The Constitutions' New Ammendments

The foUowing íull explanatlon of the T"ur constilutioniil ainciidinenl s adopted by the people laa.1 A.prll will be of Interest bo niany reader.-. It Mibtfal if tfaere are a dozen people In county v.-ho fully undergtood what fchey (rere votiag mr or agatast. Títere ought to be ome way oí espLaintag these bhlngs to the people before tfoey vote upoo tl AU tour ■;■;■ approved : At tlie last BBSkm ol the leglslature inur propoadtloms to ainend hltutlotn were submitted to the peopte, to ! oted apon at th ■ electi' a in April last. All four recelved approval, Tii!' ürst propoeltiOfD was ratlled by a vote oí 70,597 yeaa to 55,093 naya and amended eectlon '.i ol art Iele XIV.. 90 ae bo read aa tollowa : Si'ct.iuiL 9. Tii" state ahaU not lx.' a party t o. or int eres; ed in, any work ni intenta] tanprovement, nor engaged in on any sueh work. excepi In the expendlture oJ grants to th siat e of ï.-uu! or oi hei pcoperty : Pro1. however, That the li gtela m the state by approprlate legielation. niay authorize the city of Grand RapJds to r 1 he lmpruvemi'iit of Grand rlver. TIk' aecond proposltioii was ratifled by a vote oí 68,486 yeae to 60,015 naye, and added bo artlcle IV. a new section to stand a section 19, reading aa (oUows : Heel lom t9. ] te ! gisla I are may provide tor the laytog out, conatructioo and maintenance ol county and towiMblp roadB, and may provide tiiat any road heretofore laid oui .-hall be a coiiuty or township road. may be malntained at ose o.' t he comnl y. and townBbüp roade at tbe ejtpeiwe o! i he townhi'. founty roatte shaü be ander the ro] oí a board oí commlseioners not to exceed Hve in aumber, who .-hall be elected by Uie people, the nnnibcr of BBid commiaeioners to be ■ by ttue board f sapejrvlsora oJ th" county. l"or the construct ion and niaintcnance of county mails the commlssioners may provide for an annnal tax not cxcceilinji two dollars npOD i'acli one thousand doUars ol the assessment ro]l ol the county for the precedlng year. No county s]i;Ul incur any IndebteiLiit-s or siii' any bonds ïor the construct ion or niaintenance of county roads except apon a vote ol twothiiirds of all the mipervtaors elected, Dad then to be ai)pro-d by a majorIty vote at any general or special electiion ; nor .-.hall any such indebteilncss at iny time exceed tliree pet cent. o-f the valuation of the county upon the last preeedinii a-se-sinent roll. The lez-;-lat uie niay modify. chanue or repeal the powen and duties of the lown-hip coinmissioncr of liiiïhivays and over.-err oí hdgbwayB. The legtolature may ]iasS all oecessary laws to carry this ameiidment into effect : Provided, That any act or acts passed by the legisla ture o carry 1h;s ami'inimeii! into effect sliaü prov-de for a county and town-hip sy-iein. and tJic county systeni shall become operatïlve only in such counfi-es as sliall adopt it by a niajority voto of the electora oí said county, Btbet the said (nest ion has been SUbmitted to tbem by a two-thtrde vote oí all the mèmbers elect of the board of supervisors of suco county, at a jrenera] or gpe&la] elirtiou called for that purposo. By virtue of the authority granted by thie section, the leiri-la I ure at 1he last -e-sioTi cnact-ed "An act to proviili- for a county and township systein of roads and to prescribe the powers and duties of the officers. havIng the charge thereof," whlcta systein niay be adopted by a niajority vote of the electors of any county. The thiril proposition Avas rat i ied by a vote oí 64,422 yeas to (52,603 nay.-, and amended section one of artc;ü IX bo as to read as tollowa : Section 1. 'i he governor shall receive an annual ,-aln-y of $4,000; tile teoeni governor :-':v.; receive an amnnal ealary oí $1,200; tbe Jadgee of the Circuit court siiall receive au aonua] salary oí $2,500; Uw superintendent of public Insti-uctiön receive ;iu annnal salary oí $2,000 ; ti' .■ '!ii:--:'-:i.' , Land i sliaü receive an annual salar; n: $2,iKiii. Ti.ey siiaji receive oo teea or perqi . n biaterer tot the períorma.Kie oí any dntiea connected with the it sha'.i mu be competí al lor th;' leislature to iuoreaae the salarJea hereim provided. Th" tourth ])ropo.-it ion was ratiiied by a vote oí 60,219 yeaa to .":;. iüj nays. and aineiided Beoblon 8 of article VI. bo aa to read as [ollows : Section 8. Tbe circuit court BhaJl heve orijíinal jurisdiction in all niattBM civil iiml criminal, not escepted in t lile coii.-t it ut ion, and not prohiblted by and appellate Jurisdiction i all knterior courba and tribunate and a supervisory control oí the -;m. ■. lliey Khall also have power bo Issue writs oí babeas corpus, mandamu.s, iiijunct ion, quo warrant o. certinrari. and Other writs necessary tn carry Int etfect bheir orders, Jadgnients and dearees, and irivc t h"in general control over Inferior courta and trüiiniais wlthin thélr respective Jurbsdlctloas and in all sui-h other cases and mal Iers as the supreme c-ouri shall by ruta prescribe. To regula practlce in the 0.11 e ■! . t lic Mipretiie court on May :;i la-t. adopted the foUowlng rule : uit Court Rule lor. Circuit is ,-haii have jurisdlction, wlthiu respective counties, in all niandaiiius proceedlngB, Involving ihe m of any offlcer or board of any i ownebdp, city or schooi district, or of the conmiou council of city : vülage, and the actlon iny private Corporation or ol eof. 8aM circuit courta Khall al-o have jurjsdictioii to issue certiorarl ia aU cases wrhere l'.i'.v may be i.-sued by the ' e caurt bo probate courts, ciri all court commiesiomers and usticea ■ peace, or any corporate body ar offlcer bhereof. Write of eertlorarl and orden bo Show cause u cases of niandamus, shail be made returnable and service thareof made within snch time as t lie circuit courts 8ha.ll apon each eacii appllcatlon direct. Beealdes the iour amemdmente '■ ready notlced, the Legislatura submitbed two c 1 1 í - proposStlons, to be voted upo.ii at the next state etectton, in November, 1894. ïhey both relate to the (lualiíications oí electare. 'i'iie ttrst propoees {■ gettle the (i'.ic-t ni oí the rig-lu of imnates of the soldier'ti home to vote thereby amendiiiif sectiou ." oí article VII. ! BO M tO raad as l'ollows : Section ö. No oiectur EbaU be i ed to have ga&med or loist u residence by reasun of hi.i betagr emptoyed In the service oí the United States, or oí thiis state ; nor -vhile e&gaged in the Jia i.n-at ion of the waters of thlfl iate or of the United State.-, or of the United States, or of any high m;is ; nor wiütHe a student of any seniiinary of learninii' : nor white kept at any ilin.-liouse or Other asyluni at pabUc expense : nor while confined I ini any jtrison. except that honoraUly dteeliarged soldiere, Bailora and ■ riñes wlio have served in the military or naval forcea Ol the Tnited States, or of tliis state, and who reside in , soldiers' homes estabTlahed by the adate, may aequire a reeldence where siu-h home ás located. The o! her projiosii ioi is to make j full Unltfd .States eitixenataip ' reqmislte to itbe rlgbt to vote In Michigan, instead oí pennltting forelgn born persons to vote on tbeir "Kret papers," ;is at present. Thifi is to be offected by amending section I one of art.iele VII. BO BH to read as fofljowe : "Sect.ion 1. In all elections, every male inliabitanl oí tliis state, being a citlzen oí the United States, every male tnhabitant residlng In this state om the 24th day oí June, 1885, every male inhabitant resldlng in tlie State on the lst day of January, is:,!), every male Imbabttant oí íoreifyn birth "vlio, havlng reslded in ihe state two yeai's and six months prlo to the sth day en' November, [894, and havlng declared liis inleniion to become a Citizen of the United Si ates two years and six months pri.or to said la.-n naineil day, and every civilized male inhabitant of Indian de.sirni, a native oí the United States, and not a member oí any trile, shaU be an elector and entil eil tO vol e : bul Jio Olie sll.ill be an tor or eotitled to vote ai any eLectkui anteasihe ehall be above the age 'i !venly-one years. and lias reslded in tilia sinte six months and in the township or ward in whlch he otters to vote, twenty days precedIng sucli eli'i-tion : J'rovided, That in time of war, insnrrett ion or rcbeBíoji no quáltfled elector in the actu.il military service of the United States, of th'üa state, or in the iiimj or navy tliereo:, .-hall be , ei! of hlÜB voto by reason oí his abaence Erom the bownship, ward or State in ivliirh he resides, and the l'ííIslaturo sliall have the power, and sliaj] pi-oviile t!ie maiiuer in whlch, and the time and place at whlch Mich abaeal electora may vote, and for the eanvass and return oí their votes to the townsliip or ward electlon district in whlch they respectively reside, or otherwisi-."