Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1915-06-10
TO KNOCK OUT RE-
FERENDUM: M:PET|T|0NS
Attorney Generals Reported RuI-
ng--.Petitions Not Counted.

Bismarck, June 6.-Not a single,
solitary law passed by the Four
teenthassembly will be referred
to the people of the state at
the next general election for approx
al or rejection. Not the terminal
elevator law, not even the bootleg
ging law. This is almost certainty
now, in view of the most recent in
depreciation of the initiative and ref
erendum amendment to the constitu-
ton of the state.
That part of the amendment deal
ing with the referendum power of
the people specifically states that the
petitions to refer law, must be
signed by ten per cent. of the legal
voters of the state from a majority
of the counties.
Twenty.seven Counties.
1t is rumored that the attorney
general will hold that the proper in
depreciation of this clause is as fol-
lows: That the petition must be
signed by ten per cent. of the legal
voters of the state, as determined by
the vote last cast for secretary of
state, which means at least S,22S
slgners. That those 1928 signatures
must be secured in 27 "a majority
of the counties of the state, but if
the 8,22S signatures represent vot-
ers in more than a majority of the
counties then the petitions are inval-
id just as they would be in case the
signers represented but ten coun-
ties.
This Interpretation of the law vir-
tually raises the required number of
signatures to referendum petitions
to about twenty per cent. of the legal
voters of the whole state.
It is almost an assured fact that
none of the petitions can hold up
under this ruling.
Wasted Postage.
The secretary Of STATE received on
Friday enough additional petitions
to make the total number of signers
to the petition to refer the immigra-
ton bill exceed the number S,22S.
But none of the petitions received on
Friday had been filed by the secre-
tary of state in the light of the opin-
ion rendered him by the attorney
generals office. This says that all
petitions to be counted must have
been filed with him on the third day
of June or before that date and that
petitions mailed or expressed to him
on that day and reaching his Office
on the 4th day of June or thereafter,
even though they were postmarked
or receipted for on the 3rd, cannot
be counted.
A total of AL signatures to petit
tions to refer the immigration act
are thus thrown out. Four hundred
and two petitions to refer the ter
minal elevator bill were received on
the 4th, but will not be counted.
Still more petitions we're received
yesterday.
Among other bills which did not
have enough signatures was Senate
Bill 279, to provide for six-year
terms for members of the board of
control. Saturday night the sigma
lures on this petition totaled few
over 1900.
H. B. 356, providing that the rail-
road commission shall have the rate
making power for public utility cor
porations had 4,743 signatures.
S. B. 143, providing for $4,000
appropriation for the insane asylum
buildings at Jamestown, received
1851 signers. The anticipated i'm
provements provided for in the bill
will be commenced soon after July
1 next.
H. B. s61, the board of regents
bill, had 4,574 signers.
H. B. PIG, validating certain acts
of the emergency commission, in
tended to relieve the board of con-
troll from personal liability for al
legged illegal expenditure of public
funds, had 4,833 signers.
! H. B. sos, one of the deficiency
bills with particular reference to the
capital maintenance funds, has 4,940
signers.
The other bills, with the exception
of the three that received a sufficient
number of signers, had about the
same number of signatures. No Pc
titions which reached the secretary
Of states Office after June 8 have
been counted, and there would not
have been enough names to refer