provide by law a uniform rule of taxation for such property as shall be assessed by a state board of assessors, and the rate of taxation on such property shall be the rate which the state board of assessors shall ascertain and determine is the average rate levied upon other property upon which ad valorem taxes are assessed for state, county, township, school and municipal purposes.

SEC. 4. The legislature may by law impose specific taxes, which shall be uniform upon the classes upon which they operate.

SEC. 5. The legislature may provide by law for the assessment at its true cash value by a state board of assessors, of which the governor shall be exofficio a member, of the property of corporations and the property, by whomsoever owned, operated or conducted, engaged in the business of transporting passengers and freight, transporting property by express, operating any union station or depot, transmitting messages by telephone or telegraph, loaning cars, operating refrigerator cars, fast freight lines or other car lines and running or operating cars in any manner upon railroads, or engaged in any other public service business; and for the levy and collection of taxes thereon.

SEC. 6. Every law which imposes, continues or revives a tax shall distinctly state the tax, and the objects to which it is to be applied; and it shall not be sufficient to refer to any other law to fix such tax or object.

SEC. 7. All assessments hereafter authorized shall be on property at its cash value.

SEC. 8. In the year nineteen hundred evelen, every fifth year thereafter and at such other times as the legislature may direct, the legislature shall provide by law for an equalization of assessments by a state board, on all taxable property, except that taxed under laws passed pursuant to sections four and five of this article.

SEC. 9. The power of taxation shall never be surrendered or suspended Many grant or contract to which the state or any municipal corporation may be a party.

SEC. 10. The state may contract debts to meet deficits in revenue, but such rets shall not in the aggregate at any time exceed two hundred fifty thousand dollars. The state may also contract debts to repel invasion, suppress insurrection, defend the state or aid the United States in time of war. The money

so raised shall be applied to the purposes for which it is raised or to the payment of the debts contracted.

SEC. 11. No scrip, certificate or other evidence of state indebtedness shall issued, except for such debts as are expressly authorized in this constitution.

SEC. 12. The credit of the state shall not be granted to, nor in aid of any person, association or corporation, public or private.

SEC. 13. The state shall not subscribe to, nor be interested in the stock of any company, association or corporation.

SEC. 14. The state shall not be a party to. nor be interested in any work of internal improvement, nor engage in carrying on any such work, except in the improvement of, or aiding in the improvement of the public wagon roads, in the reforestation and protection of lands owned by the state and in the expenditure of grants to the state of land or other property.

SEC. 15. No state money shall be deposited in banks other than those organized under the national or state banking laws. No state money shall be deposited in any bank in excess of fifty per cent of the capital and surplus of such bank. Any bank receiving deposits of state money shall show the amount of state money so deposited as a separate item in all published statements. SEC. 16. No money shall be paid out of the state treasury except in pursuance of appropriations made by law.

SEC. 17. An accurate statement of the receipts and expenditures of the public moneys shall be attached to and published with the laws passed at every regular session of the legislature.

SEC. 18. The legislature shall provide by law for the keeping of accounts by all state officials, boards and institutions, and by all county officials; and shall also provide for the supervision and audit thereof by competent state authority and for uniform reports of all public accounts to such authority.

continue a system of primary schools, whereby e shall provide for the education of its pupils 1 all instruction in such schools shall be conIf any school district shall neglect to mainas prescribed by law for at least five months the education of its pupils in another district or

shall be deprived for the ensuing year of its bol interest fund. If any school district shall, of any year, have on hand a sufficient amount of terest fund to pay its teachers for the next ensufrom the pay roll of said district for the last primary district, all tuition for the next ensuing en enrollment in the seventh and eighth grades dren in said district shall not be counted in makprimary school money by the superintendent of such children be counted in making such appormoney in the primary school interest fund in said pay teachers' wages or tuition as herein set forth rs.8

shall maintain the university, the college of mines, the state normal college and such state normal institutions as may be established by law. 'om the sales of all lands that have been or hereUnited States to the state for educational purposes s or other property given by individuals or appro› purposes shall be and remain a perpetual fund, vhich, together with the rents of all such lands as e inviolably appropriated and annually applied to riginal gift, grant or appropriation.

titles to which shall fail from a defect of heirs, id the interest on the clear proceeds from the sales 1 exclusively to the support of the primary schools. e shall appropriate all salt spring lands now unaprising from the sale of the same, where such lands any funds or lands which may hereafter be granted rpose, for the support and maintenance of the agri

re shall provide by law for the establishment of at wnship and city; and all fines assessed and collected ies and townships for any breach of the penal laws I to the support of such libraries.

for the benefit of those inhabitants who are deaf, or insane shall always be fostered and supported.

ARTICLE XII.

CORPORATIONS,

ons may be formed under general laws; but shall not rights, privileges or franchises be conferred upon them, islature. All laws heretofore or hereafter passed by ormation of, or conferring rights, privileges or franand all rights, privileges or franchises conferred by led, altered, repealed or abrogated.

If

by the legislature of 1911 and ratified at the election of the original section is as follows: Section 9. The legis stem of primary schools, whereby every school district in the education of its pupils without charge for tuition: ools shall be conducted in the English language. t to maintain a school within its borders as prescribe ths in each year, or to provide for the education or districts for an equal period, it shall be depriveo oportion of the primary school interest fund.

Such systems of account shall provide for accurate records of all financial and other transactions and for checks upon all receipts and disbursements of all such officials, boards and institutions; and shall be uniform for all similar boards, institutions and county officials. All public accounts and the audit thereof shall be public records and open to inspection.

SEC. 19. No collector, holder or disburser of public moneys shall have a seat in the legislature, nor be eligible to any office of trust or profit under this state, until he shall have accounted for and paid over, as provided by law, all sums for which he may be liable.

ARTICLE XI.
EDUCATION.

SECTION 1. Religion, morality and knowledge being necessary to good gov ernment and the happiness of mankind, schools and the means of education shall forever be encouraged.

SEC. 2. A superintendent of public instruction shall be elected at the reg ular election to be held on the first Monday in April, nineteen hundred nine, and every second year thereafter. He shall hold office for a period of two years from the first day of July following his election and until his successor is elected and qualified. He shall have general supervision of public instruction in the state. He shall be a member and secretary of the state board of educa tion. He shall be ex-officio a member of all other boards having control of public instruction in any state institution, with the right to speak but not to vote. His duties and compensation shall be prescribed by law.

SEC. 3. There shall be a board of regents of the university, consisting of eight members, who shall hold the office for eight years. There shall be elected at each regular biennial spring election two members of such board. When a vacancy shall occur in the office of regent it shall be filled by appointment of the governor.

SEC. 4. The regents of the university and their successors in office shall continue to constitute the body corporate known as "The Regents of the Uni versity of Michigan."

SEC. 5. The regents of the university shall, as often as necessary, elect a president of the university. The president of the university and the superi tendent of public instruction shall be ex-officio members of the board of regents. with the privilege of speaking but not of voting. The president shall preside at the meetings of the board and be the principal executive officer of the university. The board of regents shall have the general supervision of the university and the direction and control of all expenditures from the university funds.

SEC. 6. The state board of education shall consist of four members. OL the first Monday in April, nineteen hundred nine, and at each succeeding bien nial spring election, there shall be elected one member of such board who sha hold his office for six years from the first day of July following his election. The state board of education shall have general supervision of the state normal college and the state normal schools, and the duties of said board shall prescribed by law.

SEC. 7. There shall be elected on the first Monday in April, nineteen hun dred nine, a state board of agriculture to consist of six members, two of whom shall hold the office for two years, two for four years and two for six years At every regular biennial spring election thereafter, there shall be elected twe members whose term of office shall be six years. The members thus elected and their successors in office shall be a body corporate to be known as "T}} State Board of Agriculture."

SEC. 8. The state board of agriculture shall, as often as necessary, elect president of the agricultural college, who shall be ex-officio a member of th board with the privilege of speaking but not of voting. He shall preside at th meetings of the board and be the principal executive officer of the college. Th board shall have the general supervision of the college, and the direction an control of all agricultural college funds; and shall perform such other dutie as may be prescribed by law.

SEC. 9. The legislature shall continue a system of primary schools, whereby very school district in the state shall provide for the education of its pupils ithout charge for tuition; and all instruction in such schools shall be conucted in the English language. If any school district shall neglect to mainain a school within its borders as prescribed by law for at least five months each year, or to provide for the education of its pupils in another district or istricts for an equal period, it shall be deprived for the ensuing year of its roportion of the primary school interest fund. If any school district shall, n the second Monday in July of any year, have on hand a sufficient amount of oney in the primary school interest fund to pay its teachers for the next ensung two years as determined from the pay roll of said district for the last chool year, and in case of a primary district, all tuition for the next ensuing wo years, based upon the then enrollment in the seventh and eighth grades said school district, the children in said district shall not be counted in makg the next apportionment of primary school money by the superintendent of ublic instruction; nor shall such children be counted in making such apporonment until the amount of money in the primary school interest fund in said istrict shall be insufficient to pay teachers' wages or tuition as herein set forth or the next ensuing two years.8

SEC. 10. The legislature shall maintain the university, the college of mines, he state agricultural college, the state normal college and such state normal chools and other educational institutions as may be established by law.

SEC. 11. The proceeds from the sales of all lands that have been or herefter may be granted by the United States to the state for educational purposes and the proceeds of all lands or other property given by individuals or approrated by the state for like purposes shall be and remain a perpetual fund, the interest and income of which, together with the rents of all such lands as may remain unsold, shall be inviolably appropriated and annually applied to the specific objects of the original gift, grant or appropriation.

SEC. 12. All lands, the titles to which shall fail from a defect of heirs, all escheat to the state, and the interest on the clear proceeds from the sales thereof shall be appropriated exclusively to the support of the primary schools. SEC. 13. The legislature shall appropriate all salt spring lands now unapropriated, or the money arising from the sale of the same, where such lands ave already been sold, and any funds or lands which may hereafter be granted r appropriated for such purpose, for the support and maintenance of the agriultural college.

SEC. 14. The legislature shall provide by law for the establishment of at east one library in each township and city; and all fines assessed and collected the several counties, cities and townships for any breach of the penal laws hall be exclusively applied to the support of such libraries.

SEC. 15. Institutions for the benefit of those inhabitants who are deaf, umb, blind, feeble-minded or insane shall always be fostered and supported.

ARTICLE XII.

CORPORATIONS.

SECTION 1. Corporations may be formed under general laws; but shall not e created, nor shall any rights, privileges or franchises be conferred upon them, y special act of the legislature. All laws heretofore or hereafter passed by be legislature for the formation of, or conferring rights, privileges or franhises upon corporations and all rights, privileges or franchises conferred by such laws may be amended, altered, repealed or abrogated.

Amendment proposed by the legislature of 1911 and ratified at the election of April 3, 1911. The text of the original section is as follows: Section 9. The legis lature shall continue a system of primary schools, whereby every school district in the state shall provide for the education of its pupils without charge for tuition; and all instruction in such schools shall be conducted in the English language. If any school district shall neglect to maintain a school within its borders as prescribed by law for at least five months in each year, or to provide for the education of its pils in another district or districts for an equal period, it shall be deprived for the ensuing year of its proportion of the primary school interest fund.