Constitutional Amendments

CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS

At the coming election April 3rd, voters will be called upon to express their wishes upon several proposed amendments to the constitution. There are four of these amendments as follows:

1.  Giving the legislature power to provide for the laying out, construction, improvement and maintenance of highways, bridges and culverts by counties and townships; to authorize counties to take charge and control of any highways within their limits for such purposes; and modify, change or abolish the powers and duties of township commissioners and overseers of highways. This proposed amendment is to Section Forty-nine of Article Four of the constitution. The amendment also provides that the tax raised in any one year for the above named purposes shall not exceed two dollar on each one thousand dollars of valuation. It likewise confers authority upon the legislature to prescribe the powers and duties of boards of supervisors relative to highways, bridges and culverts, and to provide for one or more county road commissioners to be elected or appointed with such powers and duties as may be prescribed by law.

2. The second proposed amendment is to Section Six of Article Six of the constitution relating to circuit courts. It simply confers authority upon the legislature to provide for the election of more than one circuit judge in the judicial circuit in which the county of St. Clair is or may be situated. This is thought to be necessary because of the large amount of business in that circuit, more than one judge can attend to.

3. The third amendment includes amendments to Sections Five, Eight, Twelve, Fourteen, Fifteen, Nineteen and Twenty of Article Six of the constitution relative to the judicial department. It confers upon the legislature the power to establish a so called intermediate court, and prescribe its jurisdiction and powers. The object of this is to relieve the supreme court of a portion of its burden and thereby expedite justice. It is claimed that the supreme court has more work than it can perform causing long delay many times in taking up important cases. With the help of the proposed intermediate court business would be expedited and the supreme court given more time to study exhaustively the cases which come before it.

4. The fourth amendment is to Section Twenty-two Article Four, of the constitution and provides for the establishment at Lansing of a state printing and binding establishment in which all the state printing shall be done. At the present time the state printing is let to the lowest responsible bidder and is done under contract by private parties.

The Argus gives the substance of these four proposed amendments hoping it may aid in making clear to voters just what is desired to be accomplished thereby.