The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1922-10-27

the natural resources with which it
abounds. Opposition was expressed
to the regulations under the "blue
sky" law which was described as mis-
spent energy, "for the fools who want
ed to part from their money would go
outside the state to invest if they
were not allowed to do 1t at home"
1t was asserted that there was just
as much reason for sending an in
spector around over the state to pre-
vent people from buying blind hors-
es.
In brief, the minority report would
leave the whole matter of providing
for and regulation of corporations in
the hands of the General Assembly.
The minority provision in regard to
railroads is as follows: Railways
are hereby declared public highways
and railroad companies common car
riers, and the General Assembly may
provide laws for the proper regula-
ton of their construction and extern
sion, and of their consolidation and
their connection, intersection and traf-
fic exchange with other railroads and
their rates and business affairs"
Home rule for the cities of the
state is one of the outstanding pro-
visions in the report of the Commit
tee on Counties, Cities and Towns,
just submitted to the constitutional
convention. The charter provision of
the code of 1875, applying only to st.
Louis, is extended so as to include
cities of the first and second class.
Four classes are provided for, all
cities of 5000 and over to belong to
the first class; 5000 to $4,000, second
class; 500 to 5000, third class, and
those under 500 to be villages. The
home rule section of the Constitu-
ton, as proposed, reads as follows:
Except as expressly prohibited by
this Constitution, every city is here
by declared to possess, for all NUM-
cipal purposes, full and complete pow
er of self-government and corporate
action. No enumeration of powers in
this Constitution or in any law shall
be deemed to limit or, restrict the
general grant of authority conferred;
but this grant of authority shall not
be deemed to limit the powers Of the
legislature, in matters relating to
state affairs as distinguished from
those relating to the affairs or the
government of cities. The following
shall be deemed to be art of the
overs conferred uon all cities by this
section:
"(a) To determine what agencies
shall be necessary to conduct their
local affairs, the distribution of pow
ers among such agencies, the mode of
selection, duties, qualifications, ten
ure, method Of removal of all officers
and employees;
"(b) To levy, assess and collect
taxes and to borrow money, within
the limits prescribed by the Consti-
tuition, and to levy and collect special
assessments for benefits conferred;
"(c) To acquire by gift, condem-
nation or otherwise, own, establish,
maintain and police, either within or
without it's corporate limits, parks,
boulevards, wharves, cemeteries, hos
pitfalls and all works which involve the
public health and safety;
"(d) To provide for one or more
houses of legislation to be elected by
general ticket or by the voters of the
several wards or districts of the city;
1.-THE following shall be deemed to
be part of the powers conferred upon
cities of the first and second class:
"(a) To acquire by condemnation
or otherwise, construct, own, operate,
sell or pledge public utilities for who'll
ly or in part supplying water, light,
heat, gas and power to the munich
pality and it's inhabitants; and, to
the extent and in the manner pre-
scribed by law, for supplying water,
light, heat, gas and power beyond its
corporate limits;
"(b) To acquire. by condemnation
or otherwise, construct, own, operate,
sell or pledge subways, lines and
equipment for wholly or in part sup
plying transportation to the munich
pality and its inhabitants; and, to the
extent and in the manner prescribed
by law for supplying transportation
beyondi is corporate limits;
"(c) To rent, lease or let and au-
thorize the operation of any utility.
subway, lines or equipment owned by
| it to private individuals or corpora
tions or other municipal corporations;
"(d) To issue mortgage bonds be-
yond the limit of the bonded indebt-
edness prescribed by law for the pur-
pose of wholly or in part paying for
the acquisition or construction of any
public utility, including subway or
equipment thereof; such mortgage
bonds shall not impose any liability
upon any such city but shall be Sc
cured solely upon the property and
revenue of such public utility and
equipment, including a franchise,
stating the terms upon which, in case
| of foreclosure, the purchaser may op:
crate the same, which franchise shall
in no case extend for period longer
than twenty-five years from the date
of sale of such utility. equipment and
franchise on foreclosure"
Provision is made for cities which
have adopted charters to establish
and maintain their own police depart
ments. They are to provide for 9
board of police commissioners, one OF
whom is to be the mayor or chief ex-
ecutive, while the other two or four
members must be equally divided as
to politics. This board is to have gen.
eral supervision over the police de-
partment. The governor is to be CIV
en- power to remove any of the COM
| no;re;oneYc aycant the chief executive