Danger of Electronic Plebiscites

Regarding the Opinion page article "A Parody of True Democracy," Aug. 13: The real danger of electronic plebiscites (a la Ross Perot) is the one that the framers of our Constitution saw so clearly, namely the threat of a "tyranny of the majority" to justice and freedom. Lynch mobs are "democratic" in the same crude, populist sense that the author ascribes to electronic referenda. Justice, freedom, and prosperity have taken a beating at the hands of groups seeking special privileges from government. Plebi scites may shift the power to oppress from the few to the many, but only a constant return to moral principles of government will bring oppression to a halt.

Jefferson said: "A wise and frugal government which shall restrain men from injuring one another, shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned. This is the sum of good government." David Beers, Wichita, Kan.

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