The Oroville weekly gazette. [volume] (Oroville, Wash.) 1905-19??, 1912-08-09
Proposed Amendment to State
Constitution.

tary of State.
10 whom it may concern In obedience
to an act of the Legislature, approved
March TO- 1911, entitled as follows: An
Act to amend section / of article III OF the
Constitution OF the State OF washington,
relating to legislative powers, providing
for the initiative and referendum, and
striking section 81 of said article ii. re-
ans to ee e
Grafton of the voters of the State OF
Washington the following proposed
amendment to the constitution of said
state:
That at the general election to be held
in this state on the Tuesday next sue
ceeding the first Monday in November.
1912. there shall be suumittedto the quail
flied electors of the state for adoption
and approval or rejection an amendment
State of Washington. relating to legis-
lative powers. by striking from article ii
ali of sections / and II. and inserting in
lieu thereof as section l the following, so
that the same shall read as follows:
Article III. section 7. The legislative
authority of the stare OF Washington
ing of a senate and house of representa-
tives. which shall be called the legisla-
ture of the State OF Washington. but the
people reserve to themselves the power
to propose bills. laws, and to enact or re-
ject the same at the polls, independent of
the Legislature. and also reserve power,
at the polls any act. item, section or part
of any bill. act or law passed by the leg
isature.
(a) Initiative: The first power re-
served by the people is the initiative
Ten per centum, but in no case more than
fifty thousand. of the legal voters shall
such petition. and every such petition
shall include the full text of the measure
so proposed: Initiative petitions shall be
filed with the secretary of state not less
than four months before the election ut
which they are to be voted upon. or not
less than ten. days before any, regular
4. c1.k., lAI a.t
four months before the election at which
they are to be voted upon, he shall sub
NIT the same to the vote of the people at
the said falectiOn: If such petitions
filed not less than ten days before any
regular session of the Legislature, he shall
transmit the same to the Legislature as
soon as 1T cOnveneS and organizes. Such
initiative measure shall take precedence
over all other measures in the legislature
except appropriation bills and shall be
either enacted or rejected without change
or amendment by the Legislature before
the end of such. regular session. If any
such initiative measure shall be enacted
the referendum petition. or it may be en-
acted and referred by the Legislature to
the people for approval or rejection at the
next regular election. If it is rejected or
If no action Is taken upon it by the legis
lature before the end or such regular
sion. the secretary of state shall submit
it to the people for approval or rejection
at the next ensuing regular general cleo
ton. Tile Legislature may reject any
measure SO proposed by initiative petit
ton and propose IA different one dealing
with the same subject. and in such
event both measures shall be submitted
by the secretary OF state to the people
for approval or rejection at the next en-
suing regular general election When
conflicting measures are submitted to the
people the ballots shall be SO printed that
voter can express separately by making
one Cross (X) for each, two preferences,
first. as e: between either measure and
neither and secondly. as between one and
the other. II the ma 'Ority of those vOt-
ing on the. first issue is for neither. both
fail, but in that case the votes ON the
second issue shall nevertheless be care
fully counted and made public. If a. ma
jority voting on the first issue is for
either. then the measure receiving n ma
lority OF the votes on the second issue
% Referendum The second power
reserved by the people Is the referendum.
and 1t may be ordered on any act. bill,
law. or any part thereof passed by the
legislature. except such laws as may be
necessary for the immediate preservation
Of the public peace health or safety. sup
listing public institutions. either by petit
ton signed by the required percentage of
the legal voters. or by the Legislature
other bills are enacted. Six per centnm.
but In no case more than thirty thOusan nd.
of the legal voters shall be required to
sign and make valid referendum petit
ton <. i
(c) No act. law. or bill subject to ref
erendum shall take effect until ninety
days after the adjournment of the session
at which 1t was enacted No act law. or
bill approved by majority of the cleo
tors voting thereon shall be amended or
repealed by the legislature within peri
But such enactment may he amended or
repealed at any general regular or special
election by direct vote Of the people
(d) The filing Of referendum peti-
ton against one or more items sections
or parts Of any act, law or bill shall not
lind nr
becoming operative. Referendum petit
tons against measures passed by the leg
islature shall be filed with the secretary
Of state not later than ninety days after
the final adjournment of the session of
the legislature which passed the measure
on which the referendum is demanded.
extend to measures initiated by or re-
ferred to the people. All elections on
measures referred to the people of the
lar elections. except when the Legislature
shali order special election. Any mea-
sure initiated by the people or referred
take effect and become the law if it is
approved by majority OF the votes east
thereon: Provided; That the vote east
equal one third of the total votes cast at
such election and not otherwise Such
measure shall be in operation on and after
the thirtieth day after the election at
which 1t is approved, The style of all
bills proposed by initiative petition shall
De: f5e II enacted by the people of the
state of Washington" This section shall
not be construed to deprive any member
OF the legislature of the right to introduce
any measure. The whole number of cleo
tors who voted for governor at the regli-
lar gubernatOrial election last preceding
the filing of any petition for the initiative
or for the referendum shall be the basis
on which the number of legal voters nee
essary to sign such petition shall he
counted. All such petitions shall be filed
with the secretary of state. who shall be
guided by the general laws in submitting
the same to the people until additional
legislation shall especially provide there
for This section is self executing. but
legislation may be enacted especially to
facilitate its operation.
The Legislature shall provide methods
OF publicity of all laws or parts of laws
ferred to the people with arguments for
and against the laws and amendments so
referred. so that each voter of the state
shall receive the publication at least fifty
days before the election at which they are
to he voted upon.
There shall he printed on all ballots
provided for the said election the words:
For the proposed amendment of see
ton of article III of the constitution of
the state OF Washington. relating to leg
isiative powers and providing for the
initiative and referendum"
Against the proposed amendment Of
of the State of Washington relating to
legislative powers, and providing for the
initiative and referendum
For the proposed amendment Of article
II of the constitution of the State of
washington, by striking section 81 there