The Push for Direct Legislation in Washington
State Federation of Labor President Charles R. Case advocates for direct democratic processes to curb corporate control of the state legislature.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
The vital issue in the coming campaign is that of direct legislation. With direct legislation in force, the people rule; under the present system, special interests control legislative bodies by corrupt methods. The State Direct Legislation League has selected Mr. Christopher Horr of Seattle as secretary and campaign manager. Mr. Horr was manager of the state direct primary campaign, which resulted in the enactment of our direct primary law. The first essential feature in our campaign is to interest the people and get them to reading the issues. With that idea in mind, I secured a club rate of 60 cents for Prof. Frank Parsons' book 'The City of the People' and a subscription to the Equity series magazine. A representative of every organization should start a subscription list at once. Let us educate ourselves and know why we want what we want.
“Let us educate ourselves and know why we want what we want.”
The push for direct legislation (initiatives and referendums) in 1910 was a cornerstone of the Progressive Era. Washington eventually adopted these tools, which remain central to how citizens influence lawmaking in the state today.
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