years from and after the Wednesday after the first Monday of the next succeeding January. Those persons elected Judges of Probate on the first Monday of April, 1876, shall hold their offices only until the Wednesday after the first Monday of January, 1877. ARTICLE XXII (Adopted October, 1876) The compensation of members of the General Assembly shall not exceed three hundred dollars per annum, and one mileage each way for each session, at the rate of twenty-five cents per mile." ARTICLE XXIII (Adopted October, 1876) That Article VIII of the amendments to the Constitution be amended by erasing the word "white" from the first line. ARTICLE XXIV (Adopted October, 1877) Neither the General Assembly nor any County, City, Borough, Town, or School District shall have power to pay or grant any extra compensation to any public officer, employe, agent, or servant, or increase the compensation of any public officer or employe, to take effect during the continuance in office of any person whose salary might be increased thereby, or increase the pay or compensation of any public contractor above the amount specified in the contract. ARTICLE XXV (Adopted October, 1877) No County, City, Town, Borough, or other municipality shall ever subscribe to the capital stock of any railroad corporation, or become a purchaser of the bonds, or make donation to, or loan its credit, directly or indirectly, in aid of any such corporation; but nothing herein contained shall affect the validity of any bonds or debts incurred under existing laws, nor be construed to prohibit the General Assembly from authorizing any Town or City to protect, by additional appropriations of money or credit, any railroad debt contracted prior to the adoption of this amendment. ARTICLE XXVI (Adopted October, 1880) The Judges of the Supreme Court of Errors and of the Superior Court shall, upon nomination of the Governor, be appointed by the General Assembly, in such manner as shall by law be prescribed. a Altered by amendment of 1884. ARTICLE XXVII (Adopted October, 1884) SECTION 1. A general election for Governor, Lieutenant-Governor, Secretary, Treasurer, Comptroller, and members of the General Assembly, shall be held on the Tuesday after the first Monday of November, 1886, and biennially thereafter for such officers as are herein and may be hereafter prescribed. SEC. 2. The State officers above named, and members of the General Assembly, elected on the Tuesday after the first Monday of November, 1886, and those elected biennially thereafter on the Tuesday after the first Monday of November, shall hold their respective offices from the Wednesday following the first Monday of the next succeeding January until the Wednesday after the first Monday of the third succeeding January, and until their successors are duly qualified. SEC. 3. The compensation of members of the General Assembly shall not exceed three hundred dollars for the term for which they are elected, and one mileage each way for the regular session, at the rate of twenty-five cents per mile; they shall also receive one mileage at the same rate for attending any extra session called by the Governor. SEC. 4. The regular sessions of the General Assembly shall commence on the Wednesday following the first Monday of the January next succeeding the election of its members. SEC. 5. The Senators elected on the Tuesday after the first Monday of November, 1885, shall hold their offices only until the Wednesday after the first Monday of January, 1887. ARTICLE XXVIII (Adopted October, 1886) Sheriffs shall be elected in the several counties on the Tuesday after the first Monday of November, 1886, and quadrennially thereafter, for the term of four years, commencing on the first day of June following their election. ARTICLE XXIX (Adopted October, 1897) Every person shall be able to read in the English language any article of the Constitution or any section of the Statutes of this State before being admitted an elector. ARTICLE XXX (Adopted October, 1901) In the election for Governor, Lieutenant-Governor, Secretary, Treasurer, Comptroller, and Attorney-General, the person found by the General Assembly, in the manner provided in the fourth article of the Constitution of this State, to have received the greatest number of votes for each of said offices respectively, shall be declared by said Assembly to be elected. But if two or more persons shall be found to have an equal and the greatest number of votes for any of said offices, then the General Assembly, on the second day of its session, by joint ballot of both houses, shall proceed without debate to choose said officer from a list of the names of the persons found to have an equal and greatest number of votes for said office. ARTICLE ΧΧΧΙ (Adopted October, 1901) SECTION 1. From and after the Wednesday after the first Monday of January, 1905, the Senate shall be composed of not less than twenty-four and not more than thirty-six members, who shall be elected at the electors' meetings held biennially on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November. SEC. 2. The General Assembly which shall be held on the Wednesday after the first Monday of January, 1903, shall divide the State into senatorial districts, as hereinafter provided; the number of such districts shall not be less than twenty-four nor more than thirty-six, and each district shall elect only one Senator. The districts shall always be composed of contiguous territory, and in forming them regard shall be had to population in the several districts, that the same may be as nearly equal as possible under the limitations of this amendment. Neither the whole or a part of one county shall be joined to the whole or a part of another county to form a district, and no town shall be divided, unless for the purpose of forming more than one district wholly within such town, and each county shall have at least one Senator. The districts, when established as hereinafter provided, shall continue the same until the session of the General Assembly next after the completion of the next census of the United States, which General Assembly shall have power to alter the same, if found necessary to preserve a proper equality of population in each district, but only in accordance with the principles above recited; after which said districts shall not be altered, nor the number of Senators altered, except at a session of the General Assembly next after the completion of a census of the United States, and then only in accordance with the principles hereinbefore provided. ARTICLE XXXII (Adopted October, 1905) Each town shall, annually, or biennially, as the electors of the town may determine, elect selectmen and such officers of local police as the laws may prescribe. ARTICLE XXXIII Voting machines or other mechanical devices for voting may be used in all elections in this state, under such regulations as may be prescribed by law; provided, however, that the right of secret voting shall be preserved. DELAWARE For organic acts relating to the land now included within Delaware, see in other parts of this work : Virginia Charter of 1606 (Virginia, p. 3783). Grant to the Duke of York, 1664 (Maine, p. 1637). Grant to Penn, 1681 (Pennsylvania, p. 3035). Concessions to Pennsylvania, 1681 (Pennsylvania, p. 3044). Frames of Government of Pennsylvania, 1682, 1683, 1696 (Pennsylvania, pp. 3052, 3064, 3070). For the charter to the Swedish South Company see Hazard, Annals of Pennsylvania, pp. 16-20, Jameson, William Usselinx, 114–117. CHARTER OF DELAWARE-1701 * a WILLIAM PENN, Proprietary and Governor of the Province of Pennsylvania and Territories thereunto belonging, To all to whom these Presents shall come, sendeth Greeting. WHEREAS King CHARLES the Second, by his Letter Patents, under the Great Seal of England, bearing Date the Fourth Day of March, in the Year One Thousand Six Hundred and Eighty, was graciously pleased to give and grant unto me, and my Heirs and Assigns for ever, this Province of Pennsylvania, with divers great Powers and Jurisdictions for the well Government thereof. AND WHEREAS the King's dearest Brother, JAMES Duke of YORK and ALBANY, &c. by his Deeds of Feoffment, under his Hand and Seal duly perfected, bearing Date the Twenty-Fourth Day of August, One Thousand Six Hundred Eighty and Two, did grant unto me, my Heirs and Assigns, all that Tract of Land, now called the Territories of Pennsylvania, together with Powers and Jurisdictions for the good Government thereof. AND WHEREAS, for the Encouragement of all the Freemen and Planters, that might be concerned in the said Province and Territories, and for the good Government thereof, I the said WILLIAM PENN, in the Year One Thousand Six Hundred Eighty and Three, for me, my Heirs and Assigns, did grant and confirm unto all the Freemen, Planters and Adventurers therein, divers Liberties, Franchises and Properties, as by the said Grant, entituled, The FRAME of * Laws of the Government of New Castle, Kent, and Sussex Upon Delaware, Published by Order of the Assembly, Philadelphia: Printed and sold by B. Franklin, at the New Printing Office, Market-Street, MDCCXLI, 3–8. a The counties of " New-Castle, Kent and Sussex, upon Delaware." were granted by James Duke of York, to William Penn in 1682, and were known as 'the Territories." 7251-VOL 1-07-38 557 |