The National tribune., 1907-06-20

rect effort to have an exceedingly small
minority thwart the will of the major
lity. In practice Ii may work out 10
have the Government of the State held
at the mercy of small clique of voters
who can be readily controlled by cor
rupt means. The article reads:
ARTICLE v.
Legislative Observation-Disclosures and
| Referendum.
| Section l. The legislative authority
of the State shall be vested in a Legis-
| lature, consisting of Senate and a
Fl uuse of Representatives: but the peo-
pie reserve to themselves the power to
propose laws and amendments 10 the
| Constitution and to enact or reject the
same at the polls independent of the
Legislature. and also reserve power. at
their own option, to approve or reject
at the polls any act of the Legislature.
! Section 2. The first power reserved
by the people is the initiative. and eigh.
go per centum of the legal voters shall
have the right to propose any legiSla-
| tive measure, and fifteen G5) per
| centum of the legal voters shall have
| the right to propose constitutional
amendment by petition. and every such
petition shall include the full text OF the
measure so proposed The second power
| is the referendum. and it may he or
dcred (cxccpt as to laws necessary for
| the immediate preservation of the pub
| lie peace. health or safety. either by
| petition. signed by five (5) per centum
! of the legal voters or by the Legislature.
as other bills are enacted. The ratio
and per centum of legal voters herein
| before stated shall he upon the total
number of votes cast at the last general
| election for the State Office receiving
the highest number of votes at such
| election.
| Section g. Referendum petitions
shall be filed with the Secretary of
State not more than ninety 600 days
after the final adjournment of the seS-
| sion of the Legislature which passed
/ the bill on which the referendum is
demanded The veto power Of the Gov
ernor shall not extend 10 measures
voted on by the people. All elncfions
on measures referred to the people of
the State shall be had at the next gen.
eral election throughout the State. cx-
cept when the Legislature or the Gov
ernor shall order n special election for
the express purpose of making such
reference. Any measure referred to
the people shall take effect and he in
force when it shall have been approved
by majority of the votes cast thereon
and not otherwise.
The style of all bills shall be. BE it
Enacted by the People of the State of
| Oklahoma"
and for The referendum shall be filed
with the Secretary of State and ad-
dressed to the Governor of the State
who shall submit the same to the peo-
pie. The Legislature shalt make suit
able provisions for carrying into effect
! the provisions of this article, and if the
Legislature shall fail to make such pro-
visions, or shall make inadequate pro-
visions. then the Governor of the State
shall. by executive order, make such
rules as may be necessary to carry these
provisions into effect
Section 4. The referendum NAV he
demanded by the people against one or
more items, sections or parts of any act
of the Legislature in the same manner
in which such power may be exercised
against a complete act The filing of
referendum petition against one or
more items. sections or parts of an act
shall not delay the remainder of such
act from becoming operative.
Section 3. The powers of the initia-
tive and referendum. reserved to the
people by this Constitution for the State
at large. are hereby further reserved
for the legal voters of every county
and district therein. as to all local and
special legislation in the administration
of county and district government in
and for their respective counties and
districts.
The manner of exercising said DOW
ers shall be prescribed by general laws.
except that board of county commits
sioners may provide for the time of ex-
ercising the initiative and referendum
powers as to local legislation in their
respective counties and districts
The requisite number of petitioners
for the Invocation of the initiative and
referendum in counties and districts
shall bear twice, or double, the ratio
TO the whole number of legal voters
in such county or district, as herein
provided therefor in the State at large.
Section 6. Any measure rejected by
the people, through the powers of the
initiative and referendum. cannot be
again proposed by the initiative within
three years thereafter by less than
twenty-five t25) per centum of the
legal voters.
Section Z. The reservation of the
powers of the initiative and referendum
in this article shall not deprive the Leg
islature of the right to propose or pass
any measure which may be consistent
with the Constitution of the State and
the Constitution of the United States
Section s. Laws shall be provided
to prevent corruption in making. pro-
curing and submitting initiative and
referendum petitions.
The Returning Board.
great many people of Oklahoma
see much danger i'll the following pro-
vision as to canvasing the votes:
ARTICLE vi.
Executive Department.
Section 5. The returns of every cleo
ton for all elective State officers shall
be sealed up and transmitted by the
returning officers to the Secretary of
state. directed to the Speaker of the
House of Representatives. who Shall.
Immediately after the organization of
the House. and before preC ceaing to
other business. open and publish the
same in the presence of anna ioritv of
each branch of the Legislature. who
snail for that purpose assemble in the
hall of the House of Representatives
The persons respectively having the
the said offices shall be declared duly
elected; but in case two or more shall
have an equal and the highest number
or votes for either of said Offices the
legislature shall. forthwith. by joint
SO having an equal and the highest
number of votes for said Office
Apparently this puts the whole mat
ter of the decision as to who has or has
not been elected directly in the hands
of the Speaker, who has no restrictions
thrown around him as to what votes
he shall recognize and what discard.
and can consequently declare whom he
pieases elected or throw The election
INTO the House for decision.
Railroad Fare.