The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1915-06-05
A.C. CommencementExe
Will BERN This Evening

as carefrl check failed to find more
than the 1924.
Senate Bill No. 1914, which appropri-
ates 100000 for thge promotion of i'm
migration and provides for a board of
immigration, under whose supervision
this money is to be spent, showed up
with S,201 signers, or within very
few of enough to refer it.. The same
condition exists as does with the ter
minal elevator bill. and it Is very
probable that when all have been cut
out that should. not appear there will
be something less than 5000 actual
bona f1de signers.
Senate Bill No. 279, which provides
for six year terms for the members of
the board Of control, was the next
highest among those counted, carrying
few over 4,900 In the punches of
petitions circulated by Hellstrom 279
was the top petition and 1t is thought
1t was more generally signed for this
reason.
House Bill No. 35s, which provides
that the railroad commission shall
have charge Of the making of rates for
public utility corporations only secur-
ed 4, 743 signers, so 1t will go into ef-
feet July l, in spite of the effort to
hold it over until next year in No
vember.
Senate Bill No. 143, which refers to
the $213,000 appropriation for the
asylum for the insane at Jamestown,
only received 4,681 signers to refer it
to the people. The board of control
has been considerably hampered in
their work at the asylum because they
could not go ahead upon the assump-
ton that the necessary number of sign
ers would not be secured, but now the
anticipated improvements will be made
as soon as the first of July rclls
around and the bill becomes effective.
House Bill No. 361, which creates a
board of regents to take over the man.
agement of the higher educational in
stftuttons OF the state was also saved
from being held up for nearly two
years before it could become operative
and there We're only 4574 signers Sc
cured.
House Bill No. 216 validates certain
acts OF the emergency commission and
Hellstrom failed TO secure signers en-
ough to hold that one UP only succeed
ing in getting 4,S33 signers.
House Bill No sos was one of the
deficiency bill and had particular re-
ference to the capitol maintenance
fund and only 4,940' voters signed the
petition to have 1t referred a year from
November
Totals have not been arrived at on
the other bills, but 1t can be stated for
certainty that the average number
of signers will run about the same.
None of the petitions which arrived
after June have been counted, nor
would there have been enough had
they been counted. Secretary of State
Thomas Hall has the following letter
from the Office of the attorney gen.
eral.
Hon. Thomas Hall, Secretary of
State. Bismarck N. ID.
Dear Sir: You write the attorney
general asking whether or not You
as secretary of state can accept and file
referendum petitions which have been
deposited in the mails of this state on
the ninetieth day after the final ad :
jpurnment of the legislature or which
express companies receipted for on
such ninetieth day for delivery to your
Office. .
In reply thereto 1 would refer you to
the language OF the so-called initiative
and referendum amendment to our
constitution which reads as follows:
Referendum petitions against meas
ures passed by the legislative assem-
bly, shall be filed With the secretary OF
state not more than ninety days after
the final adjournment of the session OF
the legislative assembly which pass
ed the measures on which the referen-
dunn is demanded"
1t is my opinion that the above
language specifically requires that
such petitions must be delivered to
and received by the secretary of state
on or before the ninetieth day after
the adjournment of the legislature.
You cannot file such petitions until
they are received by you and the con-
stitution says the petitions shall be
filed" with the secretary Of state not
more than ninety days after the final
adjournment, etc.
/ ! must therefore advise you that any
referendum petitions which may be
received by your Office the ninetieth
day must not be filed, regardless of
the date of the postmark on the enve-
lopes in which they are sent.
The attorney general concurs in this
opinion.
Yours very truly,
t III. r. Bitzing,
Assistant Attorney General.
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