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INIXIAXJVB AND KISPJiiRBNDOM IN
ARKANSAS
Eolow will bo found a lottor written by tho
governor of Arkansas to Dr. 0. P. Taylor, editor
of "Equity Series," Philadelphia, togothor with
an artiolo ontitlod "Tho Movomont in Arkansas,"
written by Dr. Taylor:
Executive Chamber.
Stato of Arkansas, Littlo Hock.
kGoorgo W. Donaghoy, Governor.
Juno 22, 1510.
To tho Editor of Equity: I to.olrup tho fight
for tho initiative and reforourdum when I ilrst
entered public llfo, and I qh'ull never cease until
thoy aro a part of tho constitution of Arkansas.
I believe in direct democracy, not only because
it is in accord wtfli tho American theory of gov
ernment, but because it will lead to moro effi
cient govrfnmont and a bottor administration
of thV aiws. I boliovo in a business lileo admln
j tairatloii of tho affairs of the stato; not that sort
of a business administration which moans tho
granting of special favors to a few corporations,
contractors, and politicians to mako them rich at
tho oxponso of tho citizens, but that conduct
of affairs which moans economy, efficiency, and
promptness in doing the business of tho people
for all alike, with no favors or graft for anybody.
Thoro may bo thoso who think a few men
know tho business of tho whole people bettor
than tho people do themselves; but I am not one
of that kind. I am olocted to do the people's
bidding. I am their sorvant; or, as tho farmers
say, "hired man," not thoir master; and I take
it that members of the legislature aro no moro
and no loss. Honce I believe in tho right of the
people to direct tho course of their own busi
ness; and I can not conceive of a public servant
who would not bo moro than glad to have a'
better way provided such as tho initiative and
referendum afford for an authoritative expres
sion of publio opinion.
Tho people demand a more business-like gov
ernment, a broader justice, more progressive
legislation; that is, moro real service from thoir
f public officials. Likewiso they propose to direct
the job, and I am with them in these sensible
demands. GEORGE W. DONAGHEY,
Governor.
THE MOVEMENT IN ARKANSAS
By Dr. C. F. Taylor
As noted in April Equity, an initiative and ref
erendum amendment to the state constitution of
Arkansas will bo voted on at the stato election
there on September 12. This amendment was
submitted to the people by the last legislature,
almost unanimously. This vote for submission
of an initiative and referendum amendment in
Arkansas came as a surprise to the D. L. work
ers of the country, as they were not in general
aware that there was a D. L. movement of any
considerable strength in Arkansas. Tho history
of tho submission is briefly as follows Hon. E.
R. Arnold, of Arkadelphia, Ark., first introduced
the amendment when ho was a member of the
house of representatives six years ago. It then
passed tho house, but it was overwhelmingly
defeated in the senate. Mr. Arnold was then
elected to tho senate, and made another effort
to get tho resolution through the legislature
four years ago, but without success. Governor
Donaghey, in his biennial message to the last
legislature, strongly advocated tho adoption of
the initiative and referendum, and Senator Arn
old again renewed his efforts to get tho amend
ment through the legislature; this time with
brilliant success, wlth only one vote against it
Jn the senate and four votes against it in tho
house.
So it seems that tho submission is due chiefly
to two men: Governor Donaghey and Senator
E. R. Arnold, of Arkadelphia, especially the lat
ter. They worked so quietly, however, so far
as people outside Arkansas wore concerned, that
thero was no news of tho movement until tho
friends of D. L. here and there began to hear a
rumor that a D. L. amendment had passed the
Arkansas legislature; which cheerful news was
confirmed by tho brief history above given.
However, at least two other influences should
ho mentioned. It is claimed that if it had not
been for the Farmers' Union, with 85,000 voters
and over thirty of them active in tho legislature,
tiio amendment would not have been submitted.
Also a speech by Hon. "William J. Bryan before
tho legislature several years ago made clear
tho advisability and the. democracy of tho initia
tive and referendum. Mr. Bryan and Governor
Donaghey made the issue "regular" in tho demo
cratic party of the stato. Too much praise can
The Commoner,
not bo given to Governor Donaghoy for taking
a prominent placo among tho D. L, governors
of this country, and particularly for persistently
insisting on this issue being at tho front. Tho
successful adoption of this amendment will bo
a special glory to him.
Wo wish wo could record a similar history,
so simple, direct, and fruitful, of all the other
states in tho union which have not yet achieved
this form of pure democracy. But it seems that
privilege and favored interests aro so deeply in
trenched in most of tho other states that the
people can not gain this inherent right of having
a direct hand in tho making of their laws with
out a serious and prolonged contest.
Tho history of tho movement in Arkansas
since our last issue is briefly as follows: D. L.
literature has been sent to every newspaper in
Arkansas. Included in tho literature was a
copy of Senator Jonathan Bourne's remarkable
speech in tho United States senate, delivered
May 5, describing tho experience of the people
of Oregon with direct legislation.
Tho most fortunate thing in tho movement
in Arkansas is tho securing of the services of
Mr. Georgo J. King, of Toledo, Ohio, the able
and efficient secretary of the Ohio Direct Legis
lation League, who is being sustained in tho
movement in Arkansas, and who will give his
ontiro timo and attention to tho movement there
until tho election on September 12. Mr. King's
work thero began about Juno 1, and it pro
duced results immediately. He -found Governor
Donaghey to be earnestly in favor of the passage
of the amendment. Ho also found that he was
a candidate for nomination by tho democratic
convention to succeed himself. About Juito 7
the state democratic convention was held in
Little Rock, and Governor Donaghey was nom
inated on the democratic ticket to succeed him
self as governor. Governor Donaghey says that
ho will mako tho initiative and referendum
amendment (locally known as Amendment No.
10), a' prominent feature of his campaign. The
democratic state convention also passed a reso
lution endorsing the initiative and referendum
amendment. But this is perhaps presenting the
case too smoothly; for there was some opposi
tion in the democratic .convention, some of the
democrats of the old school regarding the meas
ure as either republican or populistlc and undem
ocratic. Thoy do not seem to understand what
pure democracy Is. Also, some of the politicians
(the kind who sense an opportunity for graft
slipping from them), stood ready and anxious
to oppose the amendment, but, knowing that
they could not prevail, judiciously kept silent.
I must also chronicle the following misfor
tune: At the meeting of tho State Bar Associa
tion, at Pine Bluff, early in Juno, President Nor
ton devoted his presidential address to a con
sideration of the Initiative and referendum, tak
ing a position against it. President Norton is
evidently a "gentleman of the old school. " His
elegant language and his type of thought re
mind one of the educated gentleman of more
than a century ago. "While ono is reading his
speech a vision of the ancient, wigged barrister
of elegant mien comes before the reader's mind.
But President Norton loses sight of tho fact
that tho public schools and the popular press
of the present time (not known in the time of
the wigged barrister), have fitted the people
for the intelligent discussion and disposition of
public measures. He also loses sight entirely
of tho history of the Initiative and referendum
in Switzerland, and of the town meetings in
early New England, and particularly of tho his
tory that direct legislation has made in this
country, notably in Oregon, in very recent years.
A copy of Senator Bourne's speech will be mailed
to every lawyer in Arkansas, by which it is hoped
the bar of Arkansas can be led to put them
selves right on this Ibsuo.
The republican state convention of Arkansas,
which convened some days after the democratic
convention, also indorsed tho initiative and ref
erendum amendment. So it would seem that
the way is clear,, for the successful adoption of
the amendment on the 12th of September next.
But the way is not as clear as it seems. The
present constitution of Arkansas requires that
an amendment shall roceivo a majority of tho
votes cast in the election at which the amend
ment is submitted; so that a voter who votes
for any officer or officers in that election but
does not vote al all on tho constitutional amend
ment or amendments submitted, virtually votes,
according to the constitution, against such
amendment or amendments. This danger,
therefore, is feared: that many voters will vote
tho state ticket for officers, but will neglect to
vote upon tho amendments (two amendments
will bo submitted, the other ono providing for
VOLUME 10, NUMBER 31
the exemption from taxation jf capital invested
in tho manufacture of cotton materials, for a
certain term of years, ) . So the task is. to instruct
the people and convince thereof the importance
of voting for tho initiative and referendum
amendment. If, as in all other state constitu
tions, a! majority votoon tho amendment would
carry, then the task would be easy; but when
we consider that, a voter for officers will in effect
cast a voto against the amendment should' he
fail to put any mark opposite tho amendment,
tho problem becomes much morel serious.
Organized labor in Arkansas, as everywhere,
is earnestly in favor of direct legislation and is
working hard for its suqeess. The farmers' or
ganizations have "resoluted" in favor of direct
legislation; but it seems to be much less to the
average farmer than to the average organized
workingman. So it will be a great and impor
tant task to reach the. individual farmer with
the importance of not failing to vote for tho
amendment. Mr. King is co-operating with Pro
fessor George A. Cole, of the University of
Arkansas and president of the Farmers' Union,
In instructing the farmers.
It is an interesting though rather discouraging
fact that people in tho back districts are inclined
to vote against the initiative and referendum
merely because they do not understand tho
meaning of these words. This fact was devel
oped particularly in the experience of Dr. Wil
liam P. Hill, of St. Louis, the man who put the
direct legislation amendment in the Missouri
constitution. At its first submission it was de
feated; and the majorities against it came from
the back counties; the majorities in its favor
came from what Dr. Hill terms "the centers of
enlightenment," the cities. So when he suc
ceeded in getting the amendment submitted
again, he undertook the herculean task of reach
ing and educating the people of the back coun
ties; and when that was done, the adoption of
the amendment was easy. It is a well-known
fact that ignorant voters are suspicious; and as
a rule they voto against a thing that they do
not understand because they imagine it to be
some "job;" particularly if tho thing to be voted
on consists of long and strange words which
initiative and referendum are to most ignorant
people. For that reason Mr. King is endeavor
ing to avoid the use of these words In the" Ar
kansas campaign, substituting the expression
"Amendment No. 10." After explaining that
Amendment No. 10 is in the interest of the
masses of the people, it becomes easy for the
ignorant voter to remember that he should vote
for the adoption of Amendment No. 10. It is
important to take these psychological phases of
the problem into consideration in practical
direct legislation work.
We have no knowledge of any extended hold
that privilege and monopoly have upon the state
of Arkansas; hence we have no knowledge of
any extended corruption In its official records.
But the state of Arkansas has many promising,
though as yet comparatively undeveloped re
sources, such as the cotton interests, the rice
possibilities, the fruit prospects, and the min
eral resources; so that when Arkansas becomes
the wealthy state that it is destined to become,
and when its cities grow in population into the
hundreds of thousands, then the boodlers will
come, as they always have come when wealth
has become developed; and than will be the
danger of political corruption, as has occurred
in all our large cities and wealthy states; and
then is the time that the people will need the
restraining and controlling power of direct legis
lation but now Is the timo for them to get it.
We sincerely hope that in the next issue of
Equity wo can chronicle tho fact that Arkansas
has become tho ninth state to put the initiativo
and referendum in its state constitution, and
that tho workers of direct legislation everywhere
can point with pride to this last victory, and
carry the banner of Arkansas to all the states
that are struggling to get this primary and in
herent right of American citizenship.
The JPrimaries in Nebraslza
JLttgust IO
JEvery Voter m Misery JParty
Should Go to the JPolls on,
that Day and Vote his Choice
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