial.
JJJ
Secretaries of the national treasury are about
the only gentlemen who complain of rriving
only $8,000 a year while they are being Gained
to fill positions paying from $50,000 to $100,000
a year.
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