The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923, March 13, 1903, Page 15, Image 15

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fMARCH 13, 1903.
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BOYS
W wnnf fwtv
In ovorv nwn n B SATURI
work for us after evemu
school hours and pco
on Saturdays.
Over 3000 boys
.now at the work.
Some make $10.00
kto $15.00 a week.
A N Y B o Y
who is willing to devote a few
hours each week to this work can
earn many dollars selling
The Saturday
Evening Post
Among neighbors and relatives. He
,can begin at once. Absolutely no
money required to start. Write us J
to-day and we will send the first
week's supply of ten copies free.
These are sold at 5 cents each, and
will provide capital to order the next
week's supply at wholesale rates.
$225 in Extra Cash Frizes Nest Month
Booklet containing photographs of some
of our most successful boy agents, with
letters telling how they -work, sent free.
nri. n..-- i-..t-ii-t.i r '
IICbUIUB I'UUIIBIIIIIX VJlIIJIiy
407 Arch Street, Philadelphia, Pa.'
Initiative and Referendum.
The following argument against the
principle of the initiative and referen
dum is published in order to show the
line of logic followed by those who. op
pose this reform:
To begin with it is proposed to give
ilO per cent of the voters power to de-
fmand a vote upon any question the"
percentage must be small so that the
plan may be executed with as little
trouble as possible, for upon simple
and speedy management depends the
auccess of the project What will be
the result? The people will be called
upon, heaven only knows how ofteu,
to vote upon questions which oft-times
fc-do not concern them at all, for any
individual, 01" small group of individ
uals, may, by having a petition filled
out, which is an easy matter, demand
an election upon some pet scheme in
volving their personal interests only.
Would this not result in an intolerable
nuisance, growing to such an extent as
to in time seriously menace our in
Btitutions of government, not to men
tion the peace of society? Do the peo
ple wish to be continually called upon,
which they will be if this theory is
put into . practice, to concern them
selves with matters of public policy,
most of which they have neither the
time nor inclination to Investigate?
I think not
Consider for a moment this vast na
tion, with its intricate machinery of
government, ite tremendous industrial
activities, and its vast army of toil
ers, who are forced by conditions to
expend their thought and energy year
in and year out In the struggle for ex
istence; think of the cosmopolitan
character of its people, with their
widely differing ideas of morals and
social institutions, to say nothing of
two other great factors, ability and
educationin the face of these few
facts, is it reasonable to assume that
the placing upon the masses this great
responsibility of making or selecting
laws is logical or safe?
The making of laws is a science call
ing for the highest talent, and woo bo
unto the people of that nation or com
munity where laws are recklessly cre
ated, or unwisely applied. Laws must
bo made for the future as well as for
the present, and only those men whose
mental qualities are developed to a
point where they can see the futuro
consequences of their acts are quali
fied for such work. What made our
constitution... such a wonderful docu
ment? Not bqcauso it served to tq
lieve existing conditions only, but be
cause it was drawn with an eye to
the future that it merits the respect
and admiration of every nation today.
The laws of a country are too precious
to be juggled with hastily enacted,
and perhaps as hastily repealed, as
the whims and constantly changing
sentiments of the people may dictate.
One of the advantages claimed for
the initiative and referendum is the
speedy and simple enactment of relief
measures, and the same speedy and
simple repeal of obnoxious measures.
At first thought this may appear very
reasonable, but the proposition pre
sents itself as" to what will determine
whether a law isvgdqd or bad I mean,
are there any rules, by which people
may be governed In forming their de
cisions? If not, and time for investi
gation .and ..discussion Is necessary,
then (assuming that an Intelligent
opinion io rendered) this advantage is
lost, and- the same complaint will
arise that now exists among those that
favor this project respecting the delay
encountered in securing reforms,
Some writer, James Bryce, I be
lieve, has Stated that the people etijoy
as good government as they deserve.
In other words, the quality of legisla
tion depends upon the quality of the
people. If this is true, then certainly
no benefit would result were the peo
ple given control of affairs which were
not properly managed under our pres
ent system. -If the will of the people
is being ignored, it Is not because the
people have not power to correct the
evil, but because they do not properly
use the power in their hands; namely,
the power of selecting broad-minded,
honest and courageous representa
tives, whoso ambitlbn It is to legislate
in the interests of the whole people,
and who will not allow themselves to
be bribed and coerced into legislating
in the Interests" of- the few. When the
common people learn to select men
according to their ability and moral
character to govern them, they need
have no Jtear that any harm will De
fall their interests.
,,This is an ago of specialization, and
from the very nature of things it
seems to me Inevitable that the theory
of direct legislation, when put to a
test, would fall far short' of the ex
pected. Its advocates place alto
gether too high an estimate, upon hu
man power; they seem to forget that
there is a limit, and that the finite
mind is capable of grasping but few
of the questions engaging the atten
tion of mankind in the various lines
of endeavor. The , merchant, the law
yer, the physician, the mechanic and
all must each specialize In his respec
tive branch, and 'the average man is
as Incapable of rendering intelligent
judgment on the many political ques
tions that arise as the physician is to
interpret laws from the bench, or the
lawyer to diagnose a disease.
I mention this In support of my con
tention thaf the theory of the people
being able to intelligently and wisely
direct legislative affairs among them
selves is false, And that they must de
pend upon the specialist for Informa
tion and guidance; in other words,
that our present system Is the only
one from which we can expect reason
ably good results. Place upon tho
masses this burden of legislating for
themselves, and see how quickly they
will become listless and indifferent;
then tho political bossos and corpora
tions will again assume command,
which will bo tendered them without
protest, and you will bo as bad off as
before, if not worse.
Wo livo under a republican form of
government; under a republican form
only can this nation thrive. Puro dem
ocracy as existed in olden times can
never bo established under modorn
conditions; some power must bo dele
gated in order that society may enjoy
the fruits of civilization and not bo
hamporeH by overburdening responsi
bilities. It is well that the pcoplo retain a
strong hold on legislation, and that
they enjoy as much liberty and inde
pendence as is consistent; but "lib
erty" and "independence" aro words
that admit of many interpretations,
and may be so construed as to mean
tyranny in its worse form. I have but
to point to tho French revolution and
America under the articles of confed
eration as distressing examples of lib
erty and independence stretched to a
point where a man hardly dared call
his soul his own.
Tho placing of those men in power,
who, with justice, wisdom and fore
sight, will legislate for the welfare of
tho whole people, is, In my humble
opinion, far better and safer than put
ting into practice what seems to mo
this more than doubtful reform tho
initiative and referendum.
Books Received.
v
Soltairo; by George Franklyn Wil
ley, Now Hampshire Publishing cor
poration, Manchester. Speaking of this
book the New York World says:
"A Btrong, fresh romance of the
White Mountain region, to'd by an au
thor whoso love of the great New
Hampshire hills is solf-eident It is
a story In two parts. The first part
deals with, tho old legend of tho "Wil
ley Slide," tho tale of an avalanche
which swept to awful death all of a
household save one little girl. The
fortunate child is saved by Soltairo,
tho hermit-hunter, and is brought up
by him In his snug cave. Attaining
the years of young womanhood, she
meets in tho mountains, by chance, one
who draws her out Into the great
world by the power of love. The sec
ond part brings the story up to date.
Its hero and heroine develop unex
pected relations to the characters in
the preceding chapters and another
romance without tragedy is happily
worked out Mr. Wllley's story is di
rect, simple and completely interest
ing. It is illustrated in half-tones and
is attractively bound in red and gold."
Tat But ftuiflyBtrgalT
Vvi.7
1 twm cior j
aw in jrour m
Split Hickory
iiMiir.
jn?Err
Bf.JII 11 It. I I 3ltl TTf-l.,
irawin mail Tun 1111s sniiiuinff ouiu jiidhutx.
Kkz.full rubbor-loD Iluur for S35.0O and
aead it to you on 80 days FREE TRIAL, that
70a mar hitch to It and nee It enough to fall
mum youneic uiac 70a nare aspenata nar-
rain, ana mac ererr ciaim we maaaisirue.
jntoDof this free offer we alro job a two
years guarantee. We hare an Immense fac
tory tarnlng out thousands ot Job yearly, all
of wlil eh we mII direct from our factory to
user.ls thereawm we make this truiywon
rt art lit linger offer.
";r.i -.". "" . " . t m
tiub tiuuirr la tnaae or neieccea eeoona
erowthnpl Ft hickory pllt. not sawed and In
a thoroughly high grade rahtcle at a low price.
It has heel brace on ahafta, good carpet,
full rubber ton. solid nanel norlntr back. W-ln.
round edge ateel tired wheel, boot on baek of
body, high leather dash, storm apron, tilde
esrtalns, open hearth, oil tempered springs,
Norway Iron bolta ana forcings, and many
other point, of merit. It 1 handsome and
durablo, nndyoactm hare your choice ox oil
and lead oalnt In colon.
N OT a cheap thing about the lob except the
price, uend at once lor our Ja page, Jiwa
Catalogue, which glres descriptions and prloea
of our complete line of vehicle and harness.
It is If HKK.
OHIO CARRIAGE MFG. CO.
gtallaa 1SS Claetanntl. O.
The Maule
Seed Book
for 1903 is free to all interested in gar
dening who mention this paper. If you
want an up-to-date garden you ought
to have it, the best seed catalogue I
have ever published. The first edition
costs over $37,000. Address simply t
MAULE, Philadelphia.
Don't Pay Double.
We'll sell you a better hatcher
for tho money than any other
Incubator concern on earth. New Im
proved regulator, that can't get out
ttfttr. Hit Uk-001IlMlrtlx 6m.
SUBK HATt II IHCVB1T0K CO.,
Clay Color, Sab. r Colaatbaa, OM.
Thi Old Line Bankers Life Insuranca
Go. of Lincoln, Nebraska!
will writo you a policy of $1,000 and guarantee
on it fa co that the not coit to you from data
till its maturity in 20 yean will not exceed $1.00
por year at age twenty up to $0.20 per year ab
acre tifty-tiyo. Every policy secured by a de
posit with tho State of Nebraska. Bend age at
nearest birthday and fret illustration.
TBFFS host y Test-78 Years
CA5U
Weekly
Ala.; tic
.JlJM FEurr Book free. Wo
III Want MORE Salesmen
W STARK BROS . LeskUaa. Mo. ; Uoatsvi
CM l flUIK
stsvMe.A
The Celebrated LaDow-Budlong DISC HARROW,;
The bumpers In the canter take all the side draft. AJ1 boxes guaranteed against
wear for two years. i other Banufacturer will give yoo such a guarantee. Noi
Meek Draft. No raising up la the center. All steel bat taagae. We also make i
f)H V the Celebrated DIHarre wand Irlll throwing the earth nil one way. Send!
JRaB for our Big Free Catalogs. It costs yon nothing. We sU 1000 things yoa
M want at eae-balf dealer's prieca. Address
SI I HAPGOOD PLOW CO., Box 709 Alton, lll.i
wp rj only plow faotao ta the United BUtes selling cured to the farmer.'
$2ygSS
SiHNIEw "SjJy
EMUIME
PMEBER
GENUINE DUEBER
4 OZ. SOLID SILVERING wHI-wfwm. W .as p
ftot, tmafmiuM tai g-nwl by DUEBER. " WwUT putot
wUfh tu aukr. TiUtimUhtLfftxj bttt men jv.Wi Amrkan t
bmI ni&t, fUno viad tad Mt uA alxoloUly ana(Md tar 20 J.i
SEEING IS BELIEVING.CSuUaoeadltti.Mwlthyr
MM,polWu4afrMttMa44tMkadw11lM!idtt)vttchto 7 tT
tvpnt tat tiuabuko. Tea .umio. It M jtar txprM cSm ud If u nprtttt
dptyrarMi K" oar txrnla Ml. prbw t:.V9 tad txpnu ihuw ud ills
jnit. Ortn UwUy u Itifi adrntlMant will pMitlrtly sot appur aeta.
R.K.OIIALMEUS Jfe CO. M1-J&8 Dearborn St. Chieage.
HHEOy
W LOACH;
SAW MILLS ARE BEST.
The Price it Right Too.
Knewn the World Over.
FARMERS $125 SAW MILL
Oat Feet Laaaber a day with eelr 4 a. a.
DeLoaek Variable Feed Saw Hills, 4 to 100 h. p.,
aay price. peLoaeU Mill Machinery, Planers;
Hh Ingle. Lath and Corn Mills, Wnter Wheels, etc
fitLsstk Mill Mfg, Ce.,Bx88a Attaata, da.
Haaiseaae Catalegve Free If yea rat tela set sad
giva bum ot paps.
HVftaafli9
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