effective. SEC. 13. This act shall take effect on the first day five. of July, A. D. 1923, and all acts and parts of acts inconsistent herewith are hereby repealed. CHAPTER 456. [2341] AN ACT PROVIDING FOR ADDITIONAL PAYMENTS OF THE S 91 B. It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows: Approved Soldiers' bonus commission, organization, etc. SECTION 1. The general treasurer, the bank commissioner and the quartermaster general are hereby how composed; constituted a commission to be known as the soldiers' bonus commission. Within ten days from and after the passage of this act said commission shall meet for organization and shall elect one of their number as chairman and one of their number as secretary. Said commission may employ such clerical assistance Appropriation. as may be necessary, and shall be allowed for such clerical assistance and for other actual expenses incurred in the performance of its duties a sum not exceeding five hundred dollars, which sum is hereby appropriated for said purposes out of any money in the treasury not otherwise appropriated; and the state auditor is hereby directed to draw his orders on the general treasurer for the payment of said sum, or so much thereof as may be from time to time required, upon receipt by him of proper vouchers approved by the chairman of said commission. mission. SEC. 2. It shall be the duty of said commission to Duty of comdetermine as expeditiously as possible which residents of the state or their dependents, or heirs-at-law of such residents, are entitled to receive payment under Commission to compensation. sections 3 and 4 of this act, and to authorize such serve without payments in the manner hereinafter prescribed. Said commission shall serve without compensation and shall complete its duties on or before the first day of Term of office December, A. D. 1923, and thereupon the term of office of said commission shall cease and determine. of commission. Who entitled to receive bonus. Eligibility of applicant. Case heretofore decided, not to be reopened, etc. SEC. 3. Any resident of this state who would have been entitled to receive a payment of one hundred dollars under chapter 1832 of the public laws passed at the January session, A. D. 1920, or under the provisions of resolution number 66, approved May 5, 1920, entitled "Resolution making an appropriation of twenty thousand dollars for bonus purposes in recognition of the patriotic services of residents of the state who served as yeoman (F) in the navy of the United States during the war with Germany," provided application for such payment had been made within the time limit therein prescribed, shall be entitled to receive a payment of one hundred dollars under the provisions of this act. SEC. 4. Said commission shall pass upon the eligibility of every such resident making application for a payment under the provisions of this act, and shall authorize all payments hereunder; and in determining such eligibility and in authorizing such payments said commission shall be governed by the provisions of said chapter 1832 of the public laws and by said resolution number 66, approved May 5, 1920, not in conflict with the provisions of this act. Said commission shall not reopen any case heretofore decided by the soldiers' bonus board appointed under the provisions of said chapter 1832, nor authorize any payment to any person heretofore refused a payment by said soldiers' bonus board, and shall not consider any application for a payment under this act unless such application is filed with said commission on or before the first day of October, A. D. 1923. SEC. 5. All records, books and documents containing information which in the opinion of said commission may be of assistance to its members in the performance of its duties in carrying out the provisions of this act shall be open to the inspection of its members, and this section shall be construed as giving said commission ready access to all such records, books and documents in the possession of any state officer or department. SEC. 6. For the purpose of making the payments provided for in this act the sum of ten thousand dollars or so much thereof as may be necessary is hereby appropriated out of any money in the treasury not otherwise appropriated for expenditure during the fiscal year ending November 30, A. D. 1923; and the state auditor is hereby directed to draw his orders on the general treasurer for the payment from time to time of so much of said sum as may be required upon receipt by him of certificates authorized by said commission. SEC. 7. This act shall take effect upon its passage. CHAPTER 457. [2342] AN ACT TO PREVENT FRAUD IN ELECTIONS. It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows: H 834. Publishing of newspapers, certain paid matter in injurious to any candidate, etc., provisions SECTION 1. No person shall publish or cause to be published in any newspaper or other periodical, either in its advertising or reading columns, any paid matter designed or tending to aid, injure, or defeat, relative to. any candidate for public office or any question sub Writing, posting, distributing, etc., injurious to candidate, etc., provisions relative to. mitted to the voters, unless the name of the chairman or secretary or the names of two officers of the political or other organization inserting the same, or the name of some voter who is responsible therefor, with his residence and the street and number thereof, if any, appear therein in the nature of a signature. Such matter inserted in reading columns shall be preceded by or followed by the word "advertisement" in a separate line, in type not smaller than that of the body type of the newspaper or other periodical. SEC. 2. No person shall intentionally write, print, of circular, etc., post or distribute, or cause to be written, printed, posted or distributed, a circular or poster designed or tending to injure or defeat any candidate for nomination or election to any public office, by criticising his personal character or political action, or designed or tending to aid, injure or defeat any question submitted to the voters, unless there appears upon such circular or poster in a conspicuous place either the names of the chairman and secretary, or of two officers of the political or other organization issuing the same, or of some voter who is responsible therefor, with his name and residence, and the street and numbers thereof, if any. Penalties. SEC. 3. Whoever shall violate any provision of the preceding sections shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and for each such offence shall be punished by a fine of not less than one hundred dollars nor more than five hundred dollars, or by imprisonment for a term not exceeding three months. This act shall take effect upon its passage. CHAPTER 458. [2343] Approved AN ACT IN AMENDMENT OF SECTIONS 14 AND 15 OF $21. CHAPTER 21 OF THE GENERAL LAWS, ENTITLED May 22, 1923. "OF THE SECRETARY OF STATE." It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows: SECTION 1. Sections 14 and 15 of chapter 21 of the general laws, entitled "Of the secretary of state" are hereby amended so as to read as follows: "Sec. 14. He may, by writing, appoint a deputy and a second deputy under him, who shall each be engaged to the faithful discharge of the duties of his respective office. "Sec. 15. The deputy shall, in the absence of the secretary of state, do all things by law required of the secretary of state, as fully as the secretary himself might or could do; the second deputy shall, in the absence of the secretary of state and the deputy, do all things by law required of the secretary of state or deputy, as fully as the secretary of state or the deputy might or could do; and the secretary of state shall be liable for any misconduct, neglect or default of such deputy or second deputy." SEC. 2. This act shall take effect upon its passage, and all laws and parts of laws inconsistent herewith are hereby repealed. Secretary of deputy and a state may appoint a second deputy. Powers of deputy and second deputy. |