Council Reverses Vote, Restores Referendum

Deciding that it acted "hastily" Monday when it cut the referendum clause from its new constitution, the Student Council met on short notice last night and restored the provision.

Council president Henry M. Silveira '51 said that the question came up late in Monday's meeting, and the representatives did not think it over very thoroughly. "The next morning they didn't like what they had done when they read it in the paper," Silveira said, "and many of their friends objected too."

The referendum clause required the council to hold an all-College vote on any question when a petition of 200 signatures requests it. A three-quarters majority on this referendum is binding on the council.

The council abolished this clause Silveira said, because it feared too much of its time would he spent on referenda.

Overwhelming Majority

Last night an "overwhelming majority" voted to put the provision back, but new a petition of 500 signatures is required to force a referendum.

The new constitution is now in final stages of debate by the council, and is scheduled to go before the student body for ratification in a few weeks. Work on it started last year.

A clause in the present constitution calls for examination of the council's work and complete revision of its constitution in 1951.