The Democratic advocate., 1905-08-12
CHAPTER 81.

AN ACT to amend Section "a of Article ) OF
the Constitution of this State.
SECTION |. BE it enacted by the General
assembly Of Maryland (three fifihs of all the
members of the two Houses concurring),
That the following section he and the same is
hereby proposed aS AN amendment to the
Constitution Of this Stale, and if adopted by
the legal and qualified voters thereof, rs herein
provided it shall superSede and stand in the
place and stead of Section "a of Article Of
said Constitution.
Section a. No debt shall be hereafter
contracted 10y the General Assembly unless
such debt shall Toe authorized 10y II law pro
viling for the collection of AN annual lax or
taxes sufficient To pay the interest on such
debt AS it falls due, and also to discharge the
principal thereof within fifteen years from the
lime of contracting the same, aud the taxes
laid for this purpose shall not be repealed or
applied to any other object until the said debit
and interest thereon shall be fully discharged.
The credit of the State shall not III any manner
he given or loaned to, or in aid of any lndl-
vidual association or corporation; nor shall
the General Assembly have the power in any
mode to involve the State in the construction
of works of internal Improvement, nor in
granting any aid thereto which shall involve
appropriation therefor. except in aid Of the
construction of works of internal improvement
in the counties of St. Mary's, Charles and
Calvert, which had no direct advantage from
such works as have been heretofore aided by
the Slate; and provided that such aid, advances
or appropriations shall not exceed in the az
eregate the sum of five hundred thousand dol
lars, and they shall not use or appropriate the
proceeds of the internal Improvement compa
nies. or of the State tax now levied or which
NAV hereafter be levied to pay off the public
debt, to any other purpose until the interest
and debt are fully paid, or the sinking fund
shall lie equal to the amount OF the outstanding
debt: but the General Assembly may, without
LAYING tax, borrow an amount never to ex-
ceed fifty thousand dollars to meet temporary
deficiencies in the treasury, and may contract
debts 10 any amount that may be necessary
for the defense of the State.
But nothing in this section or i'll this Con-
stitution contained shall deprive the General
Assembly of the power to apportion amongst
and to appropriate to the city of Baltimore and
the several counties of the State out of any
funds in the Treasury not otherwise appro-
nriated, sum of money not exceeding four
hundred thousand dollars each year, to be
expended only in the construction and main
tenance of public roads and highways under
and in accordance with such regulations as
the General Assembly may from time to time
prescribe.
SECTION 2. And be it further enacted by
the authority aforesaid, That the aforegoing
section hereby proposed as an amendment 10
the Constitution shall be, at the next general
election held in this State, submitted to the
legal and qualified voters thereof for their
adopiion or rejection, in pursuance OF the di-
REGIONS contained in Article IA of the Con-
stituiion of this State. and at the said general
election the vote on said proposed amendment
to the Constitution shall be by ballot, and
upon each ballot shall be printed the words
'fFor Constitutional Amendment and
against Constitutional Amendment. as
now prescribed by law, and Immediately after
said election due return shall be made TO the
Governor of the vote for and against said pro.
posed amendment, as directed by the said
fourteenth article of the Constitution.
L.