History of Oakland County Michigan a narrative account of its historic progress, its people, its principal interests / compiled from the official records of the county, the newspapers and data of personal interviews, under the editorial supervision of Thaddeus D. Seeley.

HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY

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In April, I906, the people voted in favor of another revision of the
state's fundamental law. The delegates comprising the constitutional
convention assembled at Lansing in October, I907, and completed the
revision in March of the following year, its work being approved by
vote of the people in November, I9o8. What is known as the constitution of I909 is therefore now the basic law of the commonwealth of
Michigan.
By that instrument, of course, the offices of governor, lieutenant
governor, secretary of state, state treasurer, commissioner of the state
land office, auditor general, superintendent of public instruction and
attorney general were made elective, and the functions of government
were classified as executive, judicial and legislative. The judiciary was
divided into supreme, circuit and probate and justices' courts, the incumbents of which were chosen by popular vote. Provision was made
for the organization and incorporation of counties, townships, villages
and cities and for the purpose of education. The superintendent of
public instruction came into being, the State University with its board
of regents, the State Board of Agriculture with its Agricultural College, the College of Mines, the State Normal College and normal schools,
with the continuation of a system of primary schools.
Section ii provided: "That proceeds from the sale of all lands that
have been or hereafter 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 appropriated 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."
Section 12. "All lands, the titles to which shall fail from a defect
of heirs, shall 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."
Section I4. "The legislature shall provide by law for the establishment of at least one library in each township and city, and all fines assessed and collected in the several counties, cities and townships for
any breach of the penal laws shall be exclusively applied to the support of such libraries."
Section 15. "Institutions for the benefit of those inhabitants who
are deaf, dumb, blind, feeble-minded or insane shall always be fostered and supported."
Under the head of "Corporations" the constitution provided that
such bodies might be formed under general laws, but not created, "nor
shall any rights, privileges or franchises be conferred upon them by
special act of legislature."
No corporation was to be granted a franchise for a longer period
than thirty years, "except for municipal, insurance, canal or cemetery
purposes, or corporations organized without any capital stock for religious, benevolent, social or fraternal purposes; but the legislature may
provide by general laws, applicable to any corporations, for one or more
extensions of the term of such corporations." The different sections