Daily independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 188?-1915, 1899-03-09
Cut on His SIGNATURE.

A queer state nf aft airs has arisen in
regard to the bill pas seh by the legis
latnre'tO di .incorpnr.te tho city of
Reno. This bill was signei ny Gov
ernor Sad Ter and turne over to the
Secretary ut State, who re@ipted t.
the Governor for the bill. \tter this
had been done Secretary Howell OH
jected 70 the form Of Tn roll nent
which was rs f,llows: Substitute
for Senate Bill No.47. An Act to dis
incorporate the city Of Reno"
Howell objected to tile words Sub
stitute for Senate Bill No. 81" beinr
on the face Of the enrolled bill, and
claimed that it was part q the his.
tory Of the bill, and insisted that y
now enrolment be ma 10 with those
wor Is left of, aud FOR that purpo "a he
turned the bill Sac't to he Governor.
who i'll turn gave it to Mr.. Armstrong
Chairman Of tile Assembly Commit
tee on Enroll d Bills. who hal
fresh enrolment made without the
wor is OBJECTED to by Mr.. Howell
The bill was then sig Ie by the
proper ottica 8 Of bo+h houses and
returned nf the Governor, who TOOK a
pair IT shears nd cut his signature
otf the first enrolment. and said that
he would he's what the people If
Reno might have to gay before he
would sign the fresh enrolment.
The Gazette, IN spe tx ny Of this
peculiar action Of the Governor, Gays:
"a the case stands nov: The bill
became law the minute the Cover.
nor affixed his signature; Secretary
of State Howell has given his receipt
to tile Governor for the hill, and the
Governor has the bill. end conse-
quently Howell is accountable for IN
enrolled bill viii IN he tooIisbly let
out OF his possession. The bill is a
law. The words obi 'cted to by
Howell were not of such u nature IA
to effect the bill in any way, and as
matter 1T fact n large number Of the
bills ut past years have the same or
similar words on the face in the same
manner. 1t is nonsense to suppose
that the Governor GIN repeal law
by cutting his signature off after 1t
has been once affixed.
@In the meantime the Secretary Of
State is 'cussinR' himself, and the
Governor, and everybody in sigh,
because tn. Governor refuses To
either give him back the bill or the
receipt therefor. But the little bill
ia now the law and has been since
! Al o'clock p NJ. March 4. $780,,
The journal takes issue with the
Gazette and says:
The Gazette has queer views
about law making. 1t claims that a
bill becomes law il once signed bv
the Governor even IL the Chief FIX
ecutive changes his mind and with.
draws his signature while it is yet in
- O'll USCOIuc
law until it is returned to the branch
of the legislature from which it EN-.
anated and the me ssage with it's i'm.
rort is entered on the journal OF that
houe. There have probably been
tifty cases of the kind the Gazette RI
fers to, since Nevada was admitted as
state. In this case, however. there
was chnDge made in the title Of the
bill after it had been signed by the
Governor. which wonld make, the
withdrawal Of his signature legal
beyond all possible question, for
when returned to him II was not the
same bill that he had pre- viously
signed
The INDEPENDENT can't express an
opinion as to whether the action of
the Governor in cutting his sigma.
ture from the original bill defeated it
or not. The question ia too knotty