Th e
fo ll o w in g i s a reprint o f the re p o rt o f th e Executiv e C o un cil
o f t he A meri c an F ede r ati o n o f La b o r to t he S e attle C o nv e nti o n
de a l in g wi t h th e s u bj ec t o f i n itiativ e re fere n d u m an d rec a ll
legi sl atio n Th i s rep ort p o int s o u t the p itfalls of initiativ e an d
r e fere n d u m le gi sl ati o n a s c o mmo n ly dr aft ed by p a rti s an leg i sl at o r s
w h o are O pp o sed to t he sys tem an d by wh i ch it s p urp o ses are e it her
de fe at ed o r m ade u seless T h e fo ll o win g p ro p o sed draft o f res ol u
tio n a s a state co n s tituti o nal ame n dme nt i s s u bm itt ed a s a m o del
o f a b i ll to be u rged f o r e na c t me nt by s tat e le gi sl atures w h i ch w i ll
in s ure a p r a cti c a l an d e ff ectiv e sys tem o f initiative re fere n d u m
an d rec a ll
T h e c o nv e ntio n d i rec t ed th at a s uffi c i e nt nu mb e r o f co pi es o f
t h i s p o rtion of t he rep o rt be pr inted to d i st ri b ute to a ll ce nt ra l
b o d i es an d stat e federatio n s o f l ab or f o r thei r gui d an ce
T h e c onv e ntion fu rt her u rged u p on a ll a ffi l iated b o d i es t he
a d vi sa b i l ity o f bec o m ing member s o f t he N ational Po p u l ar G ov ern
me nt L e a gu e to wh i ch t h i s r e p o rt re fers wh i ch lea gu e h a s f o r it s
p u rp o se the p ro m o ti o n o f eff o rts to pl a ce in the h an ds of t he pe o ple
the me an s o f p o p u l a r go v ern me nt
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WAR N ING S
CO N CE R N I NG
G UAR DS
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AN D
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R E STRICTIO N S ,
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'O ' E R S
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'
SAFE
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s u rvey of the s t ru ggles in th e vari o u s Stat e L egi sl atu res an d
con stitutiona l c o nv e ntio n s to sec ure the initiativ e and re fere n du m
co n cl u siv ely pro v es th at the mo s t d ange ro us e n emy o f d irect
legi sl atio n i s t he l egi sl ato r or c an d i d a te wh o fav o rs th e prin c iple
“
b ut un der pro per rest ri c tion s an d s afeguards
Ev ery pro perly
con s tru cted d i rect legi sl ati o n system o f c o u rs e will c o nt ain
l egi timat e s afe guards to prev ent frau ds an d in s ure an h on es t
e x press io n o f the pe o ple s wi ll b ut the p oli ti c i an w h o talks gr av ely
“
“
of
s afeguard s u s ually h a s at he art t he in sertio n o f j okers
di sgui sed to gi v e t he p e ople t he fo rm b ut no t the s u bstan ce o f
p ower
A s t he in itiativ e an d re fere n d u m gro w in favo r an d the dem an d
o
n
t
hem
bec
o
mes
i
rres
i
s
ti
ble
t
he
pe
ple
m
u
s
t
be
g
ua
rd
a
g
ain
s
t
o
o
r
f
t h i s s o rt o f tri ckery an d sh ou ld q u es ti o n e v e ry c an di d ate no t o n ly
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I
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u p on hi s prin c i ples b ut als o u p on wh at kind of an initiativ e an d
re fe re n d u m amen dme nt he s tan ds fo r
' e tw ee n a c on s titutiona l a me n dme nt of t h i s ch ar act er an d a
statut e l aw there i s a v ital diff ere n ce wh ich t he fri e n ds of direct
“
le gi sl ation in cl in ed to ta ke wh at they c an ge t an d i mprov e it
aft erward
sh ou ld c are fu lly c on s i der A s tatut e l aw c an b e
ame n ded fro m ye ar to ye ar b ut to i mpr ov e t he initiativ e an d re fer
en du m invo l v es an a me ndme nt to t he C on s titution itsel f req u i ri n g
a l on g s tru ggle oft e n mo re di ffi cu l t to secu re th an t he a do p ti on
of t he origi nal am endm ent N 0 res u l t wo rt h sp e ak in g of c an be
secu red t hrou gh the ori ginal ame ndm e nt an d t he pe ople bec ome
di sgu sted wit h t he sys tem Set it down t h at a p oo r ame n dme nt i s
wo rse th an non e at all
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R estri cti ons
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U n der
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the he a d res tri ction s there are three di rec t l i mitation s
u p on the p ower of t he pe o ple wh i ch sh ou ld not be perm itt ed a s
f o ll o w s '
1 R estri cti ng the scop e of the i ni tia ti ve to s ta tu te laws a nd denyi ng
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the
people the ri ght to p rop ose
or adop t a n a
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mend ment to thei r S ta te
Th e
c on s titutional initiativ e i s the m o s t i mp o rtant fa cto r in an y
ame n dme nt N o pe o ple can be free wh o c an not contr o l t he ir
org ani c l aw Th e con s titution m ay s tan d sq uarely in the way of
S tat e l aws n ecess ary fo r the p u bl i c w el fa re an d t he pe o ple be pow er
less to e na ct s u ch l aws unti l the L egi sl ature firs t s u bm it s an a me nd
me nt to the co n s tit u tion
2 R estri cti ng control of p u bl i c fu nd s To deny the r i ght of the
“
p eop le to fi le a referendu m p etiti on aga i nst a pp rop riati on measu res
T h e chi e f p ow er of an y p oliti cal m a ch in e n e xt to contr o l of
fr an ch i ses l i es in c ont ro l of t he p u bl i c tre as u ry With th i s restric
tion the pe ople h av e no p ower to prevent a l ooti n g of the p u bl i c
fun ds On the ot her h an d it i s m aintain ed t h at seriou s emb arr a ss
me nt to S tat e in s tituti on s m ay foll ow if le giti m at e appro priation
b i lls c an be s u spe n ded by a re fere n du m fi led by e n em i es o f the
a dm ini stration Wi sc on s in mee t s th i s s ituati o n a dmi r ably by
“
providi n g th at no appropriati o n fo r m aintainin g the Stat e
gov ern ment o r an y p u bli c in s titution not ex ceedin g the n e xt pre
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c am paig n s
whi ch i s t he e x c u se gi v e n f o
inj ect ed
r thi s
—
j o ker s u ch ab u se c an be prevent ed by a provi s i o n th at on ly
ge n er al qu es ti on s go u p on the S tate b a ll ot an d th at l o c al q u es tion s
be se ttl ed by the dis t ri ct co n cern ed
3 To p roh i bi t ci rcu la ti on of p eti ti ons f or pay —I n n e arly e v ery
initiativ e an d re fere n du m pe tition ci rcu l ated in Ameri c an States
it h a s bee n n ecessa ry in a ddition to vo l unteer effo rt to hire so li ci
to rs to co mple te the pe tition Th i s i s tru e e v e n o n pe tition s ciren
l ated by s u ch p owerfu l o rganization s a s Sta t e gran ges Stat e
feder ation s of l a b o r co mmercial o rg anizatio n s e t c Wi lliam
“
S U R en fath er of the Orego n sys t em s ays
to pr o h ib it t he
h irin g of s oli c ito rs i s pra cti c a lly equivale nt to ab o li sh in g the intia
Fr au ds , rece ntly pr a cti ced in O h io C o l o
tiv e an d re feren du m
ra d o an d O regon h av e bee n seiz ed up on by co rp o rat e interes ts
a s an ex cu se fo r th i s jo ker wh i ch i s be in g stre nuo u sly u rged ' u t
t he way to pre v ent frau d i s by s trin ge nt co rru p t pr acti ces a ct s an d
j ai l t erms f or perso n s wh o fr au d u lently si gn t he na mes o f ot her
me n
in Stat e
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s p eedy cou rt
a nd
those
deci si ons i n
fi li ng
i nju ncti ons a re fi led agai nst peti tion s
ncy or
s h ou ld b e forced to p rove i n suffi c ie
ca s e
peti ti ons
Th e
mi su se of t he inj un ction writ i s a gr owin g d an ger S ev era l
q u es tion s h av e bee n kept off t he b all ot whe n a perfectly le giti m at e
pe titio n h a s bee n enjoin ed by a re a c tiona ry c ou rt an d it s va li dity
dec i ded too l at e f or the q u es tion to be s u bm itt ed to t he elec tion
inte n ded
—
N on S u sp ens i on 'oker
A re fere n dum pe titi o n fi led a gain s t a
l aw p assed by t he legi sl ature sh o u ld s u spen d t he l aw unti l vo t ed
u p o n by t he peo ple R e a cti onari es are no w dem an di n g th at s u ch
l aws rem ain in o per ation unti l t he election an d a rejectio n m erely
ac t a s a repe al T h i s b i g d an ger here i s t h at an a ct of the L egi sl a
ture invo lvin g t he t ran s fer of pro perty ri gh t s migh t b e c o nstru ed
by t he co u rt s a s a contr a ct an d t he rej ecti o n o f th e a ct b y t he
pe ople w o u ld no t e nable t hem to reco ver t he ir pr o pert y
—
The emergen cy j oker
T o perm it ti me to secu re re fere n d u m
pe tition s le gi sl ativ e a ct s sh ou ld not g o into o p eratio n for nine ty
d ays ' u t s o meti mes it i s des ir able th at a l aw go into in s ta nt o p e r a
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ti on an d th e L e gi sl atur e by a two t h i rds vot e sh ou ld be em
“
p owered to decl a re s u ch a l aw an emer ge n cy me a su re
I n South D ak ota h ow ev er an d s o me other Stat es th e emerge n cy
cl au se p ut s a l aw beyon d the re a ch of t he re fere n d u m an d t he
pe op le are p owerless to vote u p on s u ch a l aw Th u s t he pe o ple of
South D ak ota h av e the ri gh t o f re fere n d u m on ly by perm i ss ion o f
the Leg islat re Ov er 40 per ce nt of the l aw s p a ssed in th at
p
Stat e are p a ssed a s emerge n cy me a s ures
—
a
The m jori ty joker
To requ i re a too d iffi cu lt or i mp oss i b le
majori ty f or the ena ctment or rejecti on of a measu re by the voters
M e as u res shou ld be de term in ed at the p o lls by a m aj ority of the
vot es c a s t t here on I t i s dem an ded by t he s tan d p att ers th at a
“
me a su re to be e nacted mu s t rece iv e a m ajo rity of 21 11 vot es c a s t
“
in t he elec tion o r of t he total nu mber of vot ers in t he S tat e
I f w e c o mp ut e the elec tion retu rn s u p on e v ery Stat e wi de me a su re
s u bmitted th u s far un der t he initi ativ e an d re fere n du m in t he
U ni ted S tates w e sh all fin d t h at a ge n er a l av er a ge of 7 5 per ce nt
o f the vot ers
votin g fo r c an di d at es v o t e on e way o r another
u pon pe n din g me a su res Th at i s to s ay 2 5 per ce nt of t he vot ers
are e ither to o i gno rant c areless o r un deci ded to vot e u p o n pen d in g
“
l aw s su bm itt ed to them Th e eff ec t of the m ajo rity of all vo t es
c as t jo ker i s to c ount t h i s in ert b o dy of citi z en s again s t ev ery pro
p o sa l m a de by t he peo ple t hr ou gh t he initiativ e an d re feren d u m
Thi s j o ker h a s pr a cti c a lly des tr o yed t he initiativ e in O kl a h o m a
ex cep t fo r spec ial election s I n t he tw elv e Stat e con s tituti on s
W here it h a s l on g o b tain ed fo r a d o p tin g o r dina ry me a s u res it h a s
re n dered t hese c on s titution s a cco rdin g to Pr ofes so r D o dd of
“
Ill inoi s U niv ers it y pr acti c ally i mp o ss ible to a men dme nt
It
i s tanta m ount to requiri n g a two th irds o r ev e n fiv e sixths m ajo rity
o f a c tu al vot ers to ov erru le t he L e gi sl ature
T h i s jo ker sh ou ld h av e sh ort shri ft in M a ss ach u se tts where f o r a
centu ry an d a t h ird con s tit u tional am endm ents h av e al ways bee n
de term in ed by a m aj o rity of t he vot ers vo tin g t here on
—
Fa i l i ng to p rovid e a n adeq ua te a nd effi ci ent
P u bli ci ty joker
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Ev e n c on servativ e s tat esme n wi ll a dm it t h at t he A meri c an pe o
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ple can be tru st ed to re n der ju s t ju dgme nt u p on p u bli c qu es tion s
if they h av e ti me fo r c on si der ation an d are pr o perly info rmed
.
T he n
whe n t he initiativ e an d re fere n du m are in s talled wit h
ch arm in g in con s i s t e n cy t hey re fu se to provi de an a dequ at e sys tem
of i nfo rm in g t he vot ers u p o n pe n di ng me a su res Th e u s ual meth o d
i s to provi de in t he a me n dme nt t h at me as u res sh all be p ub li shed
“
as c on s titutional ame n dme nt s are now p u bl i shed wh i ch i s by
n e w sp aper a dv erti s in g o r by ta ck in g u p t he t e xt of a pr o p o sed
me as u re in p u bli c pl a ces A c tual res ul t s h av e sh own t h at by t hese
me t h od s not ov er on e th ird of the voters ev er see a co py of a
pro po sed l aw m u ch less re a d an h on es t d i sc u ssion of it s merit s
an d demer it s by resp on s ible p ar ti es
Th e d i scri m ination sh own
by t he vot ers of O regon i s l argely d u e to the fa ct th at the Secre
tary of Stat e fifty d ays be fo re elec tion se n ds by m ai l to e a ch v o ter
a w ell print ed p amphle t co ntainin g a co py of e ach me a su re to ge ther
wi th a rgu me nt s fo r an d ag ain s t wh i ch m ay be s u bm itted by ci ti
z e n s o r o rg anization s up on the p ayin g of the a c tual c o s t of sp a ce
take n Th e l ack o f s u ch a me th o d of p u bl i c ity i s a we ak sp ot in t he
tr a di ti onal M a ss a ch u se tt s pra c ti ce in re fere n d a o n c on s titutional
a me n dme nts Th i s an d t he i r frequ e ntly unint eres ti n g ch ara ct er
wi ll e x pl ain t he l igh t v o t e wh i ch i s so me ti mes c a s t u p on t hem
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The Genera l P ri nci ple Fra ud
I t i s freq u e ntly a dvoc ated especially by c on s tituti ona l l awyers
t h at a c o mple t e ini tiati v e an d re fer e n du m a men dme nt i s too l on g
to be pl a ced in t he c on s titution H e n ce th e dem an d t h at t he
a me n dme nt c ontain on ly the gen eral prin c iple an d th at it be le ft
to the L e gi sl atu re to wo rk o u t t he de tai ls of the sys tem
Ex peri en ce h a s prov e n th i s a v ery d angero u s pr o ced u re
Fo r e xa mple ' I n 1 900 the pe o ple o f U ta h a d op t ed at the
Uta h
p o lls an a me n dme nt c ontainin g th e “
e
n
er
a
l
pr
in
c
i
ple
perm
ittin
g
g
“
the pe o ple to e x erci se the initiativ e an d re fere n du m un der s u ch
con diti o n s and in s u ch m ann er an d wit h in s uch ti me a s m ay be
provi ded by l aw
F or t h i r tee n ye ars the U ta h L egi sl atu re h a s re fu sed to p ut the
ame n dme nt into fo rce a l th ou gh b il ls h av e bee n intro du ced in
ev ery single sess io n dem an di n g th at it sh o u ld be d on e
“
— I
the ge n eral
n 1 9 1 2 an a me n dme nt pr ovi d in g f o r
I da ho
princi ple wa s a do p t ed by the pe o ple o f Id aho by an e no rm ou s
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L egi sl atu re w hi ch me t in 'anuary 1 9 1 3 de fe ated a b i ll
wh i ch pro p o se d to carry into ef f ec t the wi ll o f the pe o ple
Thi s
wit h in tw el v e weeks after the elec ti o n
—
Texa s
T he 1 9 1 3 sess ion of the T e xa s L egi sl atu re s u bm itted an
ame n dme nt to be vote d u p o n at th e electi o n o f 1 9 1 4 wh ic h pro
v id e d f or 2 0 pe r ce nt pe tition s an d e v eryt h in g else le ft to t he a c tion
of t he L egi sl atu re
—
Wa rn i ng T hu s ev ery c a se thu s far h a s fai led in w hi ch t he
L e zgisl atur e h a s bee n giv e n p ow er o v er the initiativ e an d re fer e m
Th e
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M o re o v er in ev ery sess io n of the Orego n L egi sl atu re s in ce 1 904
an d a ls o in n e arly ev ery S tat e h avin g the initiativ e an d re fere n du m
in pr ac ti ce b i lls an d pro p o sed c on s titutio na l ame n dme nt s wh i ch
wou ld des t ro y o r gre at ly cri pple t he eff e ctiv e ame n dme nt s now in
O per ati o n h av e bee n intr o d u ced an d e v ery e ff o rt m a de to sec ure
the ir a d o p tion T wo c on s tituti on al amen dme nt s s u bm itt ed
by t he L egi sl atu re pro p o sin g c h an ges in the O regon sys tem whi ch
wou ld h av e des tro yed it s u se fu ln ess h av e bee n de fe ated by
ov erw helm in g m ajo riti es Th i s i s pro o f b o t h th at the pe o ple o f
O re gon are s ati sfi ed wi t h t he ir sys t em an d seco ndly t h at eve ry
ame n dme nt mu s t be m ade bo mb proof fro m the s tart
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PR OPO S E D AME N DIVHENTS
THE
AN D
T O STATE C O NSTIT UT I O NS T O IN S UR E
E NACT ME NT O F PR O PE R I NIT IATIV E R E FE R E N D UM
RE CALL LAWS
,
,
A 'oi n t R esolu ti on
ro p osin g an amen dment to the co n stituti on of '
name of State ' p r ovi din g f or
the Ini tiativ e an d Re feren du m
' e it reso lv ed by the Senat e an d H o u se o f Representativ es o f the State o f
T h at a prop os itio n be subm itt ed to the peo ple of the S tat e o f
o f the S tate c on s tituti on to re ad as
arti cle
to a men d sec ti on
follow s '
—
v
i
e
a
i
e
A
u
t
h
o
r
t
T he leg i sl ative au th ority o f thi s S tate shall
L g i sl t
S ec 1
y
be ves ted in a Se nate an d H o u se o f Representatives b ut t he people reserv e to
themselv es p ow er to prop ose leg i slativ e me asu res l aw s res olutio ns an d amen d
ment s to the constitution an d to en act or rej ect the same at the p olls in d epend
e nt o f the genera l assembly ' an d also reserv e p ower at thei r own op tion to
approv e or rej ect at the p olls any ac t item secti on or any p art o f any ac t or
mea sure p assed by the gener al a ssembly
— T he firs t p ow er reserv ed by the pe o ple i s the I nitiativ e
v
i
t
t
i
i
a
e
a
n
I
Sec 1
and not m ore th an 8 per cent an d in no c ase more th an fifty thousan d l eg a l
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voters 'a s m ay be determ ined by l aw 'shall be requi red to prop ose any me a sure
by initiative petition an d every su ch petiti on shall inclu de the full te xt o f the
me a sure so pr op o sed I nitiativ e pe titio n s shal l be filed with th e Secretary o f
State no t less than fo u r m onths be fo re the elec tio n at wh i ch they a re to be
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The secon d p ower reserved by the people i s the
Referen du m an d it m ay be ordered either by a pe tition si gn ed by the requi red
number o f lega l voters or by the genera l a ssembly a s other b i lls are e nacted
N ot m ore th an 5 per ce nt no r in any c a se m o re t h an th i r ty th ou s an d leg a l
voters m ay be requi red to s i g n an d m ake a val i d re ferendu m pe titi o n T he
fil in g o f a referen d u m pe titi o n a g ain s t on e o r m o re items sec ti o n s o r p a rt s of
any me a su re shall not del ay the remain der f ro m becom ing operativ e Refer
c ud u m pe tition s ag ainst me a su res p a ssed by the genera l a ssembly shall be
filed with the S ecreta ry o f S tat e n o t l ater th an nin e ty d a ys after the fina l
a dj ourn ment o f the sessi on o f the gen era l a ssembly at w hi ch su ch me a su res
were p a ssed e xcep t when a dj ou rnme nt sha ll be taken temp orari ly f or a l onger
per io d th an nine ty d ays in whi ch ca se su ch petitio n s sh all be fil ed n ot l ater
th an nine ty d ays after such temp or a ry a dj ou rnment A 11 mea sur es re ferred
to a v o te o f the pe o ple by re fere n d um pe titio n s sh all remain in abey an ce unti l
su ch vote i s taken
I f it sh all be n ecess a ry f or the preser vati o n o f the
E merg ency
Se c 1 c
p ubl i c peace he alth o r s afe ty th at a me a sure sha ll bec ome eff ective with out
del a y su ch necessity sha ll be stated in on e sec ti on an d if up o n a ye a an d nay
vote three fourths of all the members electe d sha ll vo te up on sep a rate roll ca l l
in favor o f the me as ure go ing into ins tant operatio n su ch me a sure s h all b e
come oper ativ e at the ti me speci fied there in I t shall be necessa ry to sta te in
such section the fact s wh i ch co n stitute su ch emergen cy P rovid ed Th at an
emergency sh all n ot be decl ared on any fr an ch i se o r a c t a l i enatin g any proper ty
I f a re ferend u m petitio n i s fil ed a gain st an emergen cy me a sure
o f t he S tate
su ch me a su re sha ll be a l aw unti l it i s v oted up o n by the peo ple and if it i s the n
rej ected by a m aj ority of the elec to rs voting there on it sh all be thereby
repea led The pr ovi sio ns o f th i s subsec tio n shall apply to city c oun c i ls
Munici pal and L ocal I ni tia ti ve and R ef eren du m The ini tiativ e
Se c 1 d
an d re ferendu m p ow ers of the people are hereby fu rther reserved to the legal
v oters o f e ach muni cip al ity c ounty an d di stri c t a s to all l oc al special an d
muni c ip al legi sl atio n of every ch ar acter in an d f or thei r respective m uni c i
Citi es an d t own s m ay provi de f or the e xerc i se
p a litie s c ounti es an d d i s tri c t s
P e titi on s
o f the I nitiativ e an d Re f ere n d u m a s to the i r l o c a l legi sl ati o n
sh all be fil ed with the city clerk or other offi cer a s m ay be pr ovi ded by l aw
N o t m ore th an 1 0 per cent o f t he leg a l v o ters m a y be req ui red to order the
re feren du m no r m ore than 1 5 per ce nt to prop o se any me asure b y initiativ e
pe titi on in any muni c ip al ity c ounty or l oca l su b d ivi s ion of the S tate E very
ex ten s io n en l argement p urcha se grant o r c onv eyance o f a fr an ch i se or o f any
ri ghts pro per ty ea sement le ase or occu p ation o f or in any roa d street alley
bri dge or p ark o r any p art thereo f in any re a l proper ty or interest in any re al
proper ty owned by a muni c ip a l c orp oration W hether the s ame be b y statute
Sec
1b
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f
R e erendu
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rd inan ce resol ution o r otherwi se shall be sub j ec t to re f erend u m an d shall no t
be sub j ec t to emer gen cy legi sl ati on The time f or fil in g re ferendum p e tition s
a gains t m uni c i p al o r l ocal me a sures sh al l n ot be fix ed at less tha n thi rty d ays
after the p assa ge t hereo f b y muni c i pal or loca l legi sla tiv e b odi es
“
—
T he w ord me a sure a s u sed here in mea n s any
Sec 1 e G eneral P rovisi ons
l aw b i ll reso lutio n o rd inan ce ch arter or co ns tituti ona l amendment or any
Al l elec tio n s o n gen er a l l oc al an d spec ial me as ures
o ther l eg i sl ativ e me a sure
re ferred to the pe ople o f the Sta te o r any loca l ity sha ll be held at th e reg ul ar
gener al elec tion s e xcep t w hen the L eg i slatu re o r the G ov ernor shall o rder a
special elec tio n 'but c ounti es c iti es an d town s m ay pr ovi de f or spec ial elec
tions o n local le gi sl ati on A ny me a sure submitted to the peo p le a s here in p ro
v id e d sh a ll ta ke e ff ec t an d beco me l aw w he n a ppr ov ed by a m aj o r ity o f the
vo tes c as t there on an d not o therwi se Su ch me a su res sh all be in operati o n o n
an d after the thir ti e th d ay after the elec ti on at whi ch it i s appr oved The v e to
p ower of the G overn o r o r M ayor shall not e x te n d to me asu res ini tiated b y or
re ferred to the people I f co nfli c ting me asures submitted to the people sh all be
appr ove d by a m aj o rity o f the votes se ver all y c a st f or an d a g ainst the s a me
the on e rece ivin g the h i ghes t number o f affi rm ativ e votes shall thereby beco me
l aw N o mea su re a pproved by a v ote o f the peo ple sh al l be amended o r r e
pealed by the ge nera l assembly or any c ity c ounc il e xcep t by a ye a an d nay
v ote up on roll call o f three four ths o f a ll the members elec ted The w hole
nu mber o f vo tes ca st f or G overno r at the l as t preced ing genera l elec tion sha ll be
the b as i s up on whi ch the nu mber o f leg al vo ters necess ary to s i g n pe titi on s sh al l
be co unted e x cep t that in m unic ip al iti es it sh all be comp uted up on the v ote
c ast f or M ayor L eg al v oters on ly sh al l be c ounted up o n petiti on s P e titio n s
may be c irc ulated an d prese nted in p ar ts b ut each p ar t o f any petition sh all
hav e atta ched there to the afli d avit of the person ci rcul ating the sa me th at all
the s i g natures thereo n w ere m a de in the presence of the affia nt an d to the best
o f the afli a n t s k n o wledge an d bel ie f e ach s i g nature i s ge nuin e an d t h at the per
so n s i gnin g i s an elec to r an d n o ot her affi d avit o r v er ific atio n sh a ll be requi red
T he s uffi c i e ncy o f al l petiti on s sh all be dec i ded by the Secre ta ry o f S tate
or c orresp o nd in g l oca l o ffi cer as the c ase m ay be s u b j ec t to revi ew by co u rt s
o f reco rd wh i ch sh a ll g iv e precede n ce ov er a ll o ther c a ses in the a d ju dic atio n
I f the Secre tary o f S tate or su ch loc a l offi cer sh all dec i de any
o f the s am e
pe titi on to be insuffic i ent he sh a ll without del ay n o tify the sp on sors o f the
pe titi on an d permit at lea st tw en ty d ays f or correc ti on or amen dment I n the
ev ent of leg a l pro ceed in gs in any cou r t to prev e nt givin g e ff ec t to any petitio n
up on any groun ds the b urde n o f proof sha ll be up on the perso n or pers on s
attack ing the val idi ty o f the pe tition
Th i s sec ti on shall n ot be c onstru ed to depr ive an y member o f the genera l
asse mbly or c ity coun c i l of the r i gh t to intr od u ce any me a su re The s tyle o f al l
b ills sh al l be ' e it enac ted by the peo ple o f 'name of S tate munic ip al ity o r
co unty a s the c a se may b e ' All me asures o f a ny ki n d submitted to a v ote o f
the people sh a ll be p ubli she d a s may hereafter be req ui red by l aw I n subm it
tin g me asures to the people the Secre tary of Sta te an d all oth er offi cia ls shall be
gui ded by t he gen er a l law s until a dditio nal le gi sl ati o n sha ll be p ro vi ded there
o
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10
Th i s am endm ent shall be se lf e x ec uting b ut the genera l a ssemb ly
m ay enac t law s to fac i litate its oper atio n N o leg i sl ati on shal l be enac ted to
i mp air o r h amper the exerc i se of the righ ts here in reserv ed to the pe ople
f or
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The R ecall
po s ing a C on stitutiona l A men dm e nt f or the reca l l of p u bl i c offi cers
th at a p ro po s itio n
' e it reso l v ed by the L e gi sl ature o f the S tate o f
to a me n d a rti cl e
be subm itted to the p e ople o f the State o f
of
th e S tate Co n sti tutio n by a dd in g there t a n e w sec ti o n to be k n own a s sec
tion
a s fol low s '
o f t he C o n s tituti on o f t he S tate
Th at arti cl e
f
be an d
i s her eby a men ded by a dd ing thereto a n ew sec ti on whi ch sh a ll be
sec ti on
a s follo w s '
w he ther hold ing h is
S ec tio n
Ev ery electiv e p ubl i c offi cer in
offi ce by elec ti o n or a ppo intment i s s ub j ec t a s here in p r ov i ded to reca l l by th e
leg a l voters o f the State o r o f the elec to r al d i str i c t fro m wh i ch he i s elec ted
T here m ay be requi red 2 5 per cent b ut n t more f the nu mber o f v oters w h o
voted in hi s d i str i c t at the preced in g elec tion f or the offi ce to w hi ch he wa s
elec ted to file a V a l i d pe titi on deman d ing h i s reca l l by the pe o ple s av e an d ex
cep t that the s i gnatu res o f n t more th an 1 5 per ce nt of the lega l vo ters sha ll
m ake a val i d petitio n dem an d ing th e rec a ll o f an offi cer voted f o by the elec tors
The petiti oners sha ll se t for th in thei r petiti on s the re a son s
o f the e nti re S tate
such deman d I f he sh all o ff er h i s resi gnati n it sha ll be a ccep ted an d ta ke
f
eff ec t on the d ay it i s off ered an d the va c an cy sha ll be filled a s m ay be pro
I f he sha ll n ot res i gn with in fiv e d ays after the pe titi n i s filed
v ide d by l aw
a spec ial elec tion sha ll be o rdered to be held in h i s s ai d elec to r a l d i s tri c t n ot less
th an tw enty n or more th an s ixty d ays after the fil in g o f su ch petiti n to de
term in e w hether the pe ple shall rec a ll such offi cer O n the sa mple an d offic i al
b allo t s at such electi on shall be pr inted in n o t m re th an fiv hun dred words the
rea so n s f o r deman d in g th e rec a ll o f s ai d offi cer a s se t fo rth in the reca ll pe titio n
an d in no t m re than fiv e hun dred w ords the offi cer s ju sti ficati on o f h i s c ou rse
in offi ce ' pr vided th at the L egi sl atu re m ay pr ovi de by mean s o f a p ubl i city
p amp hl e t or otherwi se f o r fu r ther inform ati n o f t he voters co n cerning the
rea s on s a lleged f or the reca ll of sai d offi cer an d with s ai d offi cer s de fen se H e
shall c ontinu e to per fo rm the duti es o f h i s offi ce unti l the resul t o f s ai d spec ial
elec tio n sh all be offi c ially decl a red O ther can d i d ates f o t he offi ce m ay be
n ominated to be v ted u p n at s ai d spec ia l elec ti on The reca ll o f the officer
a g ain st who m s u ch reca ll petiti n i s fil ed sh a ll be vo ted u p n as a sep arate qu es
ti n I f a m aj or ity o f a ll the vo ters votin g in su ch spec ia l elec tion sh all vo t e
in favo r o f the reca ll o f sai d officer he sha ll thereb y be rem ov ed fro m su ch offi ce
an d the c an d i date w h o sh al l h ave rece ived the hi ghest nu mber o f v otes sha ll be
deemed el ected to fill the rem ain der o f the term The na me o f the omcer
sough t to be reca lled sha ll n ot appe ar up on t he b allo t a s a can d i d ate N0 vo te
f or an y c an d i d at e sha ll be c ounted un le ss the vo ter sh all h av e a lso v oted u po n
th e q ues tio n o f the rec all o f the offi cer s ou gh t to be rem o v ed T he rec al l petitio n
Pro
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or
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shall be filed with the offi cer o r offi cers with w hom a petition fo r no m ination to
su ch offi ce shou ld be filed or o ther offi cer a s m ay be pr ovided by l aw an d su ch
offi cer or offi cers sh a ll o rder a spec i a l el ec ti o n w he n it i s req ui red
N 0 such
rec all pe titi on shall be ci rcu l ated ag ain s t any offi cer unti l he h as a ctua lly held
h i s offi ce six m onths s av e an d e xcep t th at it m ay be filed a gain s t a Senator or
Represe ntativ e in the L egi sl ature or any member o f a c ity c ounc i l at any ti me
after five d ays fro m the beg inni ng of the first session after h i s elec ti on A fter
on e s u ch pe titi o n an d spec ia l el ec ti on n o furt her rec al l pe titi o n sha ll be filed
a g ain st the sa me offi cer du r in g the term f or w hi ch he wa s elec ted un less su ch
furt her pe titi oners sh a ll first p ay into the p ubl i c trea su ry w hi ch h a s p ai d s u ch
elec ti on expen ses the w h ole a mount o f its e xpen ses f or such previ ou s special
elec ti o n Su ch a dditi ona l leg i sl ati on a s m ay ai d in the oper ati on o f thi s sec ti o n
shall be provi ded by l aw in clu di n g pr ovi si on f or p ayment by the p u bl i c tre a s
u ry o f the re a so nable spec ia l c amp ai gn e xpen ses o f such offi cer in the ev ent th at
he i s n ot rec all ed
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AN
O R G AN I'ATIO N TO I N S UR E
GO V ER N ME N T
PO PULAR
We h av e c o oper ated in a m ov eme nt now un der way fo r the
o rganization of a N ational Po p u l ar G o v ernm e nt L e a gue non
p arti s an in ch ar a ct er co mp o sed of the a ctiv e fri en ds of p op ul a r
Gov ern ment t hrou gh out the nation I t wi ll h av e a s its p u rp o se the
c o mb atin g of the eff o rt s of co rpo r atio n contro lled p ol iti cian s to
s i de tr a ck an d des tr o y the initiativ e re fere n du m an d rec a ll
by the me an s w e h av e p oint ed out an d to pro mot e o ther me as u res
w h i ch wi ll gi v e the peo ple a bett er c ontr o l o v er the ir gov ernme nt
A co nv ention to fo rm t h i s le a gu e an d to co nfer ov er the gen er al
s ituatio n i s c alled by t he co mm itt ee h avin g t he wo rk of o rganiza
ti o n in ch arge to mee t in W a sh in gto n D C D ecember 6 1 9 1 3
I t i s su ggest ed t h at a b u re au o f info rm atio n be o rganiz ed an d co n
du ct ed in c o nn ecti on wit h t he le a gu e to fu rni sh a ccu r at e info rm a
tion to o rganization s an d citiz en s int eres ted in t hese q u es ti o n s an d
also to pro vi de lit er atu re
An especially i mp o rtant fe atu re of t he wo rk of th i s le agu e i s to
“
pro m ot e wh at i s k nown as t he G at ewa y Ame n dme nt wh i ch i s a
ch an ge in t he me t h o d o f a me n d in g t he Feder a l C on stitution to re n
der it m o re e as i ly ame n d able I t i s p r o p o sed th at a m ajo rit y o f
no t a s now tw o t h irds 'o r te n S tat es e it her by le gi sl ativ e
C on gr ess '
ac ti o n or by direct vo t e of th e peo ple c an prop o se amen dment s
whi ch mu st be s u bmitt ed not to t he Stat e L e gi sl atures a s at pres
ent b ut di rectly to the pe ople of t he wh o le nation to be ad o p t ed
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12
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o r rej ect ed at the p o lls Su ch an a me n dm ent wou ld me an pr a cti c al
contr o l ov er the C on s tituti on by the peo ple an d enable t hem to
br in g th at in s tru me nt s afely in h arm on y wi t h con di tion s an d
n ecess iti es of m o der n ti mes Th e i mp o rtan ce of s u ch a pro cess
to t he wh o le peo ple c an not well be o v er esti m at ed
Ou r p ar ti ci p ati on in the conv e ntion of t h i s n ew le agu e D ecember
6 an d o u r c oo per ation in it s wo rk h a s bee n u rged Th e s u gges ti o n
i s s u b mi tt ed to yo u f o r your approval
We des ire to especially em ph as iz e an d reit er at e the warnin g m a de
by t he R o ches t er C onv e nti on again s t t he in si diou s eff o rt s be in g
m a de by t he e n em i es o f direct legi sl ation to secu re the s u bm i ssi o n
of initiativ e re feren du m an d rec all provi s ion s cont ai nin g so c alled
“
s afeguards an d res tri c ti o n s c alcu l ated to des troy th e ir u se fu l
n ess O rg aniz ed l ab o r h as b attled fo r t hese p op ul ar ri gh t s to o
m an y ye ars to perm it the pe o ple to be ro bbed of t he ben efit s
o f t he initi ativ e an d re f ere n d u m now t h at t hey a re r ap i dly be in g
a d o p t ed by s tat es and citi es
Wh i le it m ay be a dvi s able at ti mes to c o mpro m i se where it i s
n ecess ary to secu re a d o p ti o n o f s tatut e l aw s be n efitin g Lab o r
wit h a h o pe of perfec tin g them l ater th i s prin ciple c an not be ap
pl i ed wi t h s afe ty to c on s ti tutional a men dme nt s s u ch a s the
initiativ e an d re fere n du m D e fec tiv e provi s ion s are u seless when
in fo rce an d it h a s bee n foun d m o re diffi cu l t to i mpr ov e t hem t h an
to se cu re wo rk able pr ovi s ion s to begin wit h S tatut e l aws m a y be
ame n ded by the Le gi sl atu re at a sin gle s ittin g b ut to i mpro v e t h e
initiativ e an d re fere n d um req ui res a ch an ge in th e co n stitution
diffi c u l t to secu re M ore ov er whe n o n ce a do p ted an d no goo d re
“
bec au se o f th e h i dde n jokers in t he provi sio n s a
ru lts fo ll ow
re a c tion o r at le a s t ap at hy o f p u bl i c se nti me nt i s alm o s t s ure to
fo ll o w Th e d anger in wh i ch t h i s gre at mov eme nt now s tan ds an d
the p ow er an d cun nin g o f the o pp o sition again s t it wi ll bett er
be apprec iat ed by a bri e f s tateme nt o f the ev e nt s wh i ch h av e h ap
pe n ed s in ce the R o ches ter C o nv e nti o n
Th e peo ple of Id a h o by an e i gh t to on e vote at t he N ov ember
election
a do p t ed an initi ati v e an d re fere n du m ame n dment
“
wh i ch pro vi ded f o r the gen er al prin c iple on ly an d left the Legi s
l atur e to co mple t e it an d p ut it in fo rce Th e L egi sl atu re me t in
o u t t he wi ll o f th e
anua
ry
re
j
ec
t
ed
a
l
aw
c
a
lc
u
l
at
ed
to
c
a
rry
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pe ople so Id aho h a s no initiativ e an d re fere n du m
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Le gi sl atu re o f I owa p a ssed an a men dme nt givin g the Le gi s
lature p ower to fix pe tition s fo r initi ati v e an yw here be tw ee n 1 2 per
cent an d 22 per ce nt 're fere n du m anyw here be twee n 1 0 per ce nt and
2 0 per ce nt 's u ch percenta ges to be sec ured in e a ch o f t he c on gres
sio nal d i s tri ct s of the S tat e
I ni ti ated prOposals m u s t be p as sed at
two s u cc ess iv e b i e nni al elec ti on s Th e wo rthless n ess of su ch a
provi sion appe a rs whe n w e remember I owa h a s
vot ers
T h e L egi sl atu re of M inn es ota h a s s u bmi tted an ini ti ativ e an d
re fere nd u m a me n dm ent w h i ch a s i de fro m ot her j o kers contain s
“
th i s s ignifi c ant l an gu age ' Th e c ircu l ation of the pe titi on s provi ded
fo r herein or p roh i bi tion of the ci rcu la tion thereof m ay be regu l at ed
by l aw
T h e L e gi sl atu re of T e xa s h a s s u bm itt ed an a me n dme nt prov i d ing
lega l vot ers
2 0 per ce nt pe titi on s T h i s me an s pe tition s of
out of a total of
in a Stat e c ov eri n g
sq uare mi les
Als o th i s i s the only definit e provi sion in the a me n dm e nt a ll else
bein g le ft to legi sl ativ e e na ctme nt Th e e xperi e n ce of Id a h o an d
U ta h sh ou ld wa r n ou r pe o ple a g ain s t t he a d op ti on of an y s u ch
m ake sh ift s
T h e pe o ple of W ash in gton a d o p ted t he initiati v e an d ref er en
d um at t he l a s t elec tion Th e Le gi sl ature wh i ch me t i n 'anua ry
f o ll owi n g p a ssed a l aw m aking it a mi sdeme ano r fo r a m an to re
F u rt her t h i s l aw
ceiv e an y co mpe n s a tion fo r c i rc u l atin g pe ti tion s
h a s a provi s ion wh i ch wou ld m ake t he offi cials of t he Stat e F eder a
tion of Lab o r liable to pri s on se nt e n ce if t hey sh ou ld a ccep t s o m u ch
a s a s ingle pe nn y fro m t he A meri c an F eder ation o f La b o r to ai d
them in p a ssin g o r de f eatin g an y l aw s u bmitt ed to t he pe o ple
With s u ch pro h ib it iv e l aw the L egi sl ature of W a sh in gton mi gh t
j u s t a s w ell h av e ab oli shed t he initiativ e an d re fere n d u m t hem
sel v es
I n O h io the Gov erno r of t he S tate in h a rm on y wit h t he c or
i
a
o
n
o
int
eres
t
s
i
s
dem
an
d
i
n
g
t
h
at
t
he
L
e
g
i
sl
atu
re
p
a
ss
a
l
aw
r
t
p
pro h i b itin g the p ayme nt of m on ey for c o mpe n s ation o r e xpen ses
to th o se wh o c ircul at e pe tition s I t requires in O h io a pe ti tion
of ov er
lega l vot ers to initiat e a c on s titutional amen dment
I t i s pra cti ca lly i mp o ssible to secure s u ch a pe ti ti on un der t he
ri gorou s c on d ition s imp o sed by vo l unteer efiort a l on e
I n 1 9 08 t he pe ople of M i ss our i approv ed a g oo d i nitiati v e an d
re fere n d u m amen dment Th e 1 9 1 3 session of t he Le gi sl ature
Th e
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h a s in li e u of the goo d on e s ubmitt ed an a me n dme nt co ntainin g
jo kers wh i ch wi ll gre atly cri pple if not des tro y t he eff ectiv e n ess of
thei r sys t em
R ece nt ly no d ou b t t hro u gh want of info rm ati o n a fri e n d of the
initiativ e an d re feren du m in the L e gi sl atu re of N o rt h C aro lina
in tro d u ced an a me n dme nt wh i ch requi res 1 5 per ce nt petiti o n s
to initiat e a me a s u re t hese perce ntages to be sec ured in e a ch of
fifty c ounti es of t he S tate
Th e c o mm i ss ion fo rm of go v ern me nt in c iti es i s m ak in g r ap i d
pro gress Lab or s p o s ition in reg ard to th i s pl an h a s been fro m the
fi rs t th at it m u s t be prot ec t ed by s trin ge nt initiative re fere n d u m
an d rec a ll provi s i o n s 'ye t e xaminatio n wi ll sh ow t h at in ov er h al f
of the 2 8 9 cities a do p tin g t hi s sys tem the initiativ e re feren du m an d
rec all are m a de s o d iffi c u l t a s to a ss u re no re a l pro t ection to the
pe o ple ov er t he a ction s o f the i r c o mm i ss ion ers
I n sho rt t he fo rces of to ryi sm an d pl uto cra cy are u p to t hei r o ld
tri cks of destr o yin g in d irec tly w h at they c an not de fe at o pe n ly
T hey are s u cceedin g in the ir eff o rt s a s i s sh own by the fac t s pre
sent ed an d we c a ll u p o n o rganiz ed l ab o r an d all li berty l ovin g peo
ple not on ly to e xp o se these attemp t s b ut u rge th at le gi sl ativ e co m
mittee s sh all re fu se to c o mpr o m i se an d sh all rej ec t w or thless ame n d
me nt s an d fi gh t on unti l work able e ffi ci e nt sys tems c an be secu red
fro m h on es t leg i sl ato rs
T h e pe o ple c an be tter aff o rd to p o s tp o n e e ffectiv e an d pr a c ti c a l
initiativ e re fere n d u m an d rec a ll legi sl ation th an to perm it t he
e na ctme nt of a pre t e xt an d th u s sh a ckle t he futu re eff o rt s in th i s
d irec tion
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15
A PPE N D I'
Commu nication
f rom S e nato r
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O wen
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N ov 6 th , 1 9 1 3
.
U NITED STA TE S S E NA TE
C ommittee on ' ank ing an d C urrenc y
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G OMP ER S Pres i dent the A mer ican Feder ation o f Lab or New
R i chmon d H otel Se attle W ash
M ' D EAR M R G OMP E R S '
I hav e yo ur l etter of the 3 l s t ul t in acknowledg me nt o f my letter a ddressed
to the omcer s an d d eleg at es o f the co nv ention an d fu r ther s tating th at the
I nitiative Ref eren du m an d Reca ll i s full y deal t with in the rep o r t to be m a de
to t he co nv enti o n by the E x ec utiv e C oun ci l
I a m v ery greatly p le ased to le arn o f you r a c ti on in this m atter as I bel i ev e
yo u r attitu de wi ll be a s ource of great s tren gth to the p opul ar g ov ern ment
H on SAMU E L
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I fin d th at the re wa s n ot in clu ded in my le tter to y ou an e xpl anatory n ote
requ es tin g th at if not in con si ste nt wi th you r pr acti ces an d the plea sure o f the
offi cers I sh o ul d l ike to h av e the l e tter re a d to t he c o nv e nti o n
I en clo se an
ex tr a copy herewi th
I desi re to personally invite y ou to be present at the nati onal c onferen ce o f
p op u l ar g overn ment me n to be hel d in W ash in gton on D ecember 6 th an d ta ke
p art in its del i ber ation s
R L OWE N
V ery sin cerel y yours
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TA TE S SEN A TE
' ankin g an d C u rren cy
U N I TED S
C o mmittee
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on
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Oct 2 9 th , 1 9 1 3
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E L G OMPER S Pres i de nt an d the Offi cers an d D elegates to Ameri can
F eder ati on o f Lab o r Conv e nti on S eattle W ash in gt on
M R P R E S ID E N T AND G EN TL EMEN '
P erm it me on beh a l f of mysel f an d t he C o mm ittee o f F ifty t o c al l yo u r
atte ntion to the m ovement now on to es tabl i sh a national o rg anization f o r the
p urp o se f p rom otin g an d pro tec ting di rect le gi slation in the U ni ted S tates
I d thi s with a dded p lea sure whe n I rec all th at the A mer i c an F eder ation of
Labo r at its annua l mee tin g in 1 8 92 the n a s now un der ith e le a dershi p of
M r G ompers was the firs t org aniz ed b ody o f me n in the U nited States to
F rom th at
ad o p t resol uti on s favo r in g t he I nitiativ e Re f eren d u m an d Rec a ll
d ate to thi s org anized l ab o r ha s ever bee n in the forefront o f the b attle f or these
in str u men t 3 o f p o p ul ar g ov ern me nt an d I co n gr atula t e y ou th at you r z ea l h a s
H o n SAMU
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16
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ab ated nor you r ac tiviti es beco me d orm ant At the ti me y ou first entered
thi s figh t the p ol iti c ian s g av e l ittle heed These mea su res h av e now become
so p op u l ar th at in n ear ly ev ery s tat e o f t he nati o n ev ery m an asp i r in g to p u bl i c
offi ce m akes h as t e to ann oun ce h i s dev oti o n to t he pr in c i ples o f di rec t leg i sl a
ti on They h av e progressed so r ap i dly with in the p as t few years that there
h a s come over the fri en ds o f the I nitiativ e an d Referen du m a certain l axity
du e n o d oub t to the bel i e f that the b attl e i s n ow practi c a lly w on an d wi ll
n ot
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,
H ere in
l i es ou r d anger I t ha s ever bee n the t endency o f the fr i ends o f
democracy to stru ggle f or princ iples unti l they are a ccep ted by m ank in d an d
th en le ave the fr am ing o f the in strume nt s o f g ov ern men t by w h i ch they are to
be appl i ed to co n servativ e an d even re a ctionary men Thi s i s tru e of the co n
stitu tio na l h i s to ry o f E n gl an d ' it i s t ru e o f t he f o rm ati o n o f ou r c on s tituti o n s
b o th national an d s tate an d a s a resul t w e h av e h a d a m achin ery o f govern
ment utterly inadequat e to perm it genuin e c ontrol by the peo ple o f the m o st
vita l aff ai rs whi ch co ncern thei r dai ly l ives an d w ork ing con ditions
Thi s s ame d an ger thre aten s u s tod ay On every h an d w e fin d s tates an d
muni c ip al ities a dop ting the I nitiativ e Referen d um an d Recall an d o ther too ls
We m ay e xpec t
o f p o p ul a r g o v ern me nt c a s t in su ch f o rm a s to in su re fai l u re
to be be t r ayed by t he as tut e p o l iti c ian w h o represe nts no t the p eo ple b ut the
o rg aniz ed se lfishn ess o f m a ch in e p o l iti cs b ut it i s in e x cu s able th at the f ri e n ds
o f pr o gress sh a ll be s o i ll info rmed c o n cer nin g these me asu res t h at t hey n ot
on ly o fte n a cqui esce in b ut freq u en tly appr ov e the p as sa ge o f ame n dme nts an d
s tatute law s un der wh i ch di rec t leg i sl ation c an not p o ss ibly w ork w ith su ccess
O ne of the first o bj ec ts o f the N atio nal P op u l a r G overnment Le a gu e wi ll be
to wa rn the fr i e n ds o f p o p ul ar g ov er nme nt o f the d an ger fr o m res tri c tiv e j o kers
in these l aw s an d to present such mo del forms a s wi ll wo rk e ff ec tively N oth
in g b ut a c oncerted m ov ement well org aniz ed o f every force in the nati on
devo ted to these pr inc i ples c an success ful ly co mb at the as tute an d p ow er fu l
c amp ai gn now being wa ged by the forces o f plutocracy to bring th i s gre at n ew
m ovement to no thing They k n ow they c an not preve nt the ad op ti on o f these
me asures in some fo rm but they k n ow t h at s pecia l pr ivi lege wi ll be s af e if they
su cceed in g ivin g the peo ple a sh ad ow an d n ot t he subs tance o f p ower
N ot on ly m u s t w e d o th i s b ut w e m u st rec tify the m i stakes an d def ec ts
in our p ol iti c al s tructure wh i ch h av e l on g bee n the b ul wark o f privi lege an d
the stu mbl in g bl ock in the way of l i berty an d ec onom i c ju sti ce F or e xa m
ple w e need a n ew metho d o f amend ing the F eder al C o n stituti on by w h i ch t h a t
v enerable docu me nt fr amed in the ei ghteenth c entury c an be m ade flexi ble
an d resp ons ive to the needs and c on diti ons o f the tw e nti eth century The wo rd
un c on stitutio nal h as bec ome a j oke am on g u s an d it i s hi gh time th at w e
ha d a natio nal co ns tituti on un der wh i ch pro gress c an be m a de The N ati ona l
P o p u l a r G ov ernme nt L e a gu e wi ll pro m ote a new me th o d to be kn own a s the
Gateway A mendment wh i ch wi ll perm it a m aj ority n ot tw o thi rds o f the
members of Con gress to prop o se ame ndme nts d i rectly to the v oters o f the
wh ole nati o n f or the i r a pprova l or rej ectio n an d w e shall insi st that a p a m
p hl e t be sent franked throu gh the mai ls to every v oter c onta inin g a c opy
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