Pawtucket tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 1890-189?, 1895-08-19

CHAPTER 1882
AN ACT to Approve and Publish and Submit
to the Electors Proposition of Amendment
to tho Constitution Of This State.
| WHEREAS, An article OF amendment to the
constitution Of this state was proposed by the
last General Assembly, by the votes OF the
majority Of all the members elected to each
house, and the same has been published and
| read to the electors at their annual town and
ward meetings In April last required by
the thirteenth article of the constitution of
| this state, and Is now presented to this Gen
eral Assembly for their action thereon; and a
majority OF all the members elecSd to each
house at said annual meeting being present
| and approving of said proposed amendment:
1t Is enacted by the General Assembly as fol-
| lows:
SECTION l. The following proposition of
| amendment to the constitution Of this state,
proposed by the last General Assembly, IL
hereby declared approved, and for the purpose
Of publication and submission to the electors
shall be designated as follows:
"ARTICLE xI.
'SEcTIos /. The senate shall consist Of one
| senator from each town city In the state.
| The lieutenant governor shall preside In the
| senate and In grand committee. The presid-
ing officer Of the senate and grand committee
| shall have a right to vote in case Of equal di-
| vision, but not otherwise.
L
absence or other cause, there be no lieutenant
| governor present to preside In the senate, the
| senate shall elect one Of its own members to
| preside during such absence or vacancy; and
| until such election Is made by the senate, the
secretary Of state shall preside The senate
shall have authority to elect its secretary and
| such other officers as it may deem necessary.
"SEC. & The house of representatives shall
never exceed seventy-two members and shall
be constituted on the basis OF population, al
ways allowing one representative for frac-
tion exceeding half the ratio; but each town
or city shall always be entitled to at least one
member; and no town or city shall have more
than one-siSth of the whole number Of mem
bers to which the house Is hereby limited.
The present ratio shall be one representative
to every four thousand three hundred and
twenty three Inhabitants and the General As
sembly may, after any new census taken by
the authority Of the United States or Of this
state. re-apportion the representation by al
tering the ratio. Tho General Assembly may
by law from time to time In It's discretion,
when requested 81 to do by vote Of the city
council Of any city, apportion the representa-.
tives to which such city Is or may hereafter
be entitled, among the several wards in such
city, and the representatives 30 apportioned
shall be voted for and elected only by the
electors In the ward or wards to which they
are apportioned: Provided, however, that each
ward In any city 30 apportioned shall, II the
number OF representatives to which such city
Is entitled equals the number Of wards, have
at least one representative; but no town shall
be divided into districts for the choice Of rep
resentatives
"SHC. The governor, lieutenant governor,
secretary Of state attorney general, general
treasurer, senators and representatives, shall
be elected biennially at the town, ward or dis
triot meetings TO be held on the first Wednes-
day Of AprA ip each alternate year, and shall
l<~1A kA.x~ a.. g.
the last Tuesday Of May next succeeding said
frst Wednesday Of April, and until others are
legally CHOSEN and duly qualified to fill their
places. II elected or qualified after the said
last Tuesday Of May, they shall hold their
ofiices for the remainder OF tine two years en-
suing said last Tuesday Of May, and until
their successors are qualified TO act.
"SBC. 5. Section Of Article VII, 'Of the
Executive Power Section Of Article VIII,
'Of Elections, and Article XIII, 'Of Amend
ments, are hereby amended by striking out
the word annual wherever il occurs in all
the above named sections and in Article XIII
Of the Constitution, and inserting in lieu
thereof the word biennial
"SEc. 6. The General Assembly may provide
by law for the continuance in Office of any
officers Of election or appoin tment until other
persons are qualified to take their places.
"SEC. T. The first election under this Arti-
Gle sholl be had on the first Wednesday Of
provided by Article XIII Of the Constitution
Of the State.
'SEC. 8. This amendment shall take in the
Constitution Of the State, the place of Section
l Of Article v, 'Of the House Of Representa-
tives, which section Is hereby annulled; Of
Article vi, 'Of the Senate, which article is
hereby annulled: Of Section Of Article VIII,
'Of Elections, which is hereby annulled; Of
Section 10 Of Article Nv, which is hereby an
nulled; and also Of the word annual wher-
ever IL occurs in the several sections, and in
Article XIII, referred to in Section Of this
Amendment.
SEC. 2 The said proposition OF amendment
shall be submitted to the electors for their ap-
proval or rejection, at meetings OF the electors
10 be held on the twenty fifth day Of Septsm-
Der, A. d. 1895. The voting places in the vari
ous cities and towns shall be kept open during
the hours required by law for voting for state
officers.
SEC. 8. The secretary of state shall cause the
said proposition Of amendment TO be published
In all the papers publishing the laws Of che
state for one week next preceding the day Of
said meetings OF said electors; and the said
proposition shall be inserted by the town and
city clerks In the warrants or notices by them
to be issued previous to said meetings Of the
electors for the purpose Of warning the town,
ward or district meetings; and said PROPOSE
lions shall be read by the town. ward and dis
trict clerks to the electors In the town, ward
and district meetings. TO be held as aforesaid
SEC. L. The town, ward and district meet
ings TO be held az aforesaid shall be warned,
and the list Of voters shall be canvasssd and
made mp. and the said town, ward and district
meetings shall be conducted In the same man
ner as now provided by law for the town,
ward and district meetings for the election Of
general officers.
SEC. g. Al the close Of the polls on said day
Of said meetings Of the electors, the moderator
and town clark, or the warden and ward clerk,
or the moderator and district clerk, shall In
open town, ward or district meeting, count
said ballots and seal mp the same, and shall
certify that the ballots by them sealed up are
the ballots given in at said meetings OF the
electors, the number Of such ballots, and that
the number OF ballots on said proposition does
not exceed the number OF electors voting at
said meetings, and shall deliver OF send such
ballots, so sealed mp and certified, to the Soc
retary Of state within five days after said 18th
day Of September, A ID. 1896.
SEQ. O. The governor, secretary Of state and
attorney general shall count said ballots on or
before the tenth day Of October, A. ID. 1896