The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1916-02-26

said petition hs Acate, showing the result of said
examination the clerks certificate. the petition
Is shown to = sufficient, it may be amended within
ten days form date of said clerks certificate. The
clerk sha within ten days after such amendment make
like examination of the amended petition and if his
certificate shall show the to be insufficient
shall be returned to the filing the same with
out prejudice"
will be noted by the above that the city clerk is
given 10 days from the date filing petition to ascer-
tain from the voters register whether petition
signed by the requisite number of qualified electors
The city clerk in this instance did 10 days
allowed by the charter, but he satisfied to make
casual attempt at verification within the short period
of "a hours, after which he notified the person who
filed the petition that the insufficient.
Later friends of the petitioners took the pains to
again check the petitions and hundreds of signers were
found the registration books who had the
district where they last voted to the address given on
the petition No fair honest attempt was made by the
city authorities to give the original petition respectful
certification.
But the following provision of section so above
quoted seems plain:
'The clerk shall attach said petition his certifi-
cate showing the result of said examination If by the
clerks certificate the petition shown to be insufficient
be amended within 10 days from the date of said
clerks certifcate Is this not plain English language!
Can it be given but construction?
The petitioners, believing they were within their
rights and the requirements charter went out the
second time to the signatures of qualified
tors within the 10 day period above provided
names of 525 qualified registered electors
The first petition contained the of 145 qualified
electors. The total number of 1880. We are
at loss to understand how any court could justly
clare petition insufficient in the face of these
OF course there is higher court to which an appeal
may be taken, but who is there to make appeal?
Mayor Prince is reported to have said an interview
AL parties concerned have had opportunity of hav-
ing their day in court and the city should certainly be
willing to abide by the result AS matter of fact only
the Shriners have had their day in court The people
were not sufficiently in the strange
1ngs before Judge Dancer were The petitioners
given a 1alr opportunity to become party at issue.
We have not ghost of chance in any court now
So far as this is are udicalv OUT
lawed
without the Initiative, referendum and recall pro-
VISIONS OF the city charter commission government could
never nave been adopted in Duluth. The people did not
imagine that the court would set up strict rules to pre-
vent their operation slight technical grounds Thew
believed when the veto taken from the mavor
ana lodged with the people that they getting some
tnlng worth Wh1le but aas they have been deceived
Ihe rape OF the referendum has been consummated
so Tar as The Labor World is concerned we are not
ashamed of the part played in attempt to save
tne armory for the people, Time, experience and rper
Juogment we are morally certain will in the near fu
ture vndicate our position justify our contentious