Show A W Warning a ning and Ob Object Lesson N THE opinion of the state supreme court upholding upholding upholding up up- I IN holding Secretary of State Welling Veiling in his re refusing refusing refusing re- re fusing to proceed under the initiative and referendum referendum ref lef ref ref- act to place a series of proposed tax reform reforms measures before the people thoughtful voters may read a warning The Thc case presents an object lesson in what might happen to the structure of the state law if faulty legislation could be forced onto a ballot and enacted without without without with with- out opportunity to correct its imperfections It must be apparent that even though the ends sought might night represent sent the desire of a large majority of the people the law Jaw as passed by popular vote might be invalid in conflict with existing statutes not amended or repealed or Dr for other reasons unenforceable Even if adverse campaigning after the proposed law was accorded a place on the ballot should bring about its defeat huge waste of public funds would take money out of the pockets of the people to tono tono tono no good purpose In this case casc the high court found the drafts reform laws of the tax reform and other presented by J. J W. W Jenkins of Tremonton in be behalf be- be half alf of a group styling itself the peoples people's division division divi divi- sion of the legislative department of the state of Utah to be unintelligible and incomprehensible incomprehensible An assistant attorney general argued the they were unconstitutional The court found also that the proposed referendum legislation would seek to amend the amend the constitution itself for which there is no means except that found inthe in inthe inthe the constitution Beyond that they were said the court incomplete indefinite and ambiguous ambiguous ambiguous am am- as not to be operative So much else was found defective that the thel drafts must appear as the work of individuals wholly wholly- incompetent from rom the standpoint of background or training to prep prepare arc legislation Unless utter chaos is to io be risked and unless we feel so opulent that we are willing to waste public money in submitting for popular vote what may be an lIan assemblage of words which are so put together as not to make sense or understanding for popular vote we will do dovell dowell dowell well vell to stick with the basic idea of representative tive government Then we may have legislation legislation legislation legisla legisla- tion competently drawn or put into legal form Tv r. analyzed in committees presented for discus discus- discussion t sion at public hearings debated on the floors 9 i of both houses before a vote is called for All those safeguards are necessary |