A representative body must be provided which shall perform work of this kind; and again, it must be said that existing legislatures would perform these more restricted functions even worse than they have performed a completer legislative duty.

Their members are experts in nothing but petty local politics.
They are usually wholly incapable of drawing a bill, or of passing intelligently on matters either of technical or financial detail.

If they represent anything, it is the interest of their district rather than that of the state.

The principle of direct legislation, in order to become really constructive, must bring with it a more effective auxiliary machinery than any which existing legislatures can supply.
The kind of machinery needed can be deduced from the character of the work.

The function of the representative body, needed under a system of direct legislation, is substantially that of a legislative and administrative council or commission.