Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1905-02-23

Wnlcn appear alter pages l, 2 and 8
and the pages which precede the lists
OF names in said purported petition,
and that these pages were attached
to these lists of signers subsequent to
the affixing of the signatures to said
lists. And while your committee is
unable to state by whom this attach
ment was made, your committee does
find that it could only have been made
for one purpose, and that was to com
nit a fraud upon this legislature and
the people of South Dakota, and to
induce action by this legislature
which the signers of said lists may
never have contemplated or even de.
sired.
The law provides (section 81, Polit-
ical Code): "All measures proposed
to the legislature under the initiative
shall be presented by petition which
petition shall be signed by not less
than per cent of the qualified electors
OF the state Again, the law pro-
vides (section e. Political Code):
Every petition to propose a meas
ure must contain the substance of the
initiative law desired" Your commit
tee believes the provisions quoted to
be absolutely mandatory and that the
purported petition, being so entirely
defective, as specifically set forth in
the foregoing four findings, is an alb
solute nullity and constitutes no basis
or foundation for any affirmative leg
islativ eaction.
Your committee further reports that
it has carefully, examined the lists of
signatures which follow the foregoing
pages herein before specifically re-
ferred to. These signatures appear
upon sheets of paper containing about
thirty names each, and are divided
into four columns under the headings
of Name Residence" Business"
"Postoffice Address" The signatures
are numbered at the left, in red ink,
from l to 1884, by an unknown hand
and evidently after circulation of the
sheets. In this regard your commit
tee finds:
First, that a large number of the
pages containing purported names
were not and could not have been at
tached to any petition, copy of the
law, or to any other paper or docu-
ment whatever. Others of them have
apparently been at some time attached
to some other paper or document, the
character of which paper or document
it is impossible for your committee to
determine and from which they have
been unlawfully and fraudulently torn
asunder by some person or persons to
your committee unknown
Your committee finds, second. that
for the purpose of preventing the per-
petration Of frauds upon the people
and the legislature, and at the same
time to furnish means for full identif-
cation of the signers to an iniative pc
tition and authorization of the petit
ton itself. the statute law Of this
state (section 81. Political Code) pro-
vides that "all measures proposed to
the legislature under the initiative
shall be presented by petition, which
petition shall be signed by not less
than 5 per cent of the qualified elect
ors of the state, and each elector
shall add to his signature his place of
residence, his business and his post
office address," This requirement of
the statute can mean nothing but that
each elector shall with his own hand
sign, not only his own name, but also
his residence, his business and his
postoffice address.
The language of the statute is that
the elector shall add to his signature.
and does not provide that anyone
else can do this for him. Yet your
committee finds that a great majority
of the signatures found in this pur-
ported petition absolutely and entire
ly fail to comply with this plain. man
,datory and imperative provision of
the statute. AS demonstrating this
finding of your committee, attention is
called to the fact thai upon a large
number of these sheets which purport
to contain signatures of signers the
signatures are written in pencil, fol-
lowed by the residence, business and
postotfice address written. in ink by
an entirely different hand, entire
pages being sc tS.!ed s; ~ .5,;S some per
son other than the persons who
signed their names. Without citing
unnumbered single cases, your com
mittee finds most glazing forgeries in
this respect in the list of names. num-
bered 410S to 421O, 4316 to 4334, 4482
to 1895, 1896 to 1850, 4712 to 4751,
,4772 to 4796, 1890 to 51S1, 800 to 1921,
1914 to 5409. 5437 to $40, 5527 to 1868,
$50 to 5777, 5778 to 1892, 5s4s to 59S7,
59s2 to 60S3, 6OS4 to 6134, 56258 to 6272,
.627S to 6427, 6446 to 1904, 6436 to 6443,
6657 to 6745, 1880 to 1754S, 1851 to 1922,
1855 to S605, 1868 to 1854, s765 to 1884.
Your committee further finds that
these forgeries last mentioned con
sisted in some person other than the
signer of the purported petition hav-
ing altered the same after the sigma
ture sheets had been signed by the
purpo-ted signers thereof by adding
to the signatures of the signers their
residence. business and postOfice adj
dress, or one or moro Of the same;
also in the names Of various Of the
purported signers being written in by
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