Smyrna times., 1897-09-22

erty, OF acquiring and protecting rep
utation and property, and in general
OF obtaining objects suitable to their
condition, without injury by one to
another; and as these rights are es-
sential to their welfare, for the due
exercise thereof, power is inherit in
them; and therefore all just authority
IN the institutions of political society
Is derived from the people, and estab
lished with their consent, to advance
their happiness; and they may for
this end as circumstances require from
time to time, alter their Constitution
of Government. 5"
The bill of rights follows with Arti-
Gle I of the Constitution and this is
unchanged The nineteen sections
are concerned with the customary safe
gaurds for personal and political rights.
The next article, which deals with the
Legislature, is greatly changed and al
tered. The new House of Represen-
tatives will be composed of thirty-five
members instead of twenty-one, and
the Senate of seventeen members in
stead of nine. The qualifications and
terms of Office remain the same except
a Senator is no longer required to
have two hundred acres of land or an
estate to the value of one thousand
pounds at least, as prescribed in 1881.
The compensation for members of the
Legislature will be five dollars per day
instead of three dollars, and six dollars
for the presiding officers, instead of
four dollars as heretofore, and should
they remain in session for over fifty
days then they must serve without
compensation at all. Like compensa-
ton will be paid for special or extra
sessions not exceeding thirty days.
The maximum allowance for stationary
and supplies for each member is
twenty-five dollars for a regular and
$40 for a special session. The mem
bers are elected by districts, the boundar
les of which are specified, instead of
by counties.
Lotteries, pool selling and all other
forms of gambling are prohibited. The
Legislature must not pass a local or
special law relating to fences, straying
of live stock, bitches, the creation or
changes of boundaries of school dis
trict, or the laying out, opening, alter
alton, maintenance or vacation, in
whole or in part, of any road, high
way, street, lane or alley. These
matters are to be regulated by a
general law. Bribery of Legislators
is to be published in such manner
as shall be prescribed by law. No
bill or joint resolution except bills
apprOpriating money for public pur-
poses, shall embrace more than one
subject, and this shall be expressed in
its title. No divorce shall be granted
nor alimOny allowed except by the
Judges of the Court as shall be pre-
scribed by general and uniform law.
The Governor shall not be elected
a third time to said office, whereas
the Constitution of 1881 made him in
eligible a second time. The old Con-
stitution had no provisions for Lieu
tenant Governor or the exercises of the
veto power. The new one is elaborate
upon this point and upon others re-
lating to the Governors power of ap-
pointing and removing the various Of
ticers, which makes q marked distinc-
tion between the old and new Consti-
| tutions.
Article ~. of the new Constitution
relates, like Article VII. of the old
Constitution, to the Judiciary. For
the former Court of Errors and APP
peals we now have the Supreme Court
while the Peace and Jail Delivery
loses all but the first words of its
name.
In the provisions relating to cleo
tions, from the old phrase, ''every free
white male Citizen" among the quail
fications of electors, the word "white"
is stricken out After January LIST,
1900, person who acquires citizen
ship or becomes of age, cannot vote
unless he is able to read the said con-
stitution in English. The provisions
for registration and for the conduct of
elections for preventing bribery, form
striking contrast to the old Article
~. of 1881, which contained none of
them in any form.
Wholly new since 1881 are the ar
ticles relating to the Board of Pardons;
to the Board of Agriculture; to the
Board of Health; to education; to cor
poratiOn; while in place of the old re-
quirement that an oath shall be ad-
ministered to public officers, specific
form of oath is prescribed. 1t is de-
clared that ''no money shall be bor-
rowed or debt created by or on behalf
of the State, but pursuant to an Article
of the General Assembly, passed with
the concurrence of three-fourths of all
the members elected to each House,
SACCpb w supply CdoudA uSuCAeuC4oS VI
revenue, repel invasion, suppress in
surrection, defend the State or pay
existing debts" A like three-fourths
vote is required for an appropriation
of funds or bonds of a guarantee to
"any county, municipality or corpora
tion," and no county, city, town or
other municipality can lend its credit
or appropriate money or assume debt
or become joint shareholder or
joint owner with or in any private cor
poration or any person or company
whatever" Hereafter corporations
must be created amended or renewed
only under general law, not by special
act, except municipal corporation,
banks or corporations for charitable,
penal, reformatory or educational
purposes, sustained in whole OF in