
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, January 20, 1995                   TAG: 9501200068
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: A-11   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: ROBLEY S. JONES
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

PURE DEMOCRACY

IN HIS State of the Commonwealth address, Gov. George Allen advocated Jeffersonian conservatism, sounding some themes that I, like many Virginians, can support. However, at least in regard to one issue, he sounded more like a Henry Howell populist.

Allen, for the second year in a row, urged that we, as Michael Hardy of the Richmond Times-Dispatch put it, "give Virginians the California-style right to put issues on the ballot."

The concept of initiative and referendum is not a new one in America. It was advocated by Rhode Island's Roger Williams and included in that state's charter in 1644. Virginia, however, has historically rejected the concept. Norfolk Democrat Henry Howell was the last holder of a statewide office to aggressively champion the issue in Virginia. Howell had some great ideas, but this was not one of them.

If you read Jefferson extensively, you can find contradictions. A review of history tells us, too, that had Jefferson been the sole architect of our nation's government, our democracy would not have prevailed.

One of the greatest challenges encountered by those who drafted the governing documents for the original states and for our nation was deciding where on the continuum of democracies our new government should fall.

James Madison wrote very clearly regarding the difference between a pure democracy and a republic in "The Federalist, No. 10" in 1787. When discussing initiative and referendum, this is the issue at hand, a pure democracy vs. a republican form of government. Madison wrote: "A common passion or interest will, in almost every case; be felt by a majority of the whole; a communication and concert, results from the form of government itself; and there is nothing to check the inducements to sacrifice the weaker party, or an obnoxious individual."

California and many of the other states that have initiative and referendum have not been well-served by the provision. None of these states can match Virginia's record of sound financial management under the leadership of Democrats and Republicans.

Citizens should think about this issue very carefully before jumping on the Allen/Howell bandwagon. I am an advocate of high-quality public education and, consequently, have great fear regarding what is far from a conservative proposal.

I ask you to read January's Money magazine, which details the impact of California's Proposition 13, an initiative developed by Howard Jarvis, which was approved by 65 percent of the voters and caused an immediate 57 percent reduction in property-tax revenues.

In the area of education alone, this article states that, "Before Proposition 13, the state ranked among the nation's top five in achievement for kindergarten through grade 12, but since then has steadily dropped into the bottom 10 of the 50 states."

How many Virginians would sign a petition to put the question on the ballot and vote to eliminate the sales tax without the knowledge that doing so would cripple our transportation and education systems? We may love to knock the General Assembly, but when Sens. Andrews and Chichester vote on an issue, they are looking at the entire budget and they know better than the average voter the long-range implications of the vote.

Virginia government - for all its challenges, problems, missteps and mistakes - has served the commonwealth well. Despite the hard times we face, there are many Californians who would gladly exchange state governments with Virginia.

When we look to California and consider the issue of initiative and referendum, let us reflect again on the words of James Madison, who said in reference to pure democracies, "Such democracies have ever been spectacles of turbulence and contention; have ever been found incompatible with personal security, or the rights of property; and have in general been as short in their lives, as they have been violent in their deaths."

I urge very thoughtful consideration of what is a radical, not a conservative, proposal for fundamental change in Virginia government.

Jefferson's contemporaries didn't agree with everything he said, and if Tom were here today, I'm not so sure he would stick to his guns on initiative and referendum. He would have 200 years of history to learn from, and I suspect he would choose the Virginia way over the latest trend from California.

Robley S. Jones is president of the Virginia Education Association.

by CNB