Des Arc weekly citizen., 1868-02-29


 the State in such manner and in such courts as may be by law provided.
 SEC. Is. The General Assembly shall not grant to any citizen or class of citi- zens, privileges or immunities which upon the same terms shall not equally belong to all citizens.
 SEC. 19. The right of suffrage shall be protected by laws regulating elec- tions, and prohibiting under adequate penalties all undue influence from bri- bery, tumult, or other improper con- duct.
 SEC. 20. Foreigners who are, or may become, bona fide residents of this State, shall be secured the same rights in respect to the acquisition, possession, enjoyment and descent of property as are secured to native-born citizens. of property shall ever be required as a qualification for any office of public trust under the State. No religious test or amount of property shall ever be required as a qualification of any voter at any election in this State nor shall any person be rendered incOmpe- tent to give evidence in any court of law or equity in consequence of his opinion upon the subject of religion, and the mode of administering an oath or affirmation shall be such as shall be most consistent with, and binding upon the conscience of the person to whom such oath or affirmation may be admin istercd.
 SEC. ?. Any persons who shall, af- ter the adoption of this Constitution, fight duel or send or accept chal- lenge for that purpose, or be alder or abettor in fighting duel, either with in this State or elsewhere, shall thereby be deprived of the right of holding any office of honor or profit in this State, and shall be forever disqualified from voting at any election, and shall be punished otherwise in such manner as may be prescribed by law.
 SEC. 23. Religion, morality and Knowledge being essential to good gov crnmcnt. the General Assembly shall pass suitable laws to protect every re- tigious denomination in the peaccablc enjoyment of it's own mode of public worship and to encourage schools and the means of instruction.
 SEC. 2l. All lands in this State are declared to be allodial, and feudal ten- urcs of every description with all their incidents, are prohibited. Leases and grants of land for n longer period than twenty years hereafter made, in which shall be reserved any rent or service of any kind, shall be held aeon yeyancc n ecc to the lessee.
 SEC. D. The action Of the Conycn- lion of the State of Arkansas, which assembled in the city of Little Rock on the 4th day of March, 1861, was, and is null and void. All the action of the State of Arkansas under the authority of said Convention, of its Ordinances or its Constitution, whether legislative, executive, judicial ormilitary, was, and is hereby declared null and void; and no debt or liability of the State of Ar kansas incurred by the action of said Convention or of the General Assem- bly, or. any department of the govern mcnt under the authority of either, shall ever be recognized as obligatory. Provided, That this Ordinance shall not be so construed as to affect the rights ofprivate individuals arising un- der contracts between the parties, or to change county boundaries or county seats, or to make invalid the acts of Justices of the Peace, or other officers in their authority to administer paths or take and certify the acknowledg- ments of deeds of conveyance or other instruments of writing, or in the sOl- emnization of marriage.
 ARTICLE II.
 BOUNDARIES.
 SEC. l. We do declare and establish, ratiiy and confirm, the following as the permanent boundaries of said State of Arkansas, that is to say: Beginning at the middle of the main channel of the Mississippi river, on the parallel of thirty-six degrees north latitude run ming from thence west, with the said parallel of latitude, to the St. Francis Ever thence up the middle of the main channel of said river to the parallel of t!iriy-six degrees thirty minutes north from thence west with the boundary line of the State of Missouri to the southwest corner of that State; and | thence to be bounded on the west to the north bank of Red river as by Acts of Congress and Treaties heretofore defining the western limits of the Ter ritory of Arkansas and to be bounded on the south side of Red river by the boundary line of the State of Texas to the northwest corner of the State et Louisiana thence east with the Louis jana State line to the middle of the main chanuel of the Mississippi river; thence up the main channel of said riv- CT, including an island in said river known as Belle Point Island," to the thirty-sixth degree of north latitude the place of beginning.
 ARTICLE III. 1 The seat of government shall be at Little Rock, where it is now establish ed.
 ARTICLE ".
 SEC. l. The powers of government are divided into three departments the Legislative, the Executive, and the Judicial.
 SEC. 3. No person belonging to one department shall exercise the powers properly belonging to another, except ing in the cases expressly provided in this Constitution.
 ARTICLE V.
 LEGISLATIVE DEPARTMENT.
 SEC. l. The legislative power in this state shall be vested in General As- sembly. which shall consist of a senate and House of Representatives.
 SEC. 2. The General Assembly shall meet every two years, On the first Mon- day of January, at the seat of Govern ment, until altered by law but the first General Assembly elected after the adoption of fthis Constitution shall meet on the 2d day of April, A. D. 1888.
 SEC. 3. The House Representative shall consist of members chosen every second year by the qualified electors of the several districts.
 SEC. 4. No person shall he member of the House of Representatives who shall not have attained the age oftwen- ty-one years, and have been one year | .g sl Ia. rxato ~r-k <l l.