416 THE QUESTIONS OF THE DAY. 



the voters should sign, or any number which the law might 

 require, the question would be submitted. Some propose to 

 add to this what is called the power of "recall." By that is 

 meant that upon a demand signed as already described, any 

 elected officer would be voted upon again, and if defeated 

 would lose his office. There are very serious objections to this. 

 The terms of office are short in this country, and the penalties 

 for malfeasance plain and severe. Passion and prejudice 

 operate much more strongly in regard to persons than 

 principles, and it would be within the power of a small num- 

 ber of agitators to harass unreasonably any officer who might 

 be unpopular among them. Under the operation of the ini- 

 tiative it is quite probable that at first there would be unwise 

 proceedings. There are always a certain number of unreason- 

 able persons in the community, who are kept constantly 

 stirred up by professional agitators. Elections are expensive, 

 and if the people were called upon to vote too often, or at 

 unreasonable times, they would abolish or modify the law. 

 There is no instance, so far as I know, of the adoption of 

 the initiative in the United States.* It has been proposed 

 in some municipal charters, and may have been adopted, 

 but it has never, I think, been used. It is, however, quite 

 certain to be incorporated in the charter of some city and 

 given a trial. In my judgment it would not amount to 

 much. The people are good judges, but weak in execution. 

 Any law that the people really desire they are pretty sure to 

 get. Its greatest value would be in procuring the submission 

 of proposals for acquiring public utilities, like street railroads 

 or water works, to municipalities, at times when corrupt city 

 governments might refuse to consider the subject. It would 

 not be difficult to so restrict the subjects as to which the 

 initiative could be invoked, as to prevent the people from 



* The constitution of Virginia contains a provision for the exercise of a l<ind 

 of initiative in^case the Legislature fails to act in a certain case, and the con- 

 stitution of Georgia prescribes, as the only method by which amendments can 

 be made, petitions for a constitutional convention signed by a majority of voters 

 in each county, — a provision doubtless intended to prevent any amendment lor 

 the present. No action, I presume, has ever been had under either provision. 



