Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1912-10-31
Proposed By Initiative Petition.
EIGHTH CONSTITUTIONAL AMEND
MENT.

EIGHTH CONSTITUTIONAL AMEND.
MENT.
Providing that grand Iuries, In hives.
teatlng elections, may open pallot
boxes, compel the production Of registrar.
tion lists voting lists and tally sheetsj
PROVIDING for trials on Indictments re-
turned In such Investigations; prescribing
the manner OF selection and the qualnca-
tions Of election officialsi requiring POI
iicemen to be stationed In and near
polling places in certain cities and pre-
scrlblnq the manner Of voting therein.
Proposed amendment to the Constitu-
ton of Missouri. tof be submitted to the
legal voters thereof. for their approval or
rejection, at the regular general election
to be held an Tuesday. the NTH day OF
| November, A. ID. 1912, and empowering
grand juries to investigate offenses COM
| mitted in elections, to return indictments
thereon, and providing for the trial upon
such indictments in the courts, also pro-
viding for the manner of conducting cleo
tions. the duties Of officers voters
with reference thereto, ana the qualinca-
| lions and selection of judges and clerks
, Of election throughout the state ana In
cities Of %. 1000 Inhabitants or more.
Section l. The ballot shall remain Sc
cret in Missouri, but where crime mas
been committed in any election secrecy
shall yield to justice, and no impeachment
| shall be placed in the way OF the de-
lection, prosecution and conviction OF the
guilty. The investigation OF all elections
in which 1t Is sought to open ballot boxes
in search of crime shall be conducted .Dy
a grand Jury composed of competent, IN
telligent citizens OF high moral charac-
ter. Such grand jury shall have power
to compel the production of registration
lists. voting lists, tally sheets and an
documentary evidence of every kind
also to compel the production OF ballot
boxes, to open the same and Examine tne
ballots; also to subpoena witnesses and
take their testimony; also to compare any
part oil the evidence, oral. written or print
ed, with any other parl or the evidence.
Voters may state under oath what tnelT
ballots were as voted. The jury, grand
or petit, shall decide under the law and
all the facts whether or not ballots have
been willfully and knowingly tempered
with, or changed, or mlsread, or talseiy
counted or false ballots placed in their
stead. Upon any indictment returned a
speedy public trial shall be had, and the
ballots and documentary and oral evil
dence considered by the grand jury, and
other competent evidence. may be intro
duced in the trial under the rules or law.
A grand jury, for the investigation OF
elections as above provided, shall pc
called in each county and In any. city
with a government independent OF the
county, by the several judges throughout
the state empowered by law to call grand
juries, within thirty days after each gen.
eral election, or if a judicial circuit or
\ district is composed of several counties,
after. Such grand jury shall take the
place Of a regular annual grand Jury,
now provided for by law to investigate
elections and for other purposes, and
when convened shall possess all the pow
ers as to investigations and the indict-
ment of offenders for felonies and mis-
demeanors possessed by a regular grand
jury. 1t is hereby made the imperative
duty of the Judge of the court to specific
ally charge such grand jury to investi-
gate the preceding general election, or
ne may charge them to investigate of
tenders In other elections not barred
under the law by limitation.
Section II. Competent persons who re-
ceive the protection of the law shall
owe it to the state to act as election
officials, and individuals of the very high
est moral character to be found shall be
selected. Neither poverty, nor wealth,
nor magnitude of business, nor profess
sional callings however exalted, shall ex-
cuse the citizens unless serious injury
would result, but druggists and physi-
clans may be excused If they demand 1t.
i All judges and clerks of elections in
cities above 25, 1000 inhabitants shall hold
their offices for a specified term, and
shall be examined thoroughly as to their
qualifications. Any election commission
err or other officer charged with the Sc
lection of election officials who shall fail
to make diligent search for men of good
character, or who shall willfully pass by
men Of good character and knowingly
select persons of bad reputation as cleo
ton officials, shall be deemed guilty of a
misdemeanor. In all cities of $4,000 in
habitants or more two competent judges
and one competent clerk of high moral
character shall be chosen for each pre-
cinct from the city at large. and who
do not reside in the precinct for which
judges and one clerk chosen from the
precinct, shall constitute the judges and
clerks for such precinct, and all judges
and clerks shall be equally divided in
| each nracinnt hptWp6n the two nOlitical
parties having the largest number of
votes in the state as shown by the last
general election. In every precinct in
such cities there shall be stationed two
policemen, n outside and one inside
the booth, who shall protect all election
officials, challengers, watchers, voters
and others, and who. for wflful failure
to do so, shall be adjudged guilty of a
misdemeanor. Wherever registration is
required the person who registers shall
sign his name on the registration book.
and when he comes to vote he shall again
sign his name opposite his number on
the poll book, and the election officers
may compare the signatures. If the
voter cannot sign his name then he shall
make his mark In the usual way on the
registration book, duly attested in writ
ing by two or more reputable witnesses
to whom he is known, and when any in
dividual offers to vote under such name
the judges may determine from the tes-
timony Of the attesting witnesses, or II
they cannot be produced then from other
proof. whether or not he Is the same
person who made his mark on the regis
tration book, n in voting he shall again
make his mark attested as above re-
quired. If any person signs any other
than his true name in registering or vot-
ing he shall be adjudged guilty of forg-
cry and punished as may be prescribed
by statute. Every political party and
every body of citizens organized for the
purpose of passing any constitutional
amendment shall be entitled to a repre-
sentative inside of the booth to watch
the balloting and counting, and in addi-
challenger. Where it is provided herein
that a violation of any provision of this
amendment shall be a misdemeanor the
punishment shall be fixed by statute. II
upon conviction, forfeit his office, n he
may be prosecuted under this amendment
and his office forfeited independent of
any statute. The word election as used
herein shall be construed to mean any
election, general or special, whether
state, county or municipal, including any
primary election held under the law.
This amendment shall be self-enforcing,
but legislation may be enacted to facilf-
tate its operation.
vision, or law, or part thereof, in conflict
with this amendment Is hereby repealed.
Proposed By Initiative Petition.
NINTH CONSTITUTIONAL AMEND
MENT.
Providing for levyins and collecting,
on each one hundred dollars assessed
valuation, a state, tax of ten cents for
the support of the public elementary
and high schools, state normals, Lin.
coin Institute and the State University.
Proposed amendment to the Constitu-
tion of Missouri to be submitted to the
legal voters Of the state Of Missouri for
their approval or rejection at the regular
general election to be held on the Tues
day next following the first Monday in
November, A. d. 1912, providing for
revenue for the support OF public educa-
ton, by adding to article x of the Con-
stitution one new section to be known
as section twenty-eight (2S). which is In
words and figures as follows:
Section rs. A state tax of ten cents on
each one hundred dollars valuation shall
be annually levied n collected On tha