The Pennsylvania ledger, or, The Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, & New-Jersey weekly advertiser — Philadelphia, Pa., 1776-07-13 00:00:00, page 3

In the lafk paragraph of tie extra® of a letter
from Trenton, in our last papers is an unjust re
fleétion” upon the condué of the riflemen, for they
who were taken upon Staten-Island, by the mini
sterial army when they firt landed, were then in
the honourable service of their “country, and not
ignominiously quitting the camp. The printer is
obliged to the officer who rectified the mistake. The
gentlcman who wrote that Tetter was greatly impo
sed upon, as is now evident to every person.
CONSTITUTION of NEW-FERSET.
HEREAS all the constitutional authority,
.~ v ever poflefled by the Kings of Great-Britain
over these Colonies, or their other Dominions,
was, by compact, derived from ‘the people, and
held of them for the common interelt, of the whole
society; allegiance and prote&ion. are, in the nature
of things, reciprocal ties, cach equally depending
upon the other, and liable to be diflolved by the
other’s being refufed or withdrawn. And whereas
George the Third, King of Great-Britain, has re
fufed prote@ion to the good people of these Colo
nies ; and, by affentir o to sundry A&s of th: Briti/h
Parliament, attempted to subject them to the abfo-
Jute Dominion of that body; and has alio made
War upon themin the molt cruel and unnatural
manner, for no other caufesthan aflerting their just
rights, all civil authority under him is necessarily at
an end, and a dissolution of Government in each
Colony has consequently taken place.
And whereas in the present deplorable fituatiod
of these Colonies, expoied to the fury of a cruel and
relentless enemy, some form aof.Government is ab
solutely neceflury, not only for;the preservation of
good order, but alio the more effeGtually to unite the
people, and enable them to exert their whole force
in their own necefliry defence; and as the Honour
able the Continental Congress, the supreme coun
cil of the American Colonies, has advised such of
the colonies, as have not yet gone into the measure
to adopt for themfclves respectively such govern
ment as shall belt conduce to their own happiness
and fafety, and the well being of America in gene
ral: We, the Reprefentarives of the colony of New-
Jersey, having been elected by all the counties in
the freeft manner, and in Congress aflembled, have
after mature deliberation, agreed upon a set of
Charter Rights, and the Form of a Constitution,
in manner following, Videlicet:
I. That the Government of this province shall
be vested in a Governor, Legislative Council and
General Assembly. ,
11. That the said Legislative Council and Gene
ral Assembly shall be cholen, for the firlt time, 6n
theTecond Tuesday in August next; the members
whereof shall be the fame in number and qualifica
tions as is herein after mentioned; and shall be and
r¢main vested with all the powers and authority to
be held by any future Legislative Council and As
sembly of this colony, until the second Tuesday in
Oé&ober, which will bein the year of our Lord
One Thousand Seven Hundred and Seventy-seven.
IHI. Thaton the said second 7uc/iday in Otober,
yearly and every year for-ever (with the privilege
of adjourning from day to day as occasion may
require) the counties shall severally choose one per
son to be a member of the Legislative Council of
this colony, who shall be and have been for one
whole year next before the election, an’ inhabitant
and freeholder in the county in which he is chosen,
and" worth at lealt one thousand pounds, procla
mation money, of real and psrional estate within
the fame county: That, at the fame time, each
county shall also choose three Members of Aflembly;
provided, that no person shall be entitled to a feat
in the said Aflembly, unless he be and have been .
for one whole year next before the Eletion, an
inhabitant of the county heis to represent, and
worth five hundred pounds, proclamation money
in real and personal estate in the fame county: That,
on the second ''uefday next after the day of Electi
on, the Council and Aflembly shall separately meet;
and that the consent of borh houses {hall be necefla
ry toevery law, provided that seven shall be a quo
rum ol the Council for doing business; and that no
law shall pass, unless there be a majority of all the
representatives of each body personally present and
agreeing thereto. Provided always, that if a majo
rity of the representatives of thic province in Coun
cil and General Assembly convened, shall, at any
time or times hereafter, judge it equitable and pro
per to add to or diminith the nmumber or proporti
on of the members of the Aflembly for any county
or counties in this Colony, then, and in such case,
the fame may, on the principles of more equal re
_prefentation, be lawtully done, any thing in this
charter to the contrary notwithstanding; so that
the whole number of representatives in Aflembly
thall not at any time be less than thirty-nine.
- IV. That all inhabitants: of this colony of full
age, who are worth fifty pounds, proclamation
money, clear estate in the fame, and have resided
within the county in which they claim a vote for
twelve months immediately preceding the Elecion,
shall be entitled to vote tor representatives in Coun
cil and Assembly; and also for all other public
officers that shall be eledted by the people of the
county at large a 1 00 Sihan IR S
V. That the Assembly, when met, shall have
power to choose a Speaker, and other their officers;
o be judges of the qualifications and Ele&ions of
‘their own members; fit upon their own adjourn
ments; prepare bills to be pafled into 'laws, and
to empower their Speaker to convene them, when
ever any extraordinary occurrence {hall render it
neceflary. ' 51
VI. That the council shall also have power to
prepare bills'to pass into laws, and have other like
powers as the Aflembly, and'in all refpe@ be a free
and independent branch of the legislature of this
Colony; save only that they shall not prepare or
alter any money bill; which shall be the privilege
of the Afflembly; that the. Council thali, from time
to time, be convened by the Governor or Vice-pre ¢
fident, but must be convened at all times when the
Afferably fits; for which purpose the speaker of the
houle of Assembly shall alwaysimmediately after an
Adjournment give notice to the Governor or Vice-
President of the time and place to which the houle is
adjourned.
VIL. That the Council and Aflemby jointly at
their firlt meeting, after each annual ele@ion, thall,
by a majority of votes, cle& some fit person within
the colony to be a Governor for one Year, who
{hall be constant president of the Council, and have
a casting vote in their proceedings; and that the
Council themselves shall choose a Vice-President,
who shall a& as such in the absence of the Go
vernor.
VIIL. That the Governor, or, in his absence,
the Vice President of the Council, shall have the
supreme executive power, be chancellor of the co-
Jony. and aé as Captain-General and commander
in chief of all the militia, and other military force
in this colony; and that any three or more of the
Council {hall, at all times, be a Privy Council to
consult them; and thatr the Governor be Qrdinary
‘ur Surrogate General. '
IX. That the Governor and Council ({cven
whereof shall be a quorum) be the court of appeals
in the last resort in all causes of law as heretotore;
and that they poflels the power of granting par
dons to criminals after condemnation in all cases
of treason, felony, or other offences.
X. That Captains, and 41l other inferior officers
of the militia, shall be chosen by the companies in
the refpedtive counties; but field and General offi
cers by the Council and Assembly.
XI. That the Council and Affcmbly shall have
power to make the great Seal of this colony,which
thall be kept by the Governor, or, in his absence,
by the Vice-President of the Council, to be used
by them as occasion may require; and it shall be
called the Great Seal of the colony of New- Jersey.
XII. That the Judges of the {fupreme court shall
continue in office for seven Years, the Judges of
the inférior court of common pleas in the several
counties, jullices of the peace, clerks of the supreme
court, clerks of the inferior courts of common pleas,
and quarter-feflions, the attorney- general and pro
vincial secretary, shall condnue in office for five
Years, and the provincial treasurer {hall continue
in office for one year;-and that they shall be seve
rally appointed by the Council and Assembly in
manner aforefaid, and commissioned by the Gover
nor, or in his absence, by the Vice President of the
Council. Provided always, That the said officers
severally shall be capable of being re-appointed at
the end of the terms severally belore limited ; and
that any of the said officers shall be liable to be dif
mifled, when adjudged guilty of mifbehaviour by
the Council on an impeachment of the Affembiy.
XIIL. That the inhabicants of each county, qua
lified to vote as aforefaid, thall ar the time and
place of electing their representatives, annually elcé
one Sheriff, and one or more Coroners; and that
they may re-ele& the fame perion to such oflices
until he shall have served three years, but no long
er; after which three years must elapse before the
fame person is' capable of being eleéted aguin,
When the ele&ion is certified to the Governor or
Vice President, under the hands of fix freeholders
ot the county for which they were eleded, they
ihall be immediately commiflioned to serve in their
refpeétive offices. -
XIV. That the townships, at their annual town
meetings for ele@ting other officers, thall chufe con
stables for the districts refpeéively; and also three
or more judicious freeholders of good cha ader to
hear and finally determine all appeals relative to
unjust affeffiments in cases of public taxation; which
commissioners of appeal shall, for that purpose, fit
at some suitable time or times to be by them ap
pointed, and made known to the people by adver
tisements. - _
XV. That the laws of this colony shall begin in
the following Style, viz. Be it ena&ted by the
Council and General Afflembly of this colony, and
it is hereby ena&ted by the authority of the fame:
That all commissions, granted by the Governor or
Vice-President, shall run thus-—The colony of
New- Jersey to A B, &ec. Greeting: And that all
writs shall likewise run in the name of the colony :
And that all indi@ments shall conclude in the fol
lowing manner, viz. against the peace of this co
lony, the government and dignity of the fame,
XVIL "l%at all critinals shall be admitted to the
fame privileges of %w?t_"n'eﬁ’es' and counsel, as their
profecutorsare or thall be entitded to. ~—~*
XVIL Thatthe eitates of such persons as Yhall
defiroy their own lives shall got, for that offence,
be forfeited ; but shall descend in thes fame manner
as they would have done had such person died in
the natural way; nor thull any article, which may
occasion accidentally th death of any one, be
henceforth deemed a Deodand, or in anywise for
feited on account of such misfortane. ] 4"
XVIIL. That no person shall ever within this co
lony be deprived of the inestimable privilege of
worshiping Almighty God in a manner agreeable to
the dictates of his own conscience; dor under any
~pretence whatsoever compelled to attend any place
of worship, contrary to his qwn faith and judge
ment; nor shall any person within this colony ever
be obliged to pay tithes, taxes or _a"ny other races,
for the purpole of building or repairing any other
church or churches, iplng:c or places of worship,
ot for the maintenance of any minister or miniltry,
contrary to what he believes to be right, or has de- 4
liberarely or voluntarily engaged himielf to perform.
XIX. That there shall be no eltablithment of any
one religious set in this province in preference o
another; and that no protestant inhabitants of this
colony shall; be denied the enjoyment of any civil
right merely on account of his religious principles
buat that all persons, profefling a belicf in the faich
of any proteltant fe&, who thall demean themselves
peaceably under the Government as hereby esta
blished, shall be capable of being ele&ted into any
office of profit or traft, or being a member of either
branch of the legiﬁ»nture, and shall tully and freely
enjoy every privilege and immunity enjoyed by
others their fellow subjects. A
XX. Thar the legislative department of this co
lony may, as much as poflible, be preserved from
all suspicion of corruption, none of the Judges of
the supreme or other courts, Sheriffs, or any other
person or persons pofleffed of any. polt of profit un
der the Government, other than Jufltices of the
peace, shall be entitled to a feat in Aflembly; but
that, on his being eledted and taking his feat, his
office or polt thall be considered as vacant.
XXI. That all the laws of this province, con
tained in the edition lately published by Mr. Allin
fon, shall be and remain in- full force, until altered
by the legislature of thisfcalony (such only excep
ted as are incompatible with this charter) and shall
be, according as heretofore, regarded in all re
fpeds by all civil officers, and others, the good
people of this province, ;
XXII. That the common law of England, as
well as fo_much of the ftarute law, as have been
heretofore practifed in this colony, shall still remain
in force, until they shall be altered by a future law
of the legislature; such parts only. excepted as are
rcpugnant to the rights and frivileges contained in
this charter; and that the inestimable right of Trial
by Jury shall remain confirmed, as a part of the
law of this colony without repeal for-ever.
XXIIL That every person, who thall be ele&ed
as aforefaid, to be a member of the Legislative
Council or House of Aflembly, shall, previous to
his taking his feat in Council or Assembly, take the
following oath or afirmation, viz. /, A B, d» fo
leminly ‘declare, that, as a member of the Legislative
Council_(or flembly as the case may be) of the co
lony of New-Jerley, 1 awill not assent to any law,vote,
or proceeding, which shall appear to me infurious to
the public welfare of [aid colony, nor that shall an
nul or repeal that part of the third [eition in the char
ter of this colony, which eftablifbes that the elections
of members of the Legislative Council and Afembly
Shall be annual, uer that part of the I-ivcntyﬁ'mml
Jeltion in said charter, zefpecting the Trial by Fury,
nor that shall annul, repeal or alter any part or parts
of the eighteenth or nineteenth sections of the fame.
And any person or persons, who shall be elected as
aforefaid, sis hereby empowered to administer to the
said members the said oath or alirmation.
Provided always, and it is the true intent and
meaning of this Congress, That if a Reconciliation
between Great-Britain and these Colonies should
take place, and the latter be again taken under the
Protection and Government of the Crown of Great-
Britain, thiz Charter shall be null and void, other
wise to remain firm and inviolable. ; ‘
In Provinckil Congress, New- Jersey,
Burlington, July 2, 1776. :
By Order of Congress,
Samuer Twceker, President.
Extra@t from the Dinutes,
Wiitriam PaTrTerson, Secretary.
On Tuesday o Wednelday zext avill be Published
By JAMES HUMPHREYS, junr
An' MBS Snle Yolgße
A FRAME or GOVERNMENT
'FO R :
PENNSYLV.ANIA,
\V who has a good breast of milk, and can be
ANTED immediately, a°- WET NURSE
well recommended, no other need apply. Inquire
of the printer, Philadeiphia, Fuly i 3,