next after their election, unless otherwise provided in this amended Constitution or Schedule.

SEC. 9. All the courts of justice now existing shall continue with their present jurisdiction, and the Chancellor and judges shall continue in office until the tenth day of June in the year one thousand eight hundred and ninetyseven; upon which day the said courts shall be abolished, and the offices of the said Chancellor and judges shall expire.

All writs of error, and appeals and proceedings which, on the said tenth day of June in the year one thousand eight hundred and ninety-seven shall be depending in the Court of Errors and Appeals, and all the books, records and papers of said court, shall be transferred to the Supreme Court established by this amended Constitution; and the said writs of error, appeals and proceedings shall be proceeded in the said Supreme Court to final judgment, decree or other determination.

All suits, proceedings, and matters which, on the said tenth day of June in the year one thousand eight hundred and ninety-seven. shall be depending in the Superior Court, and all books, records and papers of the said court. shall be transferred to the Superior Court established by this amended Constitution, and the said suits, proceedings and matters shall be proceeded in to final judgment, or determination, in the said Superior Court established by this amended Constitution.

All indictments, proceedings and matters which, on the said tenth day of June in the year one thousand eight hundred and ninety-seven, shall be de pending in the Court of General Sessions of the Peace and Jail Delivery, shall be transferred to and proceeded in to final judgment and determination in the Court of General Sessions established by this amended Constitution, or be otherwise disposed of by the Court of General Sessions, and all books, records and papers of said Court of General Sessions of the Peace and Jail Delivery shall be transferred to the said Court of General Sessions.

All indictments, proceedings and matters which, on the said tenth day of June in the year one thousand eight hundred and ninety-seven, shall be depending in the Court of Oyer and Terminer, shall be transferred to and proceeded in to final judgment and determination in the Court of Oyer and Terminer, established by this amended Constitution, and all books, records and papers of said Court of Oyer and Terminer shall be transferred to said Court of Oyer and Terminer established by this amended Constitution.

All suits. proceedings and matters which, on the said tenth day of June in the year one thousand eight hundred and ninety-seven, shall be depending in the Court of Chancery, or in the Orphans' Court, and all records, books and papers of said courts respectively, shall be transferred to Court of Chancery or Orphans' Court respectively, established by this amended Constitution; and the suits, proceedings and matters, shall be proceeded in to final decree, order or other determination,.

SEC. 10. Unless otherwise provided, the Registers' Courts and the jurisdiction of Justice of the Peace shall not be affected by this amended Constitution.

SEC. 11. If the Chancellor. Chief Justice or any Associate Judge in office at the time this amended Constitution shall take effect shall not be appointed Chancellor, Chief Justice or Associate Judge under this amended Constitution, be shall be entitled to receive the sum of fifteen hundred dollars per annum, payable quarterly, for five years, after the expiration of his office, if he shall so long live.

SEC. 12. The first biennial session of the General Assembly under this amended Constitution shall commence on the first Tuesday in January in the year one thousand eight hundred and ninety-nine.

SEC. 13. The provisions of Section 15 of Article II of this amended Constitution limiting the amount of the compensation of the members of the General Assembly and the presiding officers of the respective Houses shall not apply to any adjourned, special or extra session of the General Assembly held

prior to the first Tuesday in January in the year one thousand eight hundred and ninety-nine.

SEC. 14. Until the General Assembly shall enact a general incorporation law as provided for in Section 1 of Article IX of this amended Constitution, existing corporations may be renewed for a period not exceeding four years, without change or enlargement of their corporate powers or duties, in the manner lawful before this amended Constitution shall take effect.

SEC. 15. Until the General Assembly shall otherwise provide, guardians' accounts shall be filed with and be adjusted and settled by the Register of Wills for the county, and be subject to exception, hearing, adjustment and settlement in the Orphans' Court for the county as before this amended Coustitution took effect.

SEC. 16. Unless otherwise provided by this amended Constitution or Schedule, the terms of persons holding public offices to which they have been elected or appointed at the time this amended Constitution and Schedule shall take effect, shall not be vacated or otherwise affected thereby.

SEC. 17. One or more vacancies in the Board of Pardons shall not invalidate any act of the remaining members of said Board not less than three in number.

SEC. 18. All the laws of this State existing at the time this Constitution shall take effect, and not inconsistent with it, shall remain in force, except so far as they shall be altered by future laws.

SEC. 19. The General Assembly, as soon as conveniently may be after this Constitution shall take effect, shall enact all laws necessary or proper for carrying out the provisions thereof.

Done in convention, the fourth day of June in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and ninety-seven and of the Independence of the United States of America the one hundred and twenty-first.

In testimony whereof, we have hereunto subscribed our names.

Attest:

CHARLES R. JONES, Secretary of C. C.

JOHN BIGGS, President.

AMENDMENTS TO CONSTITUTION OF 1897.

AN ACT Proposing Amendments to Article 9 of the Constitution of the State of Delaware concerning Corporations.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the State of Delaware in General Assembly met (two-thirds of the members elected to each House agreeing):

Section 1. That the following amendments be and the same are hereby proposed to Article 9 of the Constitution of this State:

First. That all of Section 3 of Article 9 of the Constitution of this State after the word "Corporation," where it occurs the second time in Section 3, be stricken out. Sec. 2. That Section 6 of said Article be stricken out and in lieu thereof substitute and adopt the following, viz. :

"Section 6. Shares of the capital stock of corporations created under the laws of this State, when owned by persons or corporations without this State, shall not be subject to taxation by any law now existing or hereafter to be made.” Approved March 17, A. D. 1903.

AN ACT Proposing an Amendment to Section 4 of Article V, of the Constitution of this State by striking out of said Section all thereof which Requires the Payment of Money as a Qualification to Register.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the State of Delaware in General Assembly met (two-thirds of all the members elected to each House agreeing therein):

Section 1. That Section 4 of Article V of the Constitution this State, be and the same is hereby amended by striking out of said Section 4 the following words: "and each voter shall, at the time of his registration, pay a registration fee of one dollar, for the use of the County where such registration is paid." Approved January 21, A. D. 1907.

AN ACT Proposing an Amendment to Section 10 of Article II of the Constitution of the State of Delaware, in relation to the Journals of the Legislature.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the State of Delaware in General Assembly met (two-thirds of all the members elected to each House agreeing thereto):

Section 1. That Section 10 of Article II of the Constitution of the State of Delaware be amended by striking out all of said Section 10 of Article II and inserting in lieu thereof the following:

"Section 10. Each House shall keep a journal of its proceedings, and publish the same immediately after every session, except such parts as may require secrecy. The names of the members voting for and against any bill or joint resolution, except in relation to adjournment, shall on the final vote be entered on the journal; and the yeas and nays of the members on any question shall, at the desire of any member, be entered on the journal. No bill or joint resolution, except in relation to adjournment, shall pass either House unless the final vote shall have been taken by yeas and nays, nor without the concurrence of a majority of all the members elected to each House." Approved February 28, A. D. 1913.

AN ACT to Amend Section 19, Article II, of the Constitution of the State of Dela

ware.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the State of Delaware in General Assembly met (two-thirds of all the members of each House concurring therein) :

Section 1. That Section 19, Article 2, of the Constitution of the State of Delaware, be amended by adding to the end thereof the following words: "provided, however, that the General Assembly may by a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each House pass laws relating to the laying out, opening, alteration or maintenance of any road or highway which forms a continuous road or highway extending through at least a portion of the three counties of the State." Approved March 17. A. D. 1913.

AN ACT Proposing Certain Amendments to Article IV of the Constitution of this State, relating to the number of Judges constituting a quorum in the Superior Court, the Court of General Sessions and the Court of Oyer and Terminer, the sessions of said courts, and the distribution of the business therein, respectively. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the State of Delaware in General Assembly met (two-thirds of all the members elected to each House agreeing thereto):—

Section 1. That Section 5 of Article IV of the Constitution of this State be, and the same is, hereby amended by striking out all of said Section after the first paragraph thereof and substituting therefor the following new paragraph, to-wit:

"The said five judges shall designate those of their number, who shall hold the said Courts in the several Counties. 'No more than three of them shall sit together in any of the said Courts. In each of the said Courts the Chief Justice when present shall preside, and in his absence the senior Associate Judge present shall preside.

"One shall constitute a quorum in the said Courts, respectively, except in the Court of Oyer and Terminer, where three shall constitute a quorum, and except in the Superior Court sitting to hear appeals from the Orphans' Court or a Register's Court, when two shall constitute a quorum, and except in the Court of General Sessions sitting to try cases of prosecution under Section 8 of Article V of this Constitution or sitting to hear contested applications for license to sell intoxicating liquors, when two shall constitute a quorum. One judge may open and adjourn any of said Courts."

Sec. 2. That Article IV of the Constitution of this State be, and the same is. hereby amended by striking out all of Section 6 thereof and substituting therefor the following new Section 6, to-wit:

"Section 6. Subject to the provisions of Section 5 of this Article, two or more sessions of the Superior Court, or Court of General Sessions, or one or more sessions of each of the said Court, or one session of the Court of Oyer and Terminer, and one or two of either, or one of each of the other of the said courts, may at the same time be held in the same County or in different counties, and the business in the several counties may be distributed and apportioned in such manner as shall be provided by the rules of the said courts respectively." Approved March 12, A. D. 1913.

CONSTITUTION OF FLORIDA-1885.*

PREAMBLE.

We, the people of the State of Florida, grateful to Almighty God for our constitutional liberty, in order to secure its blessings and to form a more perfect government, insuring domestic tranquility, maintaining public order, and guaranteeing equal civil and political rights to all, do ordain and establish this Constitution.

DECLARATION OF RIGHTS.

SECTION 1. All men are equal before the law, and have certain inalienable rights, among which are those of enjoying and defending life and liberty, acquiring, possessing and protecting property, and pursuing happiness and obtaining safety.

SEC. 2. All political power is inherent in the people. Government is instituted for the protection, security and benefit of the citizens, and they have the right to alter or amend the same whenever the public good may require it; but the paramount allegiance of every citizen is due to the Federal Government, and the people of this State have no power to dissolve its connection therewith. SEC. 3. The right of trial by jury shall be secured to all, and remain inviolate forever.

SEC. 4. All courts in this State shall be open, so that every person for any injury done him in his lands, goods, person or reputation shall have remedy, by due course of law, and right and justice shall be administered without sale, denial or delay.

SEC. 5. The free exercise and enjoyment of religious profession and worship shall forever be allowed in this State, and no person shall be rendered incompetent as a witness on account of his religious opinions; but the liberty of conscience hereby secured shall not be so construed as to justify licentiousness or practices subversive of, or inconsistent with, the peace or moral safety of the State or society.

SEC. 6. No preference shall be given by law to any church, sect or mode of worship, and no money shall ever be taken from the public treasury directly or indirectly in aid of any church, sect or religious denomination, or in aid of any sectarian institution.

SEC. 7. The writ of habeas corpus shall be grantable speedily and of right, freely and without cost, and shall never be suspended unless, in case of rebellion or invasion, the public safety may require its suspension.

SEC. 8. Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines be imposed, nor cruel or unusual punishment or indefinite imprisonment be allowed, nor shall witnesses be unreasonably detained.

SEC. 9. All persons shall be bailable by sufficient sureties. except for capital offenses, where the proof is evident or the presumption great.

SEC. 10. No person shall be tried for a capital crime or other felony, unless on presentment or indictment by a grand jury, except as is otherwise provided in this Constitution, and except in cases of impeachment, and in cases in the militia when in active service in time of war, or which the State, with the consent of Congress, may keep in time of peace.

SEC. 11. In all criminal prosecutions the accused shall have the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury, in the county where the crime was committed, and shall be heard by himself, or counsel, or both, to demand

*The constitution of Florida was drafted by a convention which met at Tallahassee on June 9, 1885, and completed its labors on August 3, 1885. At the November election of 1886, the constitution as a whole and Article XIX were submitted to the voters for ratification. The constitution was ratified by a vote of 31,803 to 21,243 and Article XIX, concerning local option relative to the sale of intoxicating liquors, was ratified by a vote of 29,831 to 12,902. The constitution became effective on January 1, 1887.

the nature and cause of the accusation against him. to meet the witnesses against him face to face, and have compulsory process for the attendance of witnesses in his favor, and shall be furnished with a copy of the indictment against him.

SEC. 12. No person shall be subject to be twice put in jeopardy for the same offense, nor compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty or property without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken without just compensation.

SEC. 13. Every person may fully speak and write his sentiments on all subjects, being responsible for the abuse of that right, and no laws shall be passed to restrain or abridge the liberty of speech or of the press. In all criminal prosecutions and civil actions for libel the truth may be given in evidence to the jury, and if it shall appear that the matter charged as libelous is true. and was published for good motives, the party shall be acquitted or exonerated. SEC. 14. No person shall be compelled to pay costs except after conviction. on a final trial.

SEC. 15. The people shall have the right to assemble together to consult for the common good, to instruct their representatives, and to petition the Legislature for redress of grievances.

SEC. 16. No person shall be imprisoned for debt except in cases of fraud. SEC. 17. No bill of attainder, ex post facto law, nor any law impairing the obligation of contracts, shall ever be passed.

SEC. 18. Foreigners shall have the same rights as to the ownership, inheritance and disposition of property in this State as citizens of the State.

SEC. 19. Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime, whereof the party has been duly convicted, shall ever be allowed in this State.

SEC. 20. The right of the people to bear arms in defense of themselves and the lawful authority of the State, shall not be infringed, but the Legislature may prescribe the manner in which they may be borne.

SEC. 21. The military shall in all cases and at all times be in strict subordination to the civil power.

SEC. 22. The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers and effects against unreasonable seizures and searches, shall not be violated, and no warrants issued but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation particularly describing the place or places to be searched, and the person or persons, and thing or things to be seized.

SEC. 23. Treason against the State shall consist only in levying war against it, adhering to its enemies, or giving them aid and comfort; and no person shall be convicted of treason except on the testimony of two witnesses to the same overt act, or confession in open court, and no conviction for treason shall work corruption of blood, or forfeiture of estate.

SEC. 24. This enunciation of rights shall not be construed to impair or deny others retained by the people.

ARTICLE Í.
BOUNDARIES.

The boundaries of the State of Florida shall be as follows: Commencing at the mouth of the river Perdido; from thence up the middle of said river to where it intersects the south boundary line of the State of Alabama, and the thirty-first degree of north latitude; thence due east to the Chattahoochee river; thence down the middle of said river to its confluence with the Flint river; thence straight to the head of the St. Marys river; thence down the middle of said river to the Atlantic ocean; thence southeastwardly along the coast to the edge of the Gulf stream; thence southwestwardly along the edge of the Gulf stream and Florida Reefs to and including the Tortugas Islands; thence northeastwardly to a point three leagues from the mainland: thence northwestwardly three leagues from the land, to a point west of the mouth of the Perdido river; thence to the place of beginning.