The Saint Paul globe., 1898-10-10


H. w. CHILDS, Attorney General.
sYNOPSES OF AMENDMENTS TO THE
CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE OF
MINNESOTA PROPOSED BY THE
LEGISLATURE OF THE SAID
STATE AT THE LAST SESSION
THEREOF.
BY General Laws 1897, chapter IT'S, 1t
is proposed to amend Article seven,
Section eight, of the Constitution.
The section as now existing reads as
follows:
Section 8. The legislature may, not
Wlthstanding anything in this article, pro-
or tWenty-one years and upward may
vote at any election held for the pur-
pose or choosing any officers for schools,
or upon any measure relating to schools,
and may also provide that any such
woman shall be eligible to hold any Office
pertaining solely to the management of
schools
1t is proposed by the said chapter to
amend the same so as to read as follows:
Sec. g. Women may vote for school
ofhcers and members Of library boards,
and shall be eligible to hold any office
pertaining to the management Of schools
or libraries.
Any woman of the age of twenty-one
years and upward, and possessing the
qualifications requisite to male voter,
may vote at any election held for the
schools or any members of library Boards
or upon any measure relating to schools
or libraries and shall be eligible to hold
any office pertaining to the management
of schools and libraries
The effect of the above amendment, If
adopted, will be to permit women to vote
for members Of library boards and to be
eligible to become members Of such
boards, in addition to the right to vote
upon school matters and to hold offices
pertaining to schools, as provloed by the
original section of the Constitution Fur
thermore, the Constitution, if the pro-
posed amendment is adopted, will be
self-operative and not dependent. upon
legislative action, as is now the case un-
der the existing Constitution.
By General Laws 1897, Chapter 1S5, 1t
is proposed to amend Article IA, Section
1 of the Constitution.
The section as now existing reads as
follows:
Section 1. Whenever a majority of
both houses Of the legislature shall deem
1t necessary to alter amend this con-
stitution, they may propose such altera-
tions or amendments; whicn proposed
amendments shall be published with the
laws which have been passed a t the same
session. and said amendments shall be
submitted to the people for their approval
or rejection; and If 1t shall appear in
manner to be provided by law, that a
majority of voters present and voting,
shall have ratified such alterations and
amendments, the same shall be valid to
ell intents and purposes as a part of
this Constitution. If two or more altera-
tions or amendments shall be submitted
at the same time, it shall be so regulated
that the voters shall vote for or against
each separately"
1t Is proposed by the said chapter to
amend the same SO as to read as fol-
lows:
Section l. Whenever q majority of
both houses of the legislature shall deem
1t necessary to alter or amend this con-
sututton they may propose such altera-
tions or amendments, which proposed
amendments shall be published with the
laws which have been passed a the same
session, and said amendments shall be
submitted to the people for their approval
or rejection at any general election, and
If 1t shall appear in a manner to he pro-
vided by law, that majority CT ali the
electors voting at said election shall have
voted for and ratified such alterations or
amendments, the same shall be valid to
all intents and purposes as a part of
this Constitution. If two or more altera-
tionS or amendments shall be submitted
at the same time. it shall be so regulated
that the voters shall vote for or against
each separately
The change proposed by the above
amendment requires the submission of
any proposed amendment to the constitu-
ton at a general election.
1t further provides that in order to be-
come effective the proposed amendment
shall receive 'the vote of majority Of
all the electors voting at said election"
instead "of a majority of voters present
and voting" as provided by the original
section of the Constitution The existing
Constitution may be amended as decided
in Dayton VS.. City Of St. Paul, % MINI.
400, though the amendment receive less
than majority of the votes cast at an
election for other purposes held at the
same time and place. BY the proposed
amendment the rule will If the same is
adopted, be SO changed as to require the
vote of a majority Of all the electors Vot-
ing at such election.
By General Laws 1897, Chapter 2sO, it
Is proposed to amend Article f. Section
36 OF the Constitution.
The section as now existing reads as
follows:
Sec. 36. Any city or village in this
state may frame a charter for it's own
government as city consistent with and
subject to the laws Of this state as fol-
lows: The Legislature shall provide un-
der such restrictions as it deems proper,
for board Of fifteen freeholders who
shall be and for the past five years shall
have been qualified voters thereof, to be
appointed by the district judges of the
judicial district in which the city or
village Is situated, which board shall
within six months after its appointment
return to the chief magistrate Of such
city or village draft of such charter
signed by the members of said board, or
2 majority thereof. Such charter shall
be submitted to the qualified voters of
such city or village at the next election
thereafter, and If four-sevenths of the
qualified voters voting al such election
sea!l ratify the same it shall at the end
OF thirty days thereafter become the
charter Of such city or village as a city,
and supersede any existing charter and
amendments thereof; provided, that in
cities cities, having patrol limits now estab-
l.shed such charter shall require a three
fourthS majority vote of the qualified
voters; voting at such election. to change
the patrol limits now established
Before any city shall incorporate under
this act, the legislature shall prescribe by
law the general limits within which such
charter shall be framed. Duplicate GER
tifcates shall be made setting forth the
charter proposed and its ratification.
which shall be signed by the chief masis-