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cil and assembly shall separately meet, and that the consent of both houses shall be necessary to every law; provided, that seven shall be a quorum of the council for doing business; and that no law shall pass, unless there be a majority of all the representatives of each body personally present, and agreeing thereto: Provided, always, that if a majority of the representatives of this province, in council and general assembly convened, shall at any time or times hereafter, judge it equitable and proper to add to or diminish the number or proportion of the members of assembly for any county or counties in this colony, then, and in such case, the same may on the principles of more equal representation, he lawfully done, any thing in this charter to the contrary notwithstanding; so that the whole number of representatives in assembly shall not, at any time, be less than thirty-nine.

4. That all inhabitants of this colony, of full age, who are worth fifty pounds, proclamation money, clear estate in the same, and have resided within the county in which they claim a vote for twelve months immediately preceding the election, shall be entitled to vote for representatives in council and assembly; and also for all other public officers that shall be elected by the people of the county at large.

5. That the assembly, when met, shall have power to choose a speaker, and other their officers; to be judges of the qualifications and elections of their own members; sit upon their own ajournments; prepare bills, to be passed into laws; and to empower their speaker to convene them whenever any extraordinary occurrence shall render it necessary.

6. That the council shall also have power to prepare bills to pass into laws, and have other like powers as the assembly, and in all respects be a free and independent branch of the legislature of this colony; save only that they shall not prepare or alter any money bill-which shall be the privilege of of the assembly; that the council shall, from time to time, be convened by the governor or vice president, but must be convened at all times when the assembly sits; for which purpose the speaker of the house of assembly shall always, immediately after an adjournment, give notice to the governor, or vice president, of the time and place to which the house is adjourned.

7. That the council and assembly, jointly, at their first meeting after each annual election, shall, by a majority of votes, elect some fit person within the colony to be governor for one year, who shall be constant president of the council, and have a casting vote in their proceedings; and that the council themselves shall choose a vice president, who shall act as such in the absence of the governor.

S. That the governor, or, in his absence, the vice presiden

of the council, shall have the supreme executive power, be chancellor of the colony, and act as captain general and com. mander-in-chief of all the militia, and other military force, in this colony; and that any three or more of the council shali at all times be a privy council to advise the governor in all cases where he may find it necessary to consult them; and that the governor be ordinary or surrogate general.

9. That the governor and council (seven whereof shall be a quorum) be the court of appeals, in the last resort, in all causes of law, as heretofore; and that they possess the power of granting pardons to criminals, after condemnation in all cases of treason, felony, or other offences.

10. That captains, and all other inferior officers of the militia, shall be chosen by the companies in the respective counties; but field and general officers, by the council and assembly.

11. That the council and assembly shall have power to make the great seal of this colony, which shall be kept by the governor, or, in his absence, by the vice president of the council, to be used by them as occasion may require: and it shall be called the great seal of the colony of New Jersey.

12. That the judges of the supreme court shall continue in office for seven years; the judges of the inferior court of common pleas in the several counties, justices of the peace clerks of the supreme court, clerks of the inferior courts of common pleas and quarter sessions, the attorney general, and provincial secretary, shall continue in office for five years, and the provintial treasurer shall continue in office for one year: and that they shall be severally appointed by the council and assembly, in manner aforesaid, and commissioned by the governor, or in his absence, by the vice president of the council. Provided, always, that the said officers, severally, shall be capable of being re-appointed, at the end of the terms severally before limited; and that any of the said officers shall be liable to be dismissed, when adjudged guilty of misbehaviour by the council, on an impeachment of the assembly.

13. That the inhabitants of each county qualified to vote as aforesaid, shall, at the time and place of electing their representatives, annually elect one sheriff, and one or more coroners; and that they may re-elect the same person to such offices until he shall have served three years, but no longer; after which, three years must elaps before the same person is capable of being elected again. When the election is certified to the governor, or vice president, under the hands of six freeholders of the

county for which they were elected, they shall be immediate ly commissioned to serve in their respective offices.

14. That the townships, at their annual town meetings for electing other officers, shall choose constables for the districts respectively; and also three or more judicious freeholders, of good character, to hear and finally determine all appeals, relative to unjust assessments, in cases of public taxation: which commissions of appeal shall, for that purpose, sit at some suitable time or times, to be by them appointed, and made known to the people by advertisements.

15. That the laws of this colony shall begin in the following style, viz.-" Be it enacted by the council and general assembly of this colony, and it is hereby enacted by the authority of the same;" that all commissions granted by the governor or vice president, shall run thus; "The colony of New Jersey to A B, &c. greeting;" and that all writs shall likewise run in the name of the colony; and that all indicments shall conclude in the following manner, viz. "Against the peace of this colony; the government and dignity of the same."

16. That all criminals shall be admitted to the same privileges of witnesses and counsel, as their prosecutors are or shall be entitled to.

17. That the estates of such persons as shall destroy their own lives, shall not, for that offence, be forfeited, but shall descend in the same manner as they would have done had such persons died in a natural way: nor shall any article which may occasion accidentally the death of any one, be henceforth deemed a deodand, or in any wise forfeited, on account of such misforture.

18. That no person shall ever, within this colony, be deprived of the inestimable privilege of worshipping Almighty God, in a manner agreeable to the dictates of his own conscience; nor, under any pretence whatever, be compelled to attend any place of worship, contrary to his own faith. and judgment: nor shall any person within this colony ever be obliged to pay tythes, taxes, or any other rates, for the purpose of building or repairing any other church or churches, place or places of worship, or for the maintenance of any minister or ministry, contrary to what he believes to be right, or has deliberately and voluntarily engaged himself to perform.

19. That there shall be no establishment of any one reliious sect in this province, in preference to another; and that

no protestant inhabitant of this colony shall be denied the enjoyment of any civil right, merely on account of his religious principles; but that all persons, professing a belief in the faith of any protestant sect who shall demean themselves peaceably under the government, as hereby established, shall be capable of being elected into any office of profit or trust, or being a member of either branch of the legislature, and shall fully and freely enjoy every privilege and immunity enjoyed by others their fellow-subjects.

20. That the legislative department of this colony may, as much as possible, be preserved from all suspicion of corruption, none of the judges of the supreme or other court, sheriffs, or any other person or persons, possessed of any post of profit under the government, other than justices of the peace, shall be entitled to a seat in assembly; but that on his being elected, and taking his seat, his office or post shall be considered as vacant.

21. That all the laws of this province, contained in the edition lately published by Mr. Allison, shall be and remain in full force, until altered by the legislature of this colony, such only excepted, as are incompatible with this charter, and shall be, according as heretofore, regarded in all respects, by all civil officers and others, the good people of this province.

22. That the common law of England, as well as so much of the statute law as has been heretofore practised in this colony, shall still remain in force, until they shall be altered by a future law of the legislature: such parts only excepted as are repugnant to the rights and privileges contained in this charter; and that the inestimable right of trial by jury shall remain confirmed, as a part of the law of this colony, without repeal, for ever.

23. That every person who shall be elected, as aforesaid to be a member of the legislative council or house of assembly, shall, previous to his taking his seat in council or assembly, take the following oath or affirmation, viz.

"I, A B, do solemnly declare, that as a member of the legislative council (or assembly, as the case may be) of the colony of New Jersey, I will not assent to any law, vote, or proceeding, which shall appear to me injurious to the public welfare of said colony, nor that shall annul or repeal that part of the third section, in the charter of this colony, which establishes that the elections of members of the legis lative council and assembly shall be annual: nor that part of

the twenty-second section in said charter, respecting the trial by jury, nor that shall annul, repeal, or alter any part or parts of the eighteenth or nineteenth sections of the same.

And any person or persons who shall be elected as aforesaid, is hereby empowered to administer to the said members the said oath or affirmation.

Provided, always, and it is the true intent and meaning of this congress, that, if a reconciliation between Great Britain and these colonies should take place, and the latter be again taken under the protection and government of the crown of Great Britain, this charter shall be null and void, otherwise to remain firm and inviolable.

In Provintial Congress,
Burlington, July 2, 1776.

By order of Congress:

SAMUEL TUCKER, President.

Extract from the minutes.

William Patterson, Secretary,

CONSTITUTION OF

PENNSYLVANIA,

As ratified in convention, the 2nd day of September, 1790.

WE the people of the commonwealth of Pennsylvania, ordain and establish this constitution for its government.

ARTICLE 1.

1. The legislative power of this commonwealth shall be vested in a general assembly, which shall consist of a senate and house of representatives.

2. The representatives shall be chosen annually, by the citizens of the city of Philadelphia, and of each county respectively, on the second Tuesday of October.

3. No person shall be a representative who shall not have attained the age of twenty-one years, and have been a citizen, and inhabitant of the state three years next preceding his election, and the last year thereof an inhabitant of the city or county in which he shall be chosen; unless he shall have been absent on the public business of the United States, or of this state. No person residing within any city, town, or borough, hich shall be entitled to a separate representation, shall be

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