Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 10.djvu/741

 POPULAR INITIATIVE 7 2 5

statutes to answer their own peculiar wants or notions, is too obvious for discussion. Uniformity of laws would vanish.

Next comes the claim that the law would lessen the power of partisanship. It may be allowed that the effect in many instances would be to weaken the barriers to some extent between the prin- cipal political parties, but it would be a great deal more likely to create factions that favor peculiar legislation. And the claim that it would stop class legislation, and give labor her rights, brings us to an interesting point. " Farmers and artisans are not fairly represented in legislative bodies," says the propagandist. What does this mean? Are farmers and artisans specially equipped for making and passing laws? Is it intended through the new mode to transfer the law-making powers to labor unions and agricultural alliances? Judging by the forces that are mak- ing for this system, it would seem that this is largely the object in view. The extracts already quoted, and the reasons advanced, warrant such conclusions. Indeed, they go farther: not only farmers and artisans, but the mass of common laborers, tens of thousands of whom have but recently been naturalized, who understand little or nothing of our governmental institutions, many of whom do not understand our language, are to be given an equal hand, not at passing laws, but at law-making. These elements provide in the initiative an instrument whereby it may be possible for them to effect such class legislation as they may desire, themselves being the legislators.

They readily approve of the initiative when it is held out to them, as it is done by Professor Parsons, and practically by every one of its advocates whom I have consulted, that " it favors the diffusion of wealth by depriving the wealthy of their enor- mous overweight in government ; " that it will give the pre- ponderance of legislative power to the common people, whose interests are opposed to alleged industrial injustice and the vast aggregations of private capital; that it will bring about public ownership of railways and telegraphs; that "all private monop- olies will become public property, or have their horns sawed off."

Plainly and directly speaking, this is promising to the labor element the establishment of socialism in its most radical form.