elected; of the court number three Judges Ludlow, Finletter and Lynd; and of the court number four Judges Thayer, Briggs and one other judge to be elected. The judge first named shall be the President Judge of said courts respectively, and thereafter the President Judge shall be the judge oldest in commission; but any President Judge, re-elected in the same court or district, shall continue to be President Judge thereof. The additional judges for courts numbers two and four shall be voted for and elected at the first general election after the adoption of this Constitution, in the same manner as the two additional judges of the Supreme Court, and they shall decide by lot to which court they shall belong. Their term of office shall commence on the first Monday of January, in the year one thousand eight hundred and seventy-five.

Organization of Common Pleas Courts in Allegheny County.

Sec. 19. In the county of Allegheny, for the purpose of first organization under this Constitution, the judges of the court of Common Pleas, at the time of the adoption of this Constitution, shall be the judges of the court number one, and the judges of the District Court, at the same date. shall be the judges of the Common Pleas number two. The President Judges of the Common Pleas and District Court shall be President Judge of said courts number one and two, respectively, until their offices shall end; and thereafter the judge oldest in commission shall be President Judge; but any President Judge re-elected in the same court, or district, shall continue to be President Judge thereof.

When Organization of Common Pleas Courts in Philadelphia and Allegheny Counties Shall Take Effect.

Sec. 20. The organization of the courts of Common Pleas under this Constitution for the counties of Philadelphia and Allegheny shall take effect on the first Monday of January, one thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, and existing courts in said counties shall continue with their present powers and jurisdiction until that date, but no new suits shall be instituted in the courts of Nisi Prius after the adoption of this Constitution.

Trial and Disposition of Causes and Transfer of Records in Philadelphia County.

Sec. 21. The causes and proceedings pending in the court of Nisi Prius court of Common Pleas, and District Court in Philadelphia shall be tried and disposed of in the court of Common Pleas. The records and dockets of said courts shall be transferred to the prothonotary's office of said county.

Trial and Disposition of Causes in Allegheny County.

Sec. 22. The causes and proceedings pending in the court of Common Pleas in the county of Allegheny shall be tried and disposed of in the court number one; and the causes and proceedings pending in the District Court shall be tried and disposed of in the court number two.

Appointment of Prothonotary of Philadelphia-Clerk of Quarter Sessions. Sec. 23. The Prothonotary of the court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia shall be first appointed by the judges of said court on the first Monday of December, in the year one thousand eight hundred and seventyfive, and the present Prothonotary of the District Court in said county shall be the Prothonotary of the said court of Common Pleas until said date when his commission shall expire, and the present Clerk of the court of Oyer and Terminer and Quarter Sessions of the Peace in Philadelphia shall be the Clerk of such court until the expiration of his present commission on the first Monday of December, in the year one thousand eight hundred and seventy-five.

Aldermen in Cities other than Philadelphia Containing over Fifty Thousand Inhabitants.

Sec. 24. In cities containing over fifty thousand inhabitants, except Philadelphia, all aldermen in office at the time of the adoption of this Constitution shall continue in office until the expiration of their commissions, and at the election for city and ward officers in the year one thousand eight hundred and seventy-five one alderman shall be elected in each ward as provided in this Constitution.

Magistrates to Succeed Aldermen in Philadelphia.

Sec. 25. In Philadelphia magistrates in lieu of aldermen shall be chosen, as required in this Constitution, at the election in said city for city and ward officers in the year one thousand eight hundred and seventy-five; their term of office shall commence on the first Monday of April succeeding their election. The terms of office of aldermen in said city holding or entitled to commissions at the time of the adoption of this Constitution shall not be affected thereby.

Expiration of Term of Present Officers.

Sec. 26. All persons in office in this Commonwealth at the time of the adoption of this Constitution, and at the first election under it, shall hold their respective offices until the term for which they have been elected or appointed shall expire, and until their successors shall be duly quali fied, unless otherwise provided in this Constitution.

Commonwealth v. Kilgore, 82 P. S., 396.

Administration of Oath of Office.

Sec. 27. The seventh article of this Constitution prescribing an oath of office shall take effect on and after the first day of January, one thousand eight hundred and seventy-five.

Expiration of Terms of Present County Commissioners and Auditors. Sec. 28. The terms of office of County Commissioners and County Auditors, chosen prior to the year one thousand eight hundred and seventyfive, which shall not have expired before the first Monday of January in the year one thousand eight hundred and seventy-six, shall expire on that day.

Compensation of Present Officers may Include Fees.

Sec. 29. All state, county, city, ward, borough and township officers in office at the time of the adoption of this Constitution, whose compensation is not provided for by salaries alone, shall continue to receive the compensation allowed them by law until the expiration of their respective terms of office.

State and Judicial Officers now in Office to take Oath to Support this
Constitution.

Sec. 30. All state and judicial officers heretofore elected, sworn, affirmed, or in office when this Constitution shall take effect, shall severally, within one month after such adoption, take and subscribe an oath, or affirmation, to support this Constitution.

General Assembly to Pass Laws Necessary to Enforce Constitution.

Sec. 31. The General Assembly at its first session, or as soon as may be after the adoption of this Constitution, shall pass such laws as may be necessary to carry the same into full force and effect.

Ordinance Submitting Constitution to Vote of Electors Declared Valid. Sec. 32. The ordinance passed by this Convention entitled "An Ordinance for submitting the amended Constitution of Pennsylvania to a vote of the electors thereof" shall be held to be valid for all the purposes thereof.

The Term "County Commissioners” to Include the Philadelphia Commissioners.

Sec. 33. The words "County Commissioners," wherever used in this Constitution and in any ordinance accompanying the same, shall be held to include the Commissioners for the City of Philadelphia.

Date of Adoption by the Constitutional Convention -Signers. Adopted at Philadelphia, on the third day of November, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and seventy-three.

Vote on Question of Adoption of the Constitution of Pennsylvania

of 1873.

(The following is the vote at the election held on the 16th day of December, A. D., 1873, for and against the adoption of the new Constitution proposed by the Convention authorized by an act, entitled "An act to provide for the calling of a convention to amend the Constitution, approved by the Governor April 11, A. D. 1872.)