The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-05-21
PETITION ASKS
FOR ELECTION
County commissioners Re-
quested to Order Ballot on
Liquor Question.
MORE THAN 5000 NAMES
ATTACHED TO DOCUMENT
Asserted That Number Repre-
sents Forty Per Cent of
County Voters.

Providing all persons signing petl-
ton presented TO the county commits
sioners Saturday afternoon arc bona
fide voters and that other legal tech
nicalitics do not ensue, Indications are
that there must be called a special cleo
tion in Salt Lake county outside of in
corporated cities and towns to deter
mine whether or not the sale Of lntoxi-
eating liquor will be permitted. A pc
tition signed by 3470 purported bona
fide citizens of the county was received
by the commissioners asking that an
election be called.
1t is alleged, however, by some of
the persons signing this petition that
they were induced to attach their sigma
lures through fraud and misrepresen-
tstion Of facts concerning the new law,
as was set forth in the counter petit
tion presented TO the commissioners on
Friday This counter petition, which
missioners to strike off the names of
the signers from the petition asking
for an election, was signed by 210 citi-
zens of the county.
Sufficient Signatures Remain.
With these names stricken off, how
ever, there would still be sufficient
signatures on the petition presented
Saturday to require an election. Both
petitions will be taken up and consld-
cred at the regular meeting of the
board of county commissioners on Mon
day Members of the board Saturday
declined to discuss the matter, it being
stated that there are several points of
law involved which will probably result
in complicated situation.
Under the terms of the liquor law. 1T
requires % per cent of the bona fide
voters of the county outside Of incor-
porated cities and towns to petition
the county commissioners for an elec-
ton. if such is to be held, Otherwise
the law provides that the county will
go dry as a unit.
1t is alleged in the counter petition
filed last Friday by 2l0 persons, that
their names were secured on the rep
resentation that they would have TO
call an election and vote dry If they
wished the county TO be dry. In this
manner they alleged that they were in
duced to sign a petition, the purpose
of which really was TO defeat their
own wishes and desires.
Forty Per Cent Claimed.
1t is claimed that the number of
names on the petition presented Satur-
day represents approximately 30 per
cent of the bona fide citizens of the
county outside Of incorporated cities
and towns, and even with the names
on the counter petition stricken off,
there would still be % per cent left,
which is sufficient, providing all of
the names are in compliance with the
legal requirements.
The petition presented to the COM
misioners Saturday afternoon is as fol
lows:
"We. the undersigned legal voters of
the county unit of Salt Lake county.
Utah, as defined by law, respectfully
petition to the board of county COM
mjssioners that on the last Saturday in
June. 1911. an election be held TO de
termine whether the sale of intoxicat
ing liquors shall he allowed or prohib-
tied in the county unit of Salt Lake
county, Utah. Each petitioner for him
self SAYS: J. have personally signed
this petition, and my residence, post
office address and voting district are
correctly written after my name