notice thereof. Such charter so deposited may be amended by a proposal therefor made by a board of fifteen freeholders aforesaid, published for at least thirty days in three newspapers of general circulation in such city or village, and accepted by three-fifths of the qualified voters of such city or village voting at the next election, and not otherwise; but such charter shall always be in harmony with and subject to the constitution and laws of the state of Minnesota. The legislature may prescribe the duties of the commission relative to submitting amendments of charter to the vote of the people. The board of freeholders above provided for shall be permanent, and all the vacancies by death, disability to perform duties, resignation or removal from the corporate limits shall be filled by appointment in the same manner as the original board was created, and said board shall always contain its full complement of members. It shall be a feature of all such charters that there shall be provided, among other things, for a mayor or chief magistrate, and a legislative body of either one or two houses; if of two houses at least one of them shall be elected by general vote of the citizens. In submitting any such charter or amendment thereto to the qualified voters of such city or village any alternate section or article may be presented for the choice of the voters, and may be voted on separately without prejudice to other articles or sections of the charter or any amendment thereto. The legislature may provide general laws relating to affairs of cities, the application of which may be limited to cities of over fifty thousand inhabitants, or to cities of fifty and not less than fifteen thousand inhabitants, or to cities of fifteen thousand inhabitants or less, which shall apply equally to all such cities of either class, and which shall be paramount while in force to the provisions relating to the same matter included in the local charter herein provided for. But no local charter, provision or ordinance passed thereunder shall supersede any general law of the state defining or punishing crimes or misdemeanors." Voted upon at the general election held November third (3rd), eighteen hundred and ninety six (1896), and adopted by a vote of 107,086 in favor of said amendment and a vote of 58,312 against the same. Proclamation of the vote issued by the governor December twentyninth ( 29th), 1896. 13, Art 1 of An act proposing an amendment to section thirteen To amend Sec. (13), article one (1), of the constitution of the State of constitution. Minnesota, relating to taking private property for public use. Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Minnesota: SECTION 1. The following amendment to section. thirteen (13), article one (1), of the constitution of the state of Minnesota is hereby proposed to the people of the state for their approval or rejection, that is to say, said section shall be amended to read as follows: Pri- Text of vate property shall not be taken, destroyed or dam- amendment. aged for public use, without just compensation therefor first paid or secured. Voted upon at the general election held November third (3d), eighteen hundred and ninety-six (1896), and adopted by a vote of 101,188 in favor of said amendment, and a vote of 56,839 against the same. Proclamation of the vote issued by the governor December twentyninth (29th), 1896. To amend An act to amend article eight (8) of the constitution of the State of Minnesota, relating to school funds, edu- Art. 8 of the cation and science. Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Minnesota: SECTION 1. The following amendment of article eight (8) of the constitution of the state of Minnesota is hereby proposed to the people for approval or rejection, that is to say, that said article eight (8) be amended by adding thereto the following section, viz.: cons titution. amendment. Sec. 6. The permanent school and university fund of Text of this state may be invested in the purchase of bonds of any county, school district, city, town or village of this state, but no such investment shall be made until approved by the board of commissioners designated by law to regulate the investment of the permanent school fund and the permanent university fund of this state; nor shall such loan or investment be made when the issue of which the same in part would make the entire bonded indebtedness exceed seven per cent of the assessed valuation of the taxable real property of the county, school district, city, town or village issuing such bonds; nor shall such loans or indebtedness be made at a lower rate of interest than three per cent per annum nor for a shorter period than five (5) years nor for a longer period than twenty (20) years, and no change of the town, school district, village, city or county lines shall relieve the real property in such town, school district, county, village or city in this state at the time of the issuing of such bonds from any liability for taxation to pay such bonds. Voted upon at the general election held November third (3d), eighteen hundred and ninety-six (1896), and adopted by a vote of 127,151 in favor of said amendment, and a vote of 36,134 against the same. Proclamation of the vote issued by the governor December twentyninth (29th,) 1896. To amend Art. 9 of the constitution. Text of amendment. An act proposing an amendment to the constitution of the State of Minnesota, to authorize the taxation of the property of sleeping, drawing room and parlor car, and other companies and owners, in the manner therein provided. Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Minne sota: SECTION 1. The following amendment to the constitution of the state of Minnesota is hereby proposed to the people of said state for approval or rejection, that is to say, to add at the end of article 9 thereof an additional section, to be appropriately numbered, and to be as follows: "The legislature may impose, or provide for the imposition of, upon the property within this state of any and all owners or operators, whether corporate or individual, or otherwise, of any and all sleeping, parlor and drawing room cars, or any or either of the same, which run in, into or through this state; also upon the property within this state of any and all telegraph and telephone companies, or owners, whose lines are in, or extend in, into or through this state; also upon the property within this state of all express companies, or owners, or any or either of the same, doing business in this state; also upon the property within this state of all domestic insurance companies of this state of any kind; also upon the property within this state of any and all foreign insurance companies doing business in this state of any kind; also upon the property within this state of all owners or operators of any and all mines or of mineral ores situated in this state; also upon the property within this state of all boom companies or owners, and of all ship builders or owners doing business in this state or having a port therein; provided, that this act shall not apply to property owned by railroad companies, their lands and other property; and upon the property of either or any of such companies or owners a tax, as uniform as reasonably may be with the taxes imposed upon similar property in said state, or upon the earnings thereof within this state, but may be graded or progressive, or both, and in providing for such tax, or in providing for ascertaining the just and true value of such property, it shall be competent for the legislature, in either or all of such cases, to impose such tax, upon any or all property thereof within this state, and in either case by taking as the basis of such imposition the proportionate business, earnings, mileage or quantity of production or property now or hereafter existing of any such companies, persons or owners, transacted or existing in this state, in relation to the entire business, mileage or quantity of production or property of such companies, persons or owners as aforesaid; or in such other manner, or by such other method, as the legislature may determine; but the proceeds of such taxes upon mining property shall be distributed between the state and the various political subdivisions thereof wherein the same is situated, in the same proportion as the proceeds of taxes upon real property are distributed; provided further, that nothing in this act contained shall operate to authorize the assessment or taxation of any farm land or ordinary business blocks or property owned by any such corporation, person, firm or company except in the manner provided by the ordinary methods of taxation." Voted upon at the general election held November third (3d), eighteen hundred and ninety-six (1896), and adopted by a vote of 163,694 in favor of said amendment, and a vote of 42,922 against the same. Proclamation of the vote issued by the governor December twentyniath (29th), 1896. . LEGISLATIVE ENACTMENTS, ADOPTED IN THE Taxing R. R. lands. What lands taxed. Repealing clause. If so, not so, therefore. An act relating to the taxation of certain lands owned by railroad companies in this state, and repealing laws and parts of laws relating to the taxation of the same, and to provide for the submission of this act to the people of this state for their approval or rejection. Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Minne sota: SECTION 1. All lands in this state heretofore or hereafter granted by the state of Minnesota, or the United States, or the territory of Minnesota to any railroad company shall be assessed and taxed as other lands are taxed in this state, except such parts of said lands as are held, used or occupied for right of way, gravel pits, sidetracks, depots and all buildings and structures which are necessarily used in the actual management and operation of the railroads of said companies. Provided, that said railroad companies shall continue to pay taxes into the state treasury upon their gross earnings in the same manner and in the same amount as now provided by law. And that nothing in this act contained shall be construed to repeal said laws except in so far as the same relate to the tax upon said lands. SEC. 2. Such portion or portions of any act or acts, general or special, of the state or territory of Minnesota heretofore enacted, which provides or attempts to provide for any exemption of lands hereby declared taxable, from taxation, or for any other method of taxing said last mentioned lands different from the method of taxing other lands in this state, or which are in any manner inconsistent with the provisions of this act, are hereby repealed. SEC. 3. If this act shall be held to be void so far as it applies to the lands of any particular railroad company in this state, it shall not be ground for declaring it void or inapplicable to any other company not similarly situated. Declared adopted and ratified December 22nd, 1896. 235,585 votes for, and 29,530 against said proposition. |