The Butler weekly times and the Bates County record. (Butler, Mo.) 1918-1950, 1921-06-23
NUMBER 81
FILE THE REFERENDUMs
Secretary Becker. However. Refuses
to Accept ]. p. Petition

] 10 accept }. r. Feuuon
| Jefferson City, Mo-, June 49,
| Charles y. Becker, secretary of
state refused today to accept for fill
| ing the referendum petitions on the
four bills abolishing the eight JUS
tices OF the peace OF Kansas City,
and creating municipal court of
five judges and one constable for
Kansas City. &a< &
Folloing an opinion from Jesse Bar
rett, attorney general, the secretary
OF state refused to receive the petit
tions because the bills contain an
emergency proision stating they are
| for the preservation of the public
peace health and safety" Vi
John L. Barker, attorney for the
| justices OF the peace as-forecast i'm
mediately went to the supreme court
| and filed mandamus suit to COM
pei Becker to receive the J. +. petit
tions.
The referendum petitions holding
UP the bills abolishing the Jackson
County criminal court and marshals
office was presented by A. T. Dunn,
representing the Democratic state
committee. Those petitions were ac-
cepted because they contain no
public peace, health and safety"
clause.
The state committee also filed ref
erendum petitions holding up seven
OF the most important of the COVER
nor's consolidation bills.
Before the Democratic Organiza-
tions appeared the @seeretary=-ot==
states office, referendum petitions
were filed holding up the workmen's
compensation law. Also. there we're
presented initiative petitions for a
new compensation measure modelled
after the federal employers liability
act. Both must be voted on at the
election of November 1929.
The physicians are reported to be
having trouble preparing their refer
endum petitions holding up the med
ical education bill. Becker announced
he would keep his office open until
midnight tomorrow to receive petit
tions.
In the filing today of referendum
petitions, an attempt is made to de-
feat by referendum practically all i'm
portant legislation enacted at the reg
ular session of the legislature last
winter All measures submitted must
be voted on at the election in No
vember, 1929.
On filing the petitions on the con-
solidation measures the Democratic
committee issued this formal state
| ment:
*No executive since reconstruction
| days has ever manifested such amaz-
ing contempt for the principles and
provisions OF the law; no general
assembly has ever appropriated such
great sums for the conduct of the
state government, and no adninistra-
ton in the history of the state has
ever sought to impose such tre-
mendous tax burdens upon the peo
pie
Immediately after the secretary Of
state refused to file the J. 2. meas
I ,rres, and also refused to permit the
petitions to be left in his office.
Barker filed an application for writ
of peremptory mandamus i'll the SUI
preme court against the secretary III
which the court is asked to issue a
writ compelling the secretary TO ac-
cept and file the petitions. Under
the rules OF the court, five days no.
tice mist be served on the opposite
party III ait suci1 -uprf1ratrotts- No
tlce was served during the day on
the attorney general and he will have
the five days in which to file re-
ply.
The application of the Democratic
state committee, as represented by
Barker, contains but one count OF
any consequence. 1t is the allega-
ton that the legislature was wholly
without authority to attach the
peace, health and public safety"
clause to the four bills and that no
emergency existed in Kansas City or
any other part of the state.
The attorney for the committee
asked and obtained leave from the
court to have the rejected petitions
filed with the clerk of the court and
slowed away in the vault with other
legal papers. the petitions now be-
coming part Of the legal proceed
ings.
1t is possible that the court will
take this controversy up and dispose
of it before adjournzdent for the fall
term If this is not done, the appli
cation will not be finally heard until
the close of the next October or early
in November.
The justice of the peace bills, ac-
cording to Barker, contains 65,24S
signatures in thirteen congressional
districts This is more than the S
percent of the voters in eleven con-
gressional districts, as required by
law. Jackson County had sixteen
thousand signers.