Wilmette Life (Wilmette, Illinois), 3 Apr 1931, p. 20

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mUinIue They say that they want to divert traffic àround Wilmette instead of through it, if possible. That is a splendid idea; we are ail for, it, but 1 tell thean right now tbat pretty planks ini plaiforms won't divert traffic through Wilmette. If tbey are interested in tbat proposi- tion, where have they been in the- last, two or three years? That is the battie. that the plan commission. bas been fighting for, you for years. I. wouid like to inquire where they were a few years. ago when Cook County was trying 'to. carry McCorrnick Boulevard under the railrôad and through one of Wilmette's streets, on Sheridan Road, and when a goodily group of the Mihnette ctizens arose, with the plan 'commission, to fight. that. proposition. 1 did Xiot.-bear any of ont opponents ighting for ustenwhr were they? Sittingoth side lines, waiting to steal the thunder of anybody that rnîght'succeed. Now, they are talking some about grade separation. Weare al for grade séparation, and the only suggestion tbey make. about it is that it bie expèdited. Tbey make no suggestion as to how 7,bte foney Ïhah b le raised, and very serions problems that our . trustees are now battling with' with referenc e to grade separ ation; nô suggestion at aIl as to bow tbey are to bie solved, but there is one question that ought teolbe considered.before we expedite tbe grade separation, n tha isth cot.It is going to impose* atax burden, on the peopl of Minmette of probably $750,000. We ail want grade separât on, but i savr serious question wbetber orflot, we- should go a littie slow in imposing thoit financial burden at ths pricular time. - am certainly in f avor, before *e do -that tbing, of 'having a public hearing on the proposition and Ietting the people of Wlilmette say what they woutd like to do regarding it. 1 woild even bc willing te go f urther; 1 would be willing to bave one of these famius referen- dums on that proposition. And that brings meé to this great question of 'referen1dum: Theyý say in their platform that that is one of the real issues in this cam- paign. That is net the real issue; that is just some more dust throwil in the eyes of the voters. But let us take up théir. referendum proposi- tioi and see bow that is going to work. tht irst, they say, that tbe people must decide ail majpr questions, so thtbefore we have a referendum we first nmust decide wbat is ýa major question. They don't tell us wbo is going to decide that proposition. Perhaps it is up to the board of trustees to decîde whether it is a major question. You know there is always a twilight zone wbere it wiIl bc bard to tell wbether a particular question is a major or a minor 'question, but an honiest board of trustees wiil always give the people the benefit of the doubt. If they are in doubt tbey say .we will have to caîl it a major question and let it be submitted. to a referendum. So we bave a question that is to bc subnitted to the people, so tbey will first bave to submit the question to'the people to decide wbetber it is a major question flrst, and after they' décide it is a major question, we mst submit the question itself for them to decide; and let 'us take a concrete case on this referendum proposition. I know of no more major question that affects the public ivelf are of Minmette ta the question of zoning. It affects the greater part of, or the entire comnîunity. It itlier protects or de- stroys yopur property values. For several weeks the zoning commission has been holding public hearings on a new zoning ordinance. Let me digress at th is point f or a moment, as it cornes to my mind. water supply. 'more are a lo:ot o dmfcut problenis in 'on. know that a contract is aiways a matter of comn- give and take. No number of cparties ever went .into a re euhc party got everytbing that he dcsired, so' we have with TEvanon with reference to the points of location, mncions shail be miade, .what lind of. connections ,'tbe, nical probleans that nobody can understand wzmhout Weeks, of inten- sive study. It is a major question; it bas got to be decicfrd. Let ns apply the referendum 'principle to it. We put ifta a vote and it is defeated. One voter votes against it for one reason; another votes against it for an entîrely different.reason, and wheni you went through.ý yon don't know the reason tbe, conitract was defeated. We'bave taken three orfour montbs to call the election, to educate the public as -much as, we conld, and the c'ëntract is defeated and wç have, to begin il over again, start.negoitiating again, take three or four montbs. of time. That is what they would consider! as expeditious; that is the Way tbat tbey w*ould conduct a corporation. Did you ever hear of a corporation that conducted on. that basis? If my opponent woUld suggest to, the board *of directors of, any cor>ýoration that, "wben. they have a major question to ýdecide, to caîl in, ail of the stockhôlders, and to say, bere is a major question to décide, vote on. it, tbey wouid think he, was a, fit subject for the'home for the f ceble minded. You know if was for this reason that our. forefathers, after they had s'urveyed- ail of -the scbemes of government that existed, decided upon a representative f orm oaf governent, so that men could be' chosen who were, willing toagve heir time and: to: maice a study of the problems of government that were involved, and,, having studied it, to assume tbe responsibilityfor their actioqs, and any candidate who is not Willing to assume responsibility'for bis-action, but iii- sists on, tbrowintg it back on tbe people, bas no. right to ask thç people for their suffrage. (Applause.) 1If th~e membeas of the council catmot be .trusted, get muen ivho can be trusted, and if you want to bave your business donc witb dis- patch, get nmen you can trust and let tbem dispatch your business for vou, for you cannot dispatch business by calling people together in a great re ferendum election. There was a greatclamQor for the initiative and referendùm about twenty-five years aga, and that clamor bas ail died down because the referendum is found ta be unworkable, except ini cases wbere the issue is very simple. I arn strongly in favor of the referendum 011 bond issues, wbere ail the people have to do is ta say, if they wivat to spend the money; I am in favor of -it on one of the main issues in this campaign, but when you copie to paâssing every major ques- tion back to the people for them te décide, it spelis chaos for am. community. ' Furthermore, the cost of it to. decide ail the major questions that bave ta be decided in Wilmette-we would bave to hold a referendiinîi every sixty days-it would cost Wiimette over a thousand dollars for each election, besides the money spent for educational campaigns. -Think of the expense of it. There is a suggestion that tbey make Io you as practical economy. Do you know that one of the greatest students of modern times * in governmental affairs was the Honorable James- Brice, the manl, as, Most of you knôw, who. wrote the Americ 'an Common*eaith, -a work of. two volumnes wbich is a classic?. It was. written in- 1912, and this iS xvhat be said about the referendum: *",Its demerits are obvious., It refers matters requiring-great con- sideration to adopt to the determination of those who cannot, 'on ac- * count of 'their numberA, meet together for discussion, and rnany of whorn nay neyer have thought of the matter., The proper course is to improve the legisiators. The less you trust then the worse they * * UIU A é-c i i ,rnmaAa-j[ asa u theUinc i pctures on it, that point *No. 7 bas disappeared: "'No apartments"** is not in the platfermn. at ail. Now, there. was .a vry substantial reason for that. It had notý been officially adopted wben Mr. Dubbs first read. it, and vwheu be gýot his party together they would flot stand for Point.No. 7, so it (C.ugiuud .o N#ai ~g)

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