The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1915-10-29


the State for adoption or rejection.
Section I. Be It enacted by the
General Assembly of Maryland, (three-
ffths of all the Members elected to
each of the two Houses concurring),
That the following new and additional
Article. to be known as Article XVI,
title, THE Referendum" be, and the
same is hereby proposed as an amend
ment to the Constitution of Maryland,
and If adopted by tho legal and quail
fed voters thereof, as herein provided.
It shall stand as part and as a new
and additional Article of said Consti-
tuition, to be known and entitled a.
aforesaid:
ARTICLE XVI THE REFERENDUM.
Section l (a). The people reserve
to themselves power known as The
Referendum. by petition to have sub
mitted to the registered voters OF the
State, to approve or reject at the
polls, any Act, or part of any Act of
the General Assembly. If approved by
the Governor, or, if passed by the
General Assembly over the veto of the
Governor:
(b) The provisions of this Article
shall be self-executing; provided that
additional legislation in. furtherance
thereof and not in conflict Herewith
may be enacted.
Sec 2. No law enacted by the Gen.
eral Assembly shall take effect until
the first day Of Juno next after the
session at which 1t may be passed,
unless it contain a Section declaring
such law an emergency law and nee.
essary for the immediate preservation
of the public health or safety, and
passed upon . yea and nay vote sup
ported by three-f1fths Of all the mem.
bers elected to each of the two Houses
Of the General Assembly; provided.
however, that said period Of suspen-
sion may be extended as provided in
Section 8 (b) hereof. II before said
first day OF June there shall have been
fled with the Secretary of the State
petition to refer to vote Of the
people any law or part Of law cap
able Of referendum, as In this Article
provided, the same shall be referred
by the Secretary Of State to such
vote, and shall not become a law or
take effect until thirty days after its
approval by a majority of the electors
voting thereon at the next ensuing
election held throughout the State for
Members Of the House of Representa-
tives Of the United States. An emer-
+ sency law shall remain in force not
withstanding such petition, but shall
stand repealed thirty days after hav-
ing been rejected by majority Of the
qualified electors voting thereon; pro-
v1ded, however. that no measure Great
Ing or abolishing any Office. OF chang
ing the salary, term or duty OF any
officer, or granting any franchise or
special privilege, or creating any vest
ed right or interest, shall be enacted
as an emergency law. No law max
! ing any appropriation for maintaining
the State Government, or for main
tanning or aiding any public institu-
ton, not exceeding the next previous
appropriation for the same purpose,
shall be subject to rejection or re-
peal under this section. The increase
in any such appropriation for main
tanning or aiding any public institu-
ton shall only take effect as in the
case OF other laws, and such increase
or any part thereof specified in the
petition, may be referred to a vote of
the people upon petition.
Sec 3 (a). The referendum petit
ton against an Act or part of an Act
passed by the General Assembly, shall
be sufficient If signed by ten thousand
qualified voters Of the State Of Mary
land, of whom not more than half
shall be residents Of Baltimore City,
or of any one county; provided that
any public local law for any one coun-
ty or the City Of Baltimore shall be
referred by the Secretary of State
only to the people Of said county or
City of Baltimore, upon a referendum
petition of 10 per cent. Of the quail
fed voters Of said county or City OF
Baltimore as the case may be, cal
culated upon the whole number Of
votes cast therein respectively for
Governor at the hast preceding Guber.
material election.
co. If more than one-half, but less
than the full number OF signatures re-
quired to complete any referendum Pc
tition against any law passed by the
General Assembly. be fled with Sec
rotary Of State before the first day
Of June, the time for the law to take
effect, and for filing the remainder Of
signatures to complete the petition
SHALL NC cAIcuuSu " tAO llOSh udy
of the same month with like effect.
Sec. 4. A petition may consist Of
several papers. but each paper shall
contain the full text Of the Act or part
Of Act petitioned upon; and there shall
be attached to each such paper an
affidavit of the person procuring the
signatures thereon that Of the said
persons own personal knowledge ev-
cry signature thereon is genuine and
bona fide, and that the stgners are
registered voters of the State of Mary
land. and of the City of Baltimore, or
county, as the case may be. as set
opposite their names. and no other
verification shall be required.
Sec (a). The General Assembly
shall provide for furnishing the voters
of the State the text of all measures
to be voted upon by the people; pro
vided, that until otherwise provided
by law the same shall be published
in the manner prescribed by Article
XIV of the Constitution for the pub
LEGATION of proposed Constitutional
Amendments.
(b) All laws referred under the
provisions of this Article shall be sub
mitted separately on the ballots to
the voters of the people, but If con-
tanning more than two hundred words,
the full text shall not be printed on
the official ballots, but the Secretary
of State shall prepare and submit
ballot title of each such measure in
such form as to present the purpose Of
said measure concisely and 1ntelli-
gently. The ballot title may be dis
tinct from the legislative title, but in
any case the legislative title shall be
sufficient Upon each of the ballots,
following the ballot title or text, as
the case may be, Of each such meas
ure, there shall be printed the words
For the referred law" and Against
the referred law" as the case may be.
The votes cast for and against any
such referred Law shall be returned to
the Governor in the manner prescribed
with respect to proposed amendments
to the Constitution under Article XIV
of this Constitution. and the Governor