lage, unless such proposition shall have first received the affirmative vote of three-fifths of the electors of such city or village voting thereon at a regular or special municipal election; and upon such proposition women taxpayers having the qualifications of male electors shall be entitled to vote.

Sec. 26. The legislature may by general law provide for the laying out, construction, improvement and maintenance of highways, bridges and culverts by the state and by the counties and townships thereof and by road districts; and may authorize counties or districts to take charge and control of any highway within their limits for such purposes. The legislature may also by general law prescribe the powers and duties of boards of supervisors in relation to highways, bridges and culverts; may provide for county and district road commissioners to be appointed or elected, with such powers and duties as may be prescribed by law; and may change and abolish the powers and duties of township commissioners and overseers of highways. The legislature may provide by law for submitting the question of adopting the county road system to the electors of the counties, and such road system shall not go into operation in any county until approved by a majority of the electors thereof voting thereon. The tax raised for road purposes by counties shall not exceed in any one year five dollars upon each one thousand dollars of assessed valuation for the preceding year. (As amended 1917.)

Sec. 27. The legislature shall not vacate nor alter any road laid out by commissioners of highways, or any street, alley or public ground in any city or village or in any recorded town plat.

Sec. 28. No person, partnership, association or corporation operating a public utility shall have the right to the use of the highways, streets, alleys or other public places of any city, village or township for wires, poles, pipes, tracks or conduits, without the consent of the duly constituted authorities of such city, village or township; nor to transact a local business therein without first obtaining a franchise therefor from such city, village or township. The right of all cities, villages and townships to the reasonable control of their streets, alleys and public places is hereby reserved to such cities, villages and townships.

Sec. 29. No franchise or license shall be granted by any municpality of this state for a longer period than thirty years.

4. Minnesota constitution, Article XI, Counties and Townships.

Sec. 1. The legislature may from time to time establish and organize new counties; but no new county shall contain less than four hundred square miles; or shall any county be reduced below that amount; and all laws changing county lines in counties already organized, or for removing county seats, shall, before taking effect, be submitted to the electors of the county or counties to be affected thereby, at the next general election after the passage thereof, and be

adopted by a majority of such electors. Counties now established may be enlarged, but not reduced below four hundred (400) square miles.

Sec. 2. The legislature may organize any city into a separate county, when it has attained a population of 20,000 inhabitants, without reference to geographical extent, when a majority of the electors of the county in which such city may be situated, voting thereon, shall be in favor of a separate organization.

Sec. 3. Laws may be passed providing for the organization for municipal and other town purposes, of any congressional or fractional townships in the several counties in the State, provided that when a township is divided by county lines or does not contain one hundred inhabitants, it may be attached to one or more adjoining townships or parts of townships for the purposes aforesaid.

Sec. 4. Provisions shall be made by law for the election of such county or township officers as may be necessary.

Sec. 5. Any county and township organization shall have such powers of local taxation as may be prescribed by law.

Sec. 6. No money shall be drawn from any county or township treasury except by authority of law.

Sec. 7. That the county of Manomin is hereby abolished, and that the territory heretofore comprising the same shall constitute and be a part of the county of Anoka.

5. Ohio constitution, Article X, County and Township Organization.

Sec. 1. The General Assembly shall provide, by law, for the election of such county and township officers as may be necessary.

Sec. 2. County officers shall be elected on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November, by the electors of each county in such manner, and for such term, not exceeding three years, as may be provided by law. (As amended 1885.)

Sec. 3. No person shall be eligible to the office of sheriff, or county treasurer, for more than four years, in any period of six years.

Sec. 4. Township officers shall be elected by the electors of each township, at such time, in such manner, and for such term, not exceeding three years, as may be provided by law; but shall hold their offices until their successors are elected and qualified. (As amended 1885.)

Sec. 5. No money shall be drawn from any county or township treasury, except by authority of law.

Sec. 6. Justices of the peace, and county and township officers, may be removed, in such manner and for such cause, as shall be prescribed by law.

Sec. 7. The commissioners of counties, the trustees of townships, and similar boards, shall have such power of local taxation, for police purposes, as may be prescribed by law.

6. Proposed Ohio county home rule amendment.

Art. 19, Sec. 1. Any county may frame and adopt or amend a charter for its government and may exercise thereunder all powers of local self-government, and shall have authority to adopt and enforce within its limits such local police, sanitary and other similar regulations as are not in conflict with laws of general application in the State. The General Assembly shall pass no general laws of special application, and no special laws for specific counties.

Sec. 2. Any county with a population of over 200,000 may provide by charter for the abolition of any or all existing governments within said county. It may provide by charter in place thereof, a unified government over the entire county, which charter shall provide for the establishment of such local districts or boroughs for administrative and self-governing purposes, or for assessment and taxation purposes or for both, as it may deem convenient and equitable. Any single government thus established shall have the powers and privileges granted to municipalities and counties under the Constitution.

Sec. 3. Any county framing its own charter under the provisions of this Article may determine for itself what officers shall be chosen by election and for what terms and under what limitations, and Article 10 of the Constitution shall be so construed in a charter county. Such charter shall provide that the powers heretofore exercised by the county officers for and on behalf of the State shall be exercised by such officers as shall be designated therefor in such charter.

Sec. 4. When a petition requesting that the question "Shall a commission be chosen to frame a charter," or the question "Shall a commission be chosen to frame a charter providing a single unified government," be submitted to the voters, signed by 10 per cent of the qualified electors of the county, is filed with the Deputy State Supervisor of Elections, he shall order an election upon the question within ninety days. The ballots shall bear no party designation. Provision shall be made thereon for the election from the county at large of 15 electors who shall constitute a commission to frame a charter. Provided, however, that not more than nine of the electors so chosen shall be residents of any one of the cities, villages or townships within the county at the time of such election. Names of candidates for the charter commission shall be placed upon the ballot by petitions filed with the Deputy State Supervisor of Elections not later than twenty days before the election of such commissioners. No petition shall be deemed sufficient unless it bears the signatures of at least 1 per cent. of the qualified electors of the county. If a majority of the electors voting on the question shall vote in the affirmative the Secretary of State shall within ten days after the receipt of the returns of the election officially declare and make a matter of public record that "County has elected to frame its own charter under Article 19 of the Constitution and has elected the following named persons to frame a charter for said county."

Upon this declaration by the Secretary of State any charter commission chosen under the provisions of this section shall immediately

be called together by the member whose name appears first in alphabetical order. The commission shall organize in such fashion as shall seem wise and expedient and proceed to frame a budget to cover the expenses which may be contracted for secretarial and necessary incidental purposes. This budget shall be presented to the county commissioners and they shall then appropriate out of the general funds of the County an amount sufficient to meet the necessary expenses of the Commission. The County Commissioners shall also provide the Charter Commission with necessary quarters and general facilities for their labors.

The charter as framed by the Commission shall be submitted to the voters of the County at an election to be held at a time fixed by the Charter Commission and within one year from the date of its election. Provision for said charter election shall be made by the Deputy State Supervisor of Elections in conformity with the laws governing the holding of elections and the Board of County Commissioners shall appropriate out of the general funds of said County a sum sufficient to pay the expenses of such election. Not less than thirty days prior to such election the Deputy State Supervisor of Elections shall mail a copy of the proposed charter to each elector whose name appears upon the poll books of the last regular election held within the County. If such proposed charter is approved by a majority of the electors voting at the election thereon it shall become the charter of the county at the time fixed therein.

Provision shall be made in the schedule of any such charter for such lengthening of the terms of elected public officials so that on a given date the terms of all such officers shall legally end and the officials chosen under the charter provisions shall take their place.