The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1910-10-14
QUESTIONS BEFORE OKLAHOMA VOTERS
AMENDMENTS AND INITIATIVE MEASURES

Guthrie. Okla, 1S.-SiX questions,
to which the voter must direct his
attention, are to be separately sub
mitted at the general election on
Nov. s. Three are initiated measures
under the initiative and referendum
procedure; one is popular or peo-
pies referendum and two are lesisla
tive referendums. Four are offered as
amendments to the constitution.
Chief among the lot is the pro
posed constitutional amendment to
substitute local option and high il
cense for statewide prohibition,
which was Initiated by the Sons OF
Washington, state organization op'
posed to general prohibition. The
proposition has beer through the
courts. not as to lis legality, but as
to the procedure employed in getting
it to a vote. When matters are initiat'
ed under the Oklahoma law petit
tiuns calling for vote are filed
with the secretary Of state. If oo-
lection is made to the sufficiency
of the petition a hearing may be
had before the secretary of state,
from which either side has the right
to appeal to the supreme court, but
the latter's finding is final.
Another initiated proposition is
Campbell Russells New Jerusalem
project. proposing to locate the state
capital within five niies of / town
and within a specified distance from
the geographical center of the state.
The proposition is guarded with de
tails affording safety to the state,
and requires among other things, sub
mission of sites for the capital, with
the price per acre made known. be.
fore the vote Is taken. If this fea
ture is not complied with the site
is not considered in the race If
adopted. the New Jerusalem project,
which also includes the building of
a city around the seal of government.
would supersede the location attempt
ed at the election of June II, which
is row before the supreme court.
The New Jerusalem idea does not
move the seat of government from
GuthIie until 1913 in obedierce to
the Oklahoma enabling act
Woman's Suffrage and Election Law.
The third attempted proposition is
an amendment to the suffrage see
ton OF the constitution, giving wom-
en- the right to vote, and, like the
local option and New Jerusalem prop.
ositions, has been through the courts
on points of procedure only.
The only straight peoples refer
endum is on the Bryan election law
enacted by the second legislature
in special session. and is presented
at the instance of the state repub-
lican organization. The Bryan law
proposed repeal of the Taylor rib
bon ballot law pending at the time
of the formers passage before the
supreme court upon referendum pc
titions also filed by republicans. and.
while it was nominally charged that
reference of the Bryan Law was in
effect an attempt to prevent the re-
peal of the Taylor act at the special
session enacting the Bryan law. a
bill was passed giving an independ-
ent repeal of the ribbon ballot act.
Lhus effectively putting it out Of the
way by legislative action. While
the Bryan law now being referred
to proposes TO return to the emblem
ballot of territorial days. republi-
cans assert that other features are
manifestly unfair and partisan for
the party which happens to be in
power
The legislature has referred for
the November : election an amend
men, to the greatly discussed Section
2, Article IN, OF the public corpora
ton portion Of the constitution. This
was an act OF the second legislature
in regular session completed long be.
fore the initiation of Section 49 to
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