ADVANTAGE OF THE REFERENDUM.

Te Aroha News, Volume XXVII, Issue 43116, 11 July 1907, Page 4

ADVANTAGE OF THE REFERENDUM.

Hr William J. Bryan is the latest convert to the referendum princinle. He ( studded its operation in. Switzerland, and now he. says that the Democratic Party in -the United States must adopt it ,as one of the main planks of its platform. Of Course, the principle is in use already in the States, but Mr Bryan wants it. adopted generally. In Switzerland if a revision of the Federal Constitution is demanded bv one of the two Houses, of the Federal Assembly, or iby- 50,000' Swiss citizens, the question: of revision, must be submitted to a popular vote, as also the draft of the proposed change in the Federal organic law. Since 1874 all Federal laws, too, must be submitted to the popular vote on demand of 30,000 electors, or of eight out of twenty-two cantons. It was apprehended by Swiss conservatives that such an extension of the initiative and the referendum would lead to radical and sweep mg' innovations, but, as a matter of fact during twelve years following 1874, out of one hundred and seven statutes and resolutions passed by the Federal Parliament only nineteen were reserved for the popular vote, and of these onto six were accepted. The extension of the minci !e of the referendum and initiative to the. Federal Government came naturally to the I Swiss, who long before 1874 had: adopted the referendum in some form or other in most of the cantons by providing that laws made by the cantonal legislature may or must, he submitted to the people for their np- 1 proval. Mr Bryan declares that the initiative and referendum in eombina-1 tion provide the most useful check up-; on desirable' legislation. The occa- j sion. to use the process may not arise' very often, but the existence of the | system gives the people a.n- added ’ sense of safety and a more direct interest in politics'. As we saw the other. clay, the principle is being recoin- j mended by shrewd Conservatives for adoption, even in the Mother Country. Some day, when the electors return a

sufficiently. democratic Parliament we shall have the reform in New Zealand.