The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1895-12-25
ARTICLE VIII.
MUNICIPAL CORPORATIONS AND POLICE
REGULATIONS.

Section l. The general assembly
shall provide by general laws for the
organization and classification of mu.
nicipal corporations. The powers OF
each class shall be defined SO that no
such corporations shall have any pow
crs or be subject to any restrictions
other than all corporations OF the same
class. Cities and towns now existing
under special charters may re-organize
under the general laws of the State,
and when Sc recognized their special
charters shall cease and determine.
Sec. 2. No city or town shall be or
ganized without the consent OF the
majority of the electors residing and
entitled by law to vote within the dis
trict proposed to beincorporated; ;such
consent to be ascertained in the man
ner and under such regulations as may
be prescribed by law.
Sec. 8. The general assembly shall
restrict the powers of cities and towns
to levy taxes and assessments, to bor-
row money and to contract debts, and
no tax or assessment shall be levied or
debt contracted except in pursuance OF
law. for public purposes specified by
law.
Sec. 4. No Jaw shall be passed by
the general assembly granting the right
to construct and operate street or
other railway, telegraph, telephone or
electric plant, or to erect water or gas
works for public use or to lay mains
for any purpose, without first obtain
ing the consent of the local authorities
in control of the streets or public
places proposed to be occupied for any
such or like purposes.
Sec. 5. Cities and towns may ac-
quire, by construction or purchase,
and may operate water works systems
and plants for furnishing lights, and
may furnish water and lights to indi-
viduals, firms and private corporations
for reasonable compensation: Provid-
ed, that no such construction or pur-
chase shall be made except upon ma
jority vote of the electors in said cities
or towns who are qualified to vote on
the bonded Indebtedness of said cities
or towns.
Sec. 6. The corporate authorities
of cities and towns in this State shall
be vested with power to assess and
collect taxes for corporate purposes,
said taxes to be uniform in respect to
persons and property within the juris'
diction of the body composing the
same; and all the property except such
us is exempt by law, within the limits OF
cities and towns shall be taxed for the
payment of debts contracted under au-
thority of law. License or privileged
taxes imposed shall be graduated so
as to secure just imposition of such
tax upon the classes subject thereto.
Sec. Z. No city or town in this State
shall hereafter incur any bonded debt,
which, including existing bonded in
debtedness, shall exceed 8 per centum
of the assessed value of the taxable
property therein, and no such debt
shall be created without submitting the
question as to the creation thereof to
the qualified electors of such city or
town, as provided in this Constitution
for such special elections; and unless q
majority of such electors voting on the
question shall be in favor of creating
such further bonded debt, none shall
be created; Provided, that this section
shall not be construed to prevent the
issuing of certificates OF Indebtedness
in anticipation of the collection of
taxes for amounts actually contained
or to be contained in the taxes for the
year when such certificates are issued
and payable out of such taxes: And
provided, further, that such cities and
towns shall on the issuing of such
bonds create sinking fund for the re-
demption thereof at maturity. Moth
ing herein contained shall prevent the
issuing of bonds to an amount sufficient
to refund bonded Indebtedness exist
ing at the time of the adoption OF this
Constitution.
Sec. s. Cities and towns may exempt
from taxation, by general or special
ordinance, except for school purposes,
manufactures established within their
limits for five successive years from the
time of the establishment of such man
ufactories: Provided, that such ordi-
nance shall be first ratified by q ma
jority of such qualified electors of such
city or town as shall vote at an cleo
ton held for that purpose.
Sec. 9. No armed police force or
representatives of detective agency
shall ever be brought into this State
for the suppression of domestic vio-
lence; nor any other armed or unarmed
body of men be brought in for that
purpose, except upon the application
Of the general assembly or of tie ex-
ecutive of this State when the gener-
al assembly is not in session, as pro-
vided in the Constitution of the United