MABOH 22, 1007
5
The Commoner.
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wooden ships than wo ever built, but wooden ships
aro obsolete on all the seas of the world except in
our coastwise trade, and these benevolent naviga
tion laws, supplementing the high protective sys
tem of this country, exclude from competition
.with our own niseis the iron vessels owned by
citizens of other nations. So, as a result of the
fact that wo were not prepared to roll Iron in
1860 and that our navigation laws keep, the iron
ships of England from competing In our coastwise
trade, we have in, our coastwise trade a fleet of
worthless vessels, wooden vessels nearly all of
them, adding nothing to the commercial import
ance of this country and doing us no good in time
of war."
No wonder lhat, according to the record, Mi.
Grosvenor in charge of the subsidy bill took oc
casion right hero to say, "Mr. Chairman, there be
ing no further desire for debate at this time, I
move that the committee now rise.-"
oooo
INITIATIVE AND REFERENDUM
George II. Shjbley, president of the "National
Federation for People's Rule," has made an inter
.estlng statement showing the present status of the
initiative and referendum movement. Mr. 5hib
ley calls it an effort at "restoration," saying pre
vious to the rise of the convention system the
voters instructed at will at town meetings In rural '
New England and elsewhere at mass meetings.
Furthermore, members of the legislature and of
the national, house were pledged by districts in
stead of by machine rule state and national con
tentions, as is now the case.
Mr. .Shibley's showing follows:
Up to the last year a direct vote system for
public questions had been restored in Oregon,
South Dakota, Illinois, and Texas, with a consti
tutional amendment adopted by the voters in
Utah in 1900, and with a pledged two-thirds' vote
for a constitutional amendment in the Ohio house
and senate.
, Nevada has the referendum. The republicans
have defeated the constitutional amendment for
the initiative, proposed by a democratic legisla
ture. For the past two years the Nevada demo
crats have been advocating the Initiative, ,also di
rect nominations, and are making" them live issues.
In Utah, three republican legislatures have re
fused to Install the direct vote system for public
questions, theraby openly repudiating representa
tlye government
,' Tast ifyvember the people of Montana by a
vote of nearly six to one adopted a constitutional
amendment for the Initiative and. referendum.
On the same day the people of Delaware cast
an advisory vote on the question, Shall the legis
lature establish a system whereby the voters can
Instruct by direct ballot the advisory Initiative
and advisory referendum? The vote throughout
the state was 8 to 1 for the proposal. In the city
of Wilmington it was 10,501 for and 781 against
11 to 1 . The house by unanimous vote (25 repub
licans and 10 democrats) has just passed a bill
for the advisory initiative and advisory refer
endum for Wilmington. The state bill will come
up later.
In Maine during the last calnpaign both po
litical parties promised that Its candidates, if
elected, would vote to submit a constitutional
amendment for the initiative and referendum, aud
the details of the system are now being debated.
In Massachusetts the house has repeatedly
voted to establish the advisory initiative, but the
senate by a close vote has defeated the measure.
Last year the attitude of the senators was pub
lished to the, voters by the Massachusetts Refer
endum League and all candidates for the senate
were questioned and their replies published.
Twenty-five of tbe forty state senators elected
have pledged for the advisory initiative. Of those
who declared against the measure only six were
elected.
In Ohio in 1005 the democratic" party declared
for the Initiative and referendum, while the repub
lican organization refused to declare for the sys
tem. The non-partisan organizations questioned
candidates and published the replies, and then the
republican voters when they went into the polling
booths largely used their pencils to cross off the
republican candidates for the legislature and in
sert the names of pledged democrats, the result
being that the democratic representation in the
senate jumped from four to nineteen a majority,
and a 475 per cent increase in a single election. In
the house the gain was nearly as great.
The following year,, 1900, in Oklahoma where
little was known of the referendum system the
democratic state chairman caused to be mailed to
the county chairmen reprints of the initiative and
referendum chapter from the 1902 democratic
campaign boolr, and then throughout the territory
the democratic leaders declared that if the party's
candidates for the constitutional convention should
be elected they would work and vote for the peo
ple's rule (a direct vote system for public ques
tions). The republicans opposed the mensurc ag
far as they dared, the net result being that of the
112 delegates to the constitutional convention OS
were democrats and 4 others were pledged to the
Initiative and referendum. State Chairman Jesse
J. Dunn has written me as follows: "One of the
foremost propositions which wo urged In the cam
paign for the election of delegates to our consti
tutional convention was the initiative aud refer
endum." The Leader of Guthrie, February 7, 1907, says:
"The initiative and referendum was the para
mount issue In the last campaign. The democratic
party, through Its executive committee, and In
every platform adopted in each district, promised
the people that this law should be incorporated in
the constitution. That the people might not bo
misled or deceived, it was distinctly stated that Uie
lav should be modeled after the one In force in
Oregon. The republican press bureau here, and
the republican party, have constantly and earn
estly opposed this law. They predicted that it
woilld never be placed In tbe constitution, and that
if it was, the per cent required would be placed
so high that the law would become inoperative.
We want to call the attention of the rank and file
of the state, of the farmers, the Farmers' Union
and Federated Labor, to tills grand promise that
has been redeemed. The democratic party in the
state of Oklahoma has given the government of
that state to the people."
.Another illustration is North Dakota. There
the democrats made an active campaign for more
power in tho people, and striking gains were made.
The democratic candidate for governor received
45 per cent of the vote, whereas two years before
the democratic candidate received 27 per cent
This has caused tho republicans to become pro
gressive. In che legislature composed of 121 re
publicans and 19 democrats the house has submit
ted a constitutional' amendment for the Initiative
and referendum to apply to state affairs, except
that the Initiative is not to apply to constitutional
amendments a reservation brought a"bout by the
presence of state prohibition. The vote stood 74
for to 17 against.
Over in Wisconsin such of the republicans as
are really Jeffersonlans are pushing tho Initiative
and referendum bills, and a measure will doubt
less, pass. Senator LaFollettc favors it and so
does the republican state chairman, W. D. Connor,
the present lieutenant governor.
In Missouri Governor Folk has not only rec
ommended the initiative and referendum In ills
message, but a good bill for a constitutional
amendment, approved by him, was introduced in
the Jegislature and It has passed the house, Js re
ported from the senate and doubtless will pass.
Governor Folk's messaga also recommends the In
itiative and referendum for national affairs.
In New Jersey a bill for the advisory initiative
and advisory referendum for state affairs has been
Introduced by the People's Lobby. The house
stands 29 republicans to 31 democrats and It is
expected that the democrats will make the bill a
caucus measure. If they do the state will go dem
ocratic' next year provided the democratic national
convention stands for the restoration of people's
rule.
Over in New York state Mr. Hearst and his
co-workers are to introduce 'in the legislature a
bill for the initiative and referendum principles.
In Pennsylvania, Former State Senator Fllnn
of Pittsburg, .who some years ago defeated tho
re-election of Senator Quay, has taken the lead In
proposing a bill for the initiative and referendum
in cities and boroughs. The bill was quickly re
ported' in the house and will doubtless pass, with
the issue clearly drawn in the senate. Mr. Flinn's
next move will probably be the proposing of a bill
for a direct vote system for state issues and an
other -bill for direct election of United States sen
ators by the Oregon plan.
Letters From the People
Henry Barclay King, Augusta, Ga. I want to
make one more guess at Mr. Theodore Harris'
problem in your issue of the 11th, though it is not
entirely satisfying, to me. Is the article
"matches?"
Mr. O'Donovan, St Ann's Home, Terre Haute,
Ind. in The Commoner of January 18, 1907, you
use many and piercing words about the employers
of child labor. I am not am employer of child
labor. I have naught to say for those employers.
Would you be good enough to make some remarks
in The Commoner on the furnishers of the said
child labor? I Imagine them to be the parents of
the children sold to do the said labor.
50-cent dollar. With a vast Incrensc in gold coin
age since tho same crowd now meet and reso
lute for " I. O. U." money on tho plea that there
Is not enough money for actual business need.
Query: Will they support a democrat for presi
dent in 1008?
J. B. Gray, Schellburg, Pa. Enclosed please
find a clipping from the New Era Journal printed
in Huntingdon, Pa., on public ownership. It is
a republican paper. Wishing The Commoner and
Its editor success in their battle In tho interest
of the whole people In a government of tho people,
by the people and for the people.
I have been a reader of The Commoner almost
from Its first issue.
D. D. Krcmon, Massapequa, L. I. I clipped
tills from The Commoner January 18, 1907: "The
eminent financiers who loaned Japan tho money
for tho late Avar nro the gentlemen to say whether
Japan will be allowed to grow too chesty."
Absolutely true, these "eminent financiers who
control the irritamenta malorum" of the world can
and do promote or prevent war, between nations,
as best suits their Interests.
This being the case, would not an International
agreement, making war loans illegal and uncol
lectable, similar to gambling debts, under the law
of this state? It seems absurd to designate cer
tain commercial articles contrabrand of war and
legalize the dcut contracted to purchase them. Thfj
suggestion seems worthy of consideration by The
Hague convention if offered by Mr. Bryan would
doubtless receive respectful attention.
A. K. Grow, Hamilton, Mont I desire to call
attention to the freight rates of the orange crop
and to compare them with the actual knowledge
of President Hill, who would be an intelligent and
reliable witness before the interstate railway com
mission; where there appears to be some trouble
about arriving at a just, general freight rate, etc.
J. J., Hill, president of tho Great Northern Kail
way, desiring to give the exhibition a little taffy
on trade and commerce, by telling how ho man
aged the carrying trade for his road and great
ships, said as to rates: "Practically, a loaded car
can be taken two thousand miles for one hundred
and twenty-five dollars." The above quotation
was taken from memory, from the magazine
called "World's Work," and, I think, dated Sep
tember, 1905. A San Francisco newspaper re
cently said: "The revenue of tho railroads on
" oranges to eastern points Is $25 a ton and thirteen
tons to a car," making $325 per car, say, for "A
000 miles. Mr. Hill's statement calls for same
distance and $125, which would be saving to the
consumer on a carload of oranges the nice little
sum of $200 There are otlier calculations which
can be made on this orange deal, enough so to
make It interesting to consumers.
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C. G. Barbour, Vicksburg, Miss., propounds a
query. Mr. Barbour writes: In 1890 the bankers
defeated you for president on the cry of a 50
defeated a democrat for president on the cry of a
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