Radicalism in the Northwest. The Oregon System. Much has been said and written about the abnormal and foolish radicalism of the Northwest, particularly Oregon. The basis of Oregon's reputation in that regard is found in her adoption of the so-called " Oregon System "of direct legislation—the Initiative and the Referendum—together with other devices like the recall and direct election of United States senators by a provision in the primary election law. The fact is that this legislation is almost wholly ascribable to influences running back twenty-five years to the Populist agitation, and to a leadership which the Populist movement evoked. It simply happened that, while in other states the passing of Populism left no definite institutional results, in Oregon owing mainly to the organizing efforts of one man, Mr. W. S. U'Ren, the direct legislation features of the propaganda were brought very cleverly before the people at a time when disgust with representative government was extreme and were adopted. The rest was easy, particularly since Mr. U'Ren's "People's Power League " maintained an effective organization for promoting his ideas.
In view of the adoption of initiative and referendum amendments in most of the Western states, since Oregon blazed the way, it can hardly be maintained that the radicalism of the Oregon people was peculiar. Oregonians, and in fact Northwesterners generally, are better described as progressive than as radical. The same men who gained an almost unique popularity as
