The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1916-03-02
MAY VOTE ON STATE ISSUE.
Confined from Page ID

kSOHIlnueu from rage L.
not infringed. Section 81 of the state
constitution provides that every man
OF the full age of 81 years and having
the other qualifications specified there
in, and who shall take the oath of af-
firmations there following, 'eshall be
entitled to all the privileges of free
man of this state. While no consti-
tutlonal question was presented III ar
gument, and we do not decide the one
suggested, still the privileges guaran-
teed are not to be lost sight of, in de-
termining the question before us.
Meaning of General Election.
Each of the acts of 1915 provides
that the ballot clerks, board of civil an
thorlty and the town and city clerks
snail perform the same duties in re-
spect to the ballots to be used there
under as are imposed upon these of.
Meals by chapters IL and II of the
Public Statutes, except as otherwise
provided in the act, "'and all regula
tons provided by law for conducting
general elections shall be applicable to
the votes provided for in this act -
me two chapters named have reference
(glvlng the titles of the chapters) IL
to ballots, and II to warning and con-
meaning of the provision making an
phcable to the votes provided for all
regulations provided by law in conduct
ing general elections, light is had by
an examination of other statutes by
which questions of general interest
throughout the state have been sub
mitted to the people
The term general election is de.
fined by section five of the Public
statutes to mean any election of
state and county officers, representa-
tives to the general assembly, repre-
sentatlves to congress or electors. -
by No. /, Sec. l, of Acts of 1915. II
is made to include United States sen
ators.) And throughout the Public Sta
tutes the term general election is
uniformly used to designate what be-
fore had commonly been known as
freemen s meeting This accounts
Tor the change in language in provid-
ing for the referendums in the two acts
of 1915 from what il was in previous
acts under which questions were sub
united to the people. Thus in the act
OF 1872, prohibiting traffic in intoxi-
eating liquors. section IS, provided for
the holding of meetings in the several
towns, lat which the freemen of this
state may express their Judgment and
State VS.. Parker, % VT, 357. Bv the
act Of 1902, to regulate the traffic in
Intoxicating liquor, il was provided
(sectlon l0l) the officers in every
town or city shall call special meet
ing providing for an opportunity of
the freemen of this state to express
their judgment and choice in regard
to this act, etc; and section lO3. of
the act reads: "All regulations provid-
ed by law for conducting freemen g
meetings shall be applicable to the
votes provided for on the referendums
as provided for in section lO1 of this
act.
BY the act of 1912, relqtinc to the
proposed article of amendments To the
constitution, section provided that
the people shall be assembled for the
purpose of voting on said articles. in
the respective towns and cities at the
same time and place as for the annual
town or city meeting, and that the
warning for such meeting shah contain
an article ''to see if the freemen will
vote to accept or reject the proposed
article of amendment to the constitu-
lion of Vermont. BY the act of 1919
NO. IL, to provide for the erection of
4 state building, it was provided that
the selectmen IN each town, when pre-,
5'oAA4S tht warning Tor the annual
March meeting in 1914, should incor-
porate III such warning an article. in
short TO see if such act should become
a law July ], 1914. Section 10 of that
act reads: "All regulations provided
by law for conducting general elec-
lions shall be applicable to the votes
provided for on the referendum as
hereinafter provided - There. as in
the acts under consideration. it was
made the duty of the secretary of state
i TO furnish the town clerk in each town
with ballots to be used in such voting.
and ne was to canvass the returns made
10 hlm by the town clerks, as to the
/ result of the vote, and issue his procla-
/ nation certifying the result of the
vote and declaring the time when the
/ provisions of the act shall take effect
| 1t should be noticed, too, that in
section 80 of the primary act under
consideration, and section 80 of the
pfohlbltory act under consideration. the
word ballots does not mean the
same as the word ''votes. = The two
sections refer to "ballots to be used :
meaning the same thing as the same
expression in the preceding section of
| each act, where provision is made for
/ the furnishing by the secretary of state
OF ballots to be used,'' etc. The
words votes as used in said sec.
lions 33 and 50, has reference To tbe
act OF the voters in the use of such