Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1920-08-07

>~-S~~~~~~~~-~~~~ o~c~o-~~-o-o-"~"-"~o~- mitted with the petition, and on state wide measures, shall be submitted to the State Board of Election Commis- sioners, who shall certify such title to the Secretary of State to be placed upon the ballot; on county and mu- nicipal measures such title shall be submitted to the county election board and shall by said board be placed up- on the ballot in such county or mu- nicipal election.
 Limitation: No limitation shall be placed upon the number of constitu-
 tional amendments, laws, or other measures which may be proposed, and submitted to the people by either initiative or referendum petition as provided in this section. No petition shall be held invalid if it shall contain a greater number of signatures than required herein.
 Notifications: Only legal voters shall be counted upon petitions. Pe-
 titions may be circulated and pre-
 sented in parts, but each part of any petition shall have attached thereto the affidavit of the person circulating the same, that all signatures thereon
 were made in the presence of the af- liant, and that to the best of the af- fiant's knowledge and belief each sig nature is genuine, and that the per son signing is legal voter and no other affidavit or verification shall be required to. establish the genuine ness of such signatures.
 Sufficiency: The sufficiency of all statewide petitions shall be decided in the first instance by the Secretary of State, subject to review by the Su- 'preme Court of the State, which shall
 have original and exclusive jurisdic- tion over all such causes. The suf- ficiency of all local petitions shall be decided in the first instance by the county clerk or the city clerk as the case may be, subject to review by the Chancery Court.
 Court Decisions: If the sufficiency
 of any petition is challenged such
 cause shall be a preference cause and shall be tried at once, but the failure
 of the courts to decide prior to the election as to the sufficiency of any
 such petition, shall not prevent the question from being placed upon the
 ballot at the election named in such petition nor initiate against the valid ity of such measure, if it shall have
 been approved by vote of the peo- pie.
 Unwarranted Restrictions Prohib-
 retary of State, county clerk or city clerk, as the case may be, shall decide
 any petition to be insufficient, he
 shall without delay notify the spon-
 sors of such petition, and permit at least thirty days from the date of
 such notification, in the instance of a statewide petition, or ten days in the
 instance of municipal or county pc tition, for correction or amendment
 In the event of legal proceedings to
 prevent giving legal effect to any petition upon any grounds, the burden of proof shall be upon the person or persons attacking the validity of the petition.
 Unwarranted Restrictions Prohib- ited: No law shall be passed to pro- hibit any person or persons from giv- ing or receiving compensation for circulating petitions, nor to prohibit the circulation of petitions nor in any manner interfering with the freedom of the people in procuring petitions, but laws shall be enacted prohibiting and penalizing perjury, forgery, and all other felonies or other fraudulent practices in the securing of sigma lures or filing of petitions.
 Publications, All measures submit ted to vote of the people by petition under the provisions of this section shall be published as is now, or here after may be provided by law.
 .Enacting Clause: The style of all bills initiated and submitted under the provisions of this section shall be 1: "Be It Enacted By The People of the State of Arkansas, Municipality or County, as the case may bel" In sub hitting measures to the people, the Secretary of State and all other of ficials shall be guided by the general election laws or municipal laws as the case may be until additional legisla- tion is provided therefor.
 Self-Executing: This section shall be self executing, and all it's provis- ons shall be treated as mandatory, but laws may be enacted to facilitate it's operation. No legislation shall be enacted to restrict, hamper or impair the exercise of the rights herein re- served to the people.
 That this amendment to the Consti- tuition of the State be, and Sthe same shall be in substitution of the hi tiation and Referendum Amendment February 19, 1909, as the same appears in the Acts of Arkansas for 1909. on pages .l239 and 1240 of the volume containing the same; and that the said amendment (and the