Jasper County Democrat, Volume 17, Number 44, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 September 1914 — ANOTHER BLUNDER DISCOVERED [ARTICLE]

ANOTHER BLUNDER DISCOVERED

Act of Legislature Providing Constitutional Convention Is Absolutely Void. The act of the last legislature providing for the holding of a constitutional convention in 1915, providing a majority of the voters of the state are in favor thereof at the coming general election, which act appears in the Acts of 1913, page 812, is said to be absolutely void from the fact that the title of the act provides for the holding of such convention in Indianapolis on the “first Monday in November, 1915,” while in the body of the measure, Section 13, it is provided that the convention shall be held in Indianapolis on the “first Monday in May. 1915.” This disparity in the dates between the title to the act and the body thereof, renders it absolutely void. As to how this . came about, whether intentionally by some one in a position to juggle the bill in the interest of those opposed to calling a constitutional convention, or an honest mistake, remains to be explained. This particular blunder of the legislature has not heretofore been called attention to, at least The Democrat has seen no newspaper reference thereto, and this is the first public mention that has been made of the matter so far as The Democrat knows. The Democrat’s attention was called to this flagrant “ehror” a few days ago by a prominent lawyer, who accidently discovered it in reading over the act. It would seem that with this fatal error in the law there would be no need of voting on the proposition at all at the coming elec-, tion, and thus save any further expense in the matter.