{{Short description|United States political activism group}} {{Georgism|organisations}} The '''Oregon Direct Legislation League''' was an organization of political activists founded by [[William S. U'Ren]] in the U.S. state of [[Oregon]] in 1898. U'Ren had been politically activated by reading the influential 1893 book ''Direct Legislation Through the Initiative and Referendum'',<ref name=directbook>{{cite book |first=James William |last=Sullivan |title= Direct Legislation Through the Initiative and Referendum |year=1893 |url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_BlRHHgAACAAJ |publisher=True Nationalist Publishing Company }}</ref> and the group's founding followed in the wake of the 1896 founding of the National Direct Legislation League, which itself had its roots in the Direct Legislation League of [[New Jersey]] and its short-lived predecessor, the People's Power League.<ref name="Schmidt">{{cite book | last = Schmidt | first = David D. | title = Citizen Lawmakers: The Ballot Initiative Revolution | publisher = Philadelphia, PA: Temple University Press | year = 1989 | pages = 7, 262}}</ref>
The group led efforts in Oregon to establish an [[Popular initiative|initiative]] and [[referendum]] system, allowing direct legislation by the state's citizens. In 1902, the [[Oregon Legislative Assembly]] approved such a system, which was known at the time as the Oregon System.
The group's further efforts led to successful ballot initiatives implementing a [[direct primary]] system in 1904, and allowing citizens to [[Recall election|directly recall]] public officials in 1908.<ref name="OBB Initiative">{{cite web | title = Initiative, Referendum and Recall Introduction | work = Oregon Blue Book | publisher = Salem, Oregon: Oregon Secretary of State | year = 2006 | url = https://sos.oregon.gov/blue-book/Pages/state/elections/history-introduction.aspx | access-date = 2006-12-29}}</ref><ref name="Carey">{{cite book | last = Carey | first = Charles Henry | title = History of Oregon | publisher = Chicago, Illinois: Pioneer Publishing | year = 1922 | pages = 837–838}}</ref>
==Direct Legislation League of California == California built the most successful grass roots progressive movement in the country by mobilizing independent organizations and largely ignoring the conservative state parties. The system continues strong into the 21st century.<ref>John M. Allswang, ''The initiative and referendum in California, 1898-1998'' (Stanford University Press, 2000) pp. 1-31.</ref> Following the Oregon model [[John Randolph Haynes]] organized the '''Direct Legislation League of California''' in 1902 to launch the campaign for inclusion of the initiative and referendum in the state's constitution.<ref name=":0"> {{Cite book|title=American reformers, 1870-1920 : progressives in word and deed|date=2006|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|others=L.|isbn=074252762X|location=Lanham, Md.}}</ref> The League sent questionnaires to prospective candidates to the state legislature to obtain their stance on direct legislation and to make those positions public. It then flooded the state with letters seeking new members, money, and endorsements from organizations like the State Federation of Labor. As membership grew it worked with other private organizations to petition the state legislature, which was not responsive. In 1902 the League won a state constitutional amendment establishing direct democracy at the local level, and in 1904, it successfully engineered the recall of the first public official.<ref name=":0" />
== See also == * [[List of Oregon ballot measures]]
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{Oregon Modern History}} {{Oregon legislation}}
[[Category:1898 establishments in Oregon]] [[Category:Defunct organizations based in Oregon]] [[Category:History of Oregon]] [[Category:Ballot measures in the United States]] [[Category:Direct democracy movement]] [[Category:Progressive Era in the United States]] [[Category:Organizations with year of disestablishment missing]]