The day book. [volume], December 02, 1915, LAST EDITION, Image 23

About The day book. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1911-1917

Image provided by: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library, Urbana, IL

                
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try a week at wiping out debts.
Many are in arrears in paying frater
nal order dues, which means the loss
of life insurance should sudden
death occur. The widow and or
phans would find it out too late. Let
us pick out a week in the near future
and call it Pay-Up Week. Buttons
could be worn and the words Pay-Up
printed on them. D. A. K.
INITIATIVE, REFERENDUM AND
RECALL. All modern business,
from the smallest and most simple
to the highest and most complex pri
vate corporation throughout the en
tire commercial world, is today gov
erned upon a basis of the initiative,
the referendum and the recall.
The value of these essential fun
damental principles cannot be too
strongly emphasized.
In trade and commerce they are
in vogue in every state in the union
and in every nation the world over.
They are prevalent in all partner
ships, in all stock companies and in
all private corporate bodies. They
are exercised sometimes directly by
the owners, but more often diatribe
uted or delegated to responsible rep
resentatives in the capacity of a
board of directors, managers, super
intendents, foreman, etc.
No private business could be con
ducted to the best interest of its
stockholders were they compelled to
employ their agents for a specific
number of years without the power
to dismiss them whenever more hon
est and better qualified men could
be had.
The keen edge grinder of competi
tion has made these indispensable
requiBjtes paramount to the proper
management of all industries. With
out them there could be no respon
sibility, without them no discipline
and no frugality. Business could not
thrive, corruption would follow and
commercialism would soon become
but a platitude.
In summing up our own corpor
ate bodies, be it the municipality, the ,
state or the federal government, we
see the faint outlines of direct legis
lation, so diffused, cumbrous and
unworkable, with scarcely a niche or
cranny in jurisprudence that would
not afford a subterfuge for the pro
tection of our dishonest and corrupt
public servants. Then reverting to
the privately-owned bodies we see
every available safeguard, I dare say
about 90 per cent of all enacted leg
islation circumscribing and protect
ing private property.
If private property rights are nur
tured with bo great a per cent of
law, thus protecting private Interests,
where does patriotism come in?
What have we done for the protec
tion of our own interests in this great
commonwealth? Can it be that the
constituents, the common people of
this republic, are bo grossly ignorant
that they cannot comprehend the
true value of direct legislation
through the initiative, the referen
dum and the recall; that they cannot
govern their own corporate bodies;
that they allow a few parasitic
drones to manipulate the industries
and the government, not for the gen
eral welfare of the community, but
for private profit at the expense of
the mass of people, thus depriving
them of their inalienable rights, the
right of life and liberty In the pursuit
of happiness?
If we expect to be a progressive
people we shall have to put our gov
ernments upon a business-like basis,
exacting responsibility from our pub
lic servants just as, we do in our pri
vate businesses.
As regarding the financial basis for
this future government, let us begin
now by laying the foundation stones
first by taking over the Automatic
telephone, the surface and elevated
lines, the railroads, telegraph, mines,
etc., and then all the profits which
now go to private coffers will swell
our treasury, enable our government
to pay better wages and lessen the
burdens of taxation. Be sure to ex
act responsibility from your servants
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