Arizona republican., 1911-07-13
PHoENIx, ARIZONA, JULY 1S. 1911
The Ease of Amendment.

In view of the remarkable ease with which the constitution of Arizona may be amended, it is astonishing to find any real friend of statehood willing to block the admission of the terri tory on the mere contention that We must make the judges of our courts subject to the recall
 If, after admission, the people of the state of Arizona want to apply the recall to the judiciary, they have only to say so at the polls. and the thing is done.
 Section l of Article XXI provides:
 Sec l. Any amendment or amend ments to this Constitution may be proposed in either House of the Leg islature, or by Initiative Petition signed by a number of qualified elect ors equal to fifteen per centum of the total number of votes for all can didates for Governor at the last pre- ceding general election.
 Any proposed amendment or amendments which shall be introduced in either House of the Legislature, and which shall be approved by a majority of the members elected to each of the two Houses. shall be en- tered on the journal of each House, together with the ayes and nays thereon When any proposed amend ment or amendments shall be thus passed by d majority of each House of the Legislature and entered on the respective journals thereof. or when any elector or electors shall file with the Secretary of State any proposed amendment or amendments, together with a petition therefor signed by a number of electors equal to fifteen per centum of the total number of votes for all candidates for Governor in the last preceding general election, the Secretary of State shall submit such proposed amendment or amend ments to the vote of the people at the next general election (eXcept when the Legislature shall call a special election for the purpose of having said proposed amendment or amend ments voted upon, in which case the Secretary of State shall submit such proposed amendment or amendments to the qualified electors at said spe- cial election) and if a majority of the qualified electors voting thereon shall approve and ratify such pro- posed amendment or amendments in said regular or special election such amendment or amendments shall be- come part of this Constitution. Un- iii a method of publicity is otherwise provided by law the Secretary of State shall have such proposed amendment or amendments published for a period of at least ninety days previous to the date of sad election in at least one newspaper in every county of the State in which a news paper shall be published. in such manner as may be prescribed by law. If more than one proposed amend ment shall be submitted at any cleo ton. such propose1 amendments shall be submitted in such manner that the electors may vote for or against such proposed amendments separately"
 In other words, proposed amend ments to the constitution may be submitted to the voters through either of two forms-by a mere majority vote in each house of the legislature. or by petition.
 And a majority at the polls in ia vor of any proposed amendment fixes such amendment into the cOnstitu- tion.-
 It is the simplest machinery ever provided by any state for amending a constitution.
 If the people want the constitution amended in any detail. they have only to elect a legislature favorable to the proposed amendment. And if it be suggested that legislatures sometimes fail to carry out the popular will, the answer is. that in Arizona the direct primary gives the people absolute power. regardless of parties and bosses, to choose the men they want for office
 But it is not necessary to go tO the legislature at all, in order to amend the constitution. The people can do it directly.
 In order to amend directly at the polls, it is only necessary to file with the secretary of state a copy of the proposed amendment, together with a petition bearing the signatures of voters to the number of fifteen per cent of the number that voted for
 It will be several years before the total vote in Arizona reaches thirty thousand Fifteen per cent of thirty thousand is four thousand five hun dred.
 If. therefore, somebody should want