New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1914-10-28
To Provide For
Needs of State
PROPOSED AMENDMENTS COVER
BIG QUESTINOS OF PRESENT
DAY.
SIX OUT OF ELEVEN RECON-
MENDED FOR FAVORABLE
CONSIDERATION.

At next Tuesdays election the voters
of this County and for the entire State
will be called upon to register their
choice for state officers, Judge of Supreme
Court, and for the various county Offices.
This, of course, is an important duty.
But fully as important as the election OF
state and county officers is the vote on
the eleven amendments to the State
constitution which will be submitted toa
decision of the electors.
The necessity of voting for the amend
ments becomes apparent when the voter
considers that majority OF all the
electors voting at the election must be
in favor of the several amendments to
make them carry In other words IT
100000 votes should be cast and not one
of them should be registered against any
of the amendments it would not have
the effect of passing the amendments.
It would still be necessary that more
than 100000 OF the voters register a
vote in favor of the amendments to
make them part of the Constitution.
Not to vote at all on the Amendments
has the same effect as to vote against
them.
The question naturally arises which of
the eleven amendments should receive
the affirmative vote of the electors. 1t
may therefore be proper at this time to
discuss the several amendments for the
purpose of enlightening the voter as to
how to vote intelligently next Tuesday.
The first amendment, if passed, will give
to the electors the privilege OF deciding
upon the passage OF constitutional amend
ments, the right to propose laws or
amendments and. the right to suspend
and annul laws which have been enacted
by the Legislature. At the present time,
only the Legislature has the right to
propose legislation. There seems to be
no valid reason why the electors should
not have the right to propose laws and
annul such as have been enacted and a
vote in favor of this amendment should
be considered progressive legislation.
The second proposed amendment ap-
pears to be good one. In effect it will
! increase the number of judges of the
Supreme Court from four to six, will
require the concurrence of five members
to declare a law unconstitutional and
will make the Office of clerk Of the
supreme court appointive instead of
elective. A vote for this amendment
would also seem to be vote in the right
direction.
The third amendments would permit
the State to improve it's school and swamp
lands by proper drainage and by con-
structing roads, bitches and fire breaks
thru and around such State lands. This
amendment is primarily intended to
help in the development of the northern
part of the State. Those favoring this
amendment contend that the money
spent for this purpose will eventually
increase the common school fund of the
State and the matter is entitled to the
careful consideration of every elector.
From the information that the Review
!. has on hand at the present time it would
flavor the adoption of this constitutional
amendment.
There may be reasons why Section II
of Article 9 of the Constitution should
be amended but it seems to the Review
that the proposed amendment (No. A.
requiring the Treasurer to publish his
annual report in at least one newspaper
printed at the seat of government is open
to enough objections, SO that defeat Of
the amendment might be the proper
thing.
I There is no apparent objection to per-
e hitting the loaning of the permanent
school and university funds to be invested
in first mortgage, loans upon improved
and cultivated farm lands of the state as
proposed by amendment No. 5. At
present the Constitution provides that
these funds shall be invested only in
County, school district, city, town or
village bonds Of the State. If the passage
of this amendment would have tendency
to make it impossible for the school
districts, etc. to get the money that they
rstmight require, the adoption of this
amendment would perhaps prove a
hardship. The Review is unable to
enlighten it's readers on this point and
the electors must use their own judgment
in this matter.
Since nearly all of the county offices
have been given four years term there