POPULAR GOVERNMENT IS COMING
Popular Government is Coming Senator Bourne Says the Struggle has Only Begun SENATOR JONATHAN BOURNE, Jr., of Oregon, in a recent interview in the Washington Star, says that the fight for popular...
...in fact, it is just the beginning of the struggle by the people of this nation to re-establish their sovereignty," said Senator Bourne...
...It is this participation in sovereignty that the people are now demanding and determined to secure...
...People Are Sovereign No MAN nas natural authority over his fellow-men...
...The basis of his authority is mutual agreement...
...Though I believe the progressive, independent spirit is stronger today in the republican party than it is in the democratic, there are enough progressive, independent voters in each party to promise early overthrow of dictators in both...
...party platforms were adroitly drawn for the purpose of catching votes rather than for the purpose of development and improvement of government, society and the conditions of humanity...
...Loyalty to principle rather than party name is a. declaration of intellectual independence as distinguished from the intellectual slavery ivhich leads a man to vote blindly the ticket nominated for him by party bosses...
...These conditions can be established and perpetuated only through popular government, meaning, in its present evolution, the establishment in the various states of our Union, through the utilization of the state machinery, of the initiative and referendum, an efficient direct primary, corrupt practices and recall laws, and providing nationally for the popular selection of candidates for President and Vice President and United States senators, thus making general welfare the basis of every law and the goal of every public servant...
...The people as a whole are sovereign, and each individual a participant in that sovereignty...
...It is an assertion of confidence of the people in their own intelligence and their own ability to govern themselves and their determination to reject leadership by political bosses representing the interests of campaign contributors...
...Popular Government is Coming Senator Bourne Says the Struggle has Only Begun SENATOR JONATHAN BOURNE, Jr., of Oregon, in a recent interview in the Washington Star, says that the fight for popular government is only begun...
...The issue before the country is whether popular government, with general welfare its vitalizing force, shall save and develop this nation, or delegated government, with selfishness the destroying force, shall bring the nation to inevitable anarchy...
...Thus selfishness instead of general welfare became the motive power of government...
...The present shake-up in politics is not a temporary matter...
...This new independence is what is sweeping the country and it knows no party lines...
...Day of Individual Rule Over " [ THINK the country is to be congratulated upon the awak-| ening it is now undergoing, and, from my viewpoint, the more general and greater the racket now, the more honest and specific the discussion now, the longer the period of peace hereafter and the higher the plane of the new departure...
...People Have No Voice UNDER delegated government, still in vogue in most of the states and in practice nationally, the people have no voice in their legislation, thus preventing the development of the electorate...
...Subservience rather than independence was the doctrine taught by the political boss and temporary leaders...
...This is a condition which must result almost necessarily in service by the public servant to the selfish interest governing the campaign contributor who certainly is not actuated by patriotic motives, but dominated by expectation of receiving in return for his large contribution some special privilege against the general welfare...
...it is a protest against dictation in either legislation or administration...
...The success and duration of representative government depend upon responsibility and accountability—the responsibility of the people for their laws and selection of their public servants, and the accountability of the public servant directly to the people...
...Independence, misnamed insurgency, is not a protest against any particular phase of legislation or administration...
...nor have they any voice in the selection of their public servants, thus debauching public service because of the direct accountability of the public servant to the delegates nominating him and through the delegates to the political boss and through the political boss to the real principal, the greatest campaign contributor...
...The day of party and individual platforms made up of verbal souffle is passing, and the people will elect, whenever they have opportunity, individuals who stand for concrete improvements and remedies and will hold them rigidly responsible for specific performance of their pledges...
...Bui the overthrow of Special Privilege, and the restoration of true representative government, he declares, depends upon loyalty to principle rather than to party name...
...All successful and permanent government must rest primarily upon the recognition of the rights of men and the absolute sovereignty of the people...
...For decades we have directed our efforts toward improving the shingles on the roof of our national superstructure without realizing that the foundation of the superstructure was absolutely rotten because its cementation was one entirely of selfishness instead of general welfare, legislation and public service being directed by and accountable to the political boss, and through him to his principal, the largest campaign contributor...
Vol. 2 • November 1910 • No. 47
