FIRST BIENNIAL MESSAGE

OF His EXCELLENCY,

GOVERNOR J. W. ADAMS

TO THE

Nevada Legislature, Twelfth Session, 1885.

MESSAGE

EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT, GOVERNOR'S OFFICE,

CARSON City, Nevada, January 5, 1885.

GENTLEMEN OF THE LEGISLATURE :

You are assembled as the co-ordinate branch of our State Government, to enact such laws as in your judgment may be deemed wise and for the best interest of the people you have the honor to represent.

The Constitution makes it my duty to communicate to you by message information of the affairs of the State, and to recommend such measures as I deem expedient.

In obedience to this requirement, I have the honor to herewith communicate to you such information, and my opinion of measures which seem to me necessary for the prosperity of the State, and the welfare and happiness of its inhabitants.

CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION.

The last session of the Legislature submitted to the electors the question of calling a convention to revise our Constitution. The vote against the proposition was so large that it must be accepted as the will of the people that amendments to the present Constitution must be made through the Legislature, if made at all.

Your attention is therefore called to the fact that five amendments were favorably passed upon by the last session, which will come before you for your consideration. If you adopt any of them, it will be necessary for you to provide the mode of submitting the same to a vote of the people for their approval or rejection.

The first amendment changes the time of the assembling of the Legislature from the first Monday in January, to the first Monday in February.

The second amendment requires naturalization six months before the election; a residence of one year in the State, instead of six months, and a residence of ninety days in the county, instead of thirty, as necessary qualifications for an elector.

The third amendment changes the mode of amending the Constitution by requiring the vote of but one instead of two sessions of the Legislature to submit the question to the people, and by making two-thirds of each house, instead of a bare majority, necessary to submit to the people such amendment.

The fourth and fifth amendments pertain to the mode of investing our school funds.

Under our present Constitution, the school money derived from the sale of lands and other sources can be invested in United States and Nevada State bonds only. As the interest on an investment in United States bonds is only three per cent. per annum, it was thought by the last session of the Legislature best to extend the class of bonds in which school moneys could be invested. It seems, however, they could not agree upon any one plan, and therefore adopted two amendments for your cousideration, one of which you will doubtless submit to the people and reject the other.

One of these amendments directs that the school moneys shall be invested “in United States bonds or bonds of this state, or the bonds of such other State or States as may be selected by the Boards authorized by law to make such investments.” The other amendment provides that the school moneys may be invested “in United States bonds, the bonds of this State or such other State bonds or other securities as may be authorized by law."

The advantages accruing from the adoption of one of these amendments, will readily suggest themselves to your minds. While for individual investment, United States bonds may afford an inviting field, because such bonds are free from taxation, this reason has no force when the investment is made by the State, which of course would not have to pay taxes on any bonds it might hold.

Hence, whatever amount of interest over three per cent. per year could be secured by investing in other than United States bonds, would be that much clear gain to the School Fund, and would be at once available for the support of our common schools. I therefore earnestly renew my recommendation to the last session, that one of these amendments be adopted and submitted to the people for their ratification.

I call your attention to the fact that there is no law pointing out the mode of publishing amendments proposed to the Constitution, and ask that you provide for the same.