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Show H PEOPLE OF OGDEN CAN Hl MAKE THEIR LAWS. B It may bo interesting to the cltl- m zens of Ogden to know that the in- M itiative and referendum law, which H was passed by the last legislature, be- i came a law and went into effect on Hl May 3th last. The law provides, H among other things, that any ordin- H ance desired by the people, or any Hl amendment to the charter of the city Hl may be proposed by an initiative H, petition, signed by ten per cent of the Hl total number of voters in Ogden City, H and then an election -must bo held to Hj determine whether the voters want H the ordinance or amendment passed. H The measure also provides that any Hl ordinance passed by the city conimis- Hfl .1 -- un nnKr.ii ftrtrl fn n vnfp nf H the people of the city, for approval or Hl rejection, before such ordinance shall H take effect Hl The law also provides for a refcren- H dum to the people of any law passed flj by the legislature. The people may Hi also initiate any law they desire the H legislature to pass. B Briefly, the procedure on the refer- H endum of city ordinances is as fol- H Within thirty days after the passage H of any ordinance by the city commis- Hl sioners, a body of five voters, known H as "sponsors," may file with the city H auditor an application for petitions to H be circulated among the voters for HK signatures. The application must have H annexed to it five copies of the ordi- M nance which is desired to be referred M to a vote of the people for approval H or rejection. The city auditor must H issue the petitions, which are then H circulated among voters for signa- B tures. If ten per cent of the voters Hl in Ogden City sign the petitions, the I H city attorney shall prepare a ballot 1 title for a vote on the ordinance, and M official, ballots must be printed, with M the words "for" and "against," each H followed by a square in which the W voter may .place a cross to indicate U his vote. ,The. election is held at the fl designated time, and the vqtes count- 1 ed by the regular election judges, and H the returns sent to the city auditor H within thirty days after the election, Hj and sooner, if the returns be all re- U coived. The mayor must then issue a Hj proclamation giving the whole number Hj of votes cast for and against the ordl- B nance, and declaring such measures M as are approved by the greatest num.- m ber of affirmative votes, providing H such number' bo a majority of those H voting thereon, to be in full force and m eirect as tne law or. the city. If the H required number of affirmative votes M are not cast, of course the ordinance m To initiate an ordinance, the pro- M ceedings are practically the same. The H initiative petition proposing the ordi- H nance shall be filed with the city aud- H itor and he shall transmit it to the B next session of the city commission. Hj Within thirty days thereafter, the city M commission may pass or reject the H ordinance. If they reject It, it is sub- B mitted to a vote of the people, within H ninety days after the ordinance was Hl first submitted to the city coramis- m There can bo no veto of laws passed H by election held upon Initiative peli- H The same procedure applies to state H laws and the legislature. H The city commission may by ordi- H nance order special election to vote on H municipal measures, and no oity ordi- M nance, resolution or franchise, shall H take effect or become operative until M thirty days after final passage, ex- H cept measures necessary for the lm- H mediate preservation of the peace, M health, or safety of the city, and even M these shall Btate the reasons why it B is necessary that thoy shall become M immediately operative, arid shall be M approved by tho affirmative vote of M three-fourths of tho city commission, H which in Ogden means an affirmative H vote of tho entire board of city com- H miBSionoTS, there being but threo. H It will be seen that an effectivo H weapon has been placed in the hands M of the voters of the city, and the peo- H pie need submit to no laws the ma- H Jority do not desire. The public ser- H vant, so often In the past a public sor- Hj vant in name only, will be now ono H jn reality, and it now ought to be no H longer possible for franchise steals, H and exploitation of the people by the H predatory interests that havo so long H regarded the people- of Utah as legitl- H mate prey. H It was through tho efforts of Sen- H ator Joseph Chez that the law was H made to apply to cjty ordinances and H franchises as well as to state meas- H ores. |