legislature of both the said states; but by no other power or body whatsoever." SEC. 6. This constitution shall be enrolled on parchment, deposited in the secretary's office, and be the supreme law of the state, and printed copies thereof shall be prefixed to the books containing the laws of this state. AMENDMENTS TO THE CONSTITUTION OF MAINE. Adopted in pursuance of the fourth section of the tenth article of the original constitution. ARTICLE I. The electors resident in any city may, at any meeting duly notified for the choice of representatives, vote for such representatives in their respective ward meetings, and the wardens in said wards shall preside impartially at such meetings, receive the votes of all qualified electors present, sort, count and declare them in open ward meetings, and in the presence of the ward clerk, who shall form a list of the persons voted for, with the number of votes for each person against his name, shall make a fair record thereof in the presence of the warden, and in open ward meeting; and a fair copy of this list shall be attested by the warden and ward clerk, sealed up in open ward meeting, and delivered to the city clerk within twenty four hours after the close of the polls. And the aldermen of any city shall be in session at their usual place of meeting, within twenty four hours after any election, and in the presence of the city clerk shall examine and compare the copies of said lists, and in case any person shall have received a majority of all the votes, he shall be declared elected by the aldermen, and the city clerk of any city shall make a record thereof, and the aldermen and city clerk shall deliver certified copies of such lists to the person or persons so elected, within ten days after the election. And the electors resident in any city may at any meetings duly notified and holden for the choice of any other civil officers, for whom they have been required heretofore to vote in town meeting, vote for such officers in their respective wards, and the same proceedings shall be had by the warden and ward clerk in each ward, as in the case of votes for representatives. And the aldermen of any city shall be in session within twenty four hours after the close of the polls in such meetings, and in the presence of the city clerk shall open, examine and compare the copies from the lists of votes given in the several wards, of which the city clerk shall make a record, and return thereof shall be made into the secretary of state's office in the same manner as selectmen of towns are required to do. ARTICLE II. No person before conviction shall be bailable for any of the crimes, which now are, or have been denominated capital offenses since the adoption of the constitution, where the proof is evident or the presumption great, whatever the punishment of the crimes may be. ARTICLE III. All judicial officers now in office or who may be hereafter appointed shall, from and after the first day of March in the year eighteen hundred and forty, hold their offices for the term of seven years from the time of their respective appointments (unless sooner removed by impeachment or by address of both branches of the legislature to the executive) and no longer, unless reappointed thereto. ARTICLE IV. The second section, article fourth, part first, of the constitution, is amended by substituting the words one hundred and fifty one for "not less than one hundred nor more than two hundred," before the word "members" in said section, so as to establish the number of representatives for the state at the number of one hundred and fifty one; and the latter part of said section, being the words and sentences following: "and, whenever the number of representatives shall be two hundred, at the next annual meetings of election which shall thereafter be had, and at every subsequent period of ten years, the people shall give in their votes, whether the number of representatives shall be increased or diminished, and if a majority of votes are in favor thereof, it shall be the duty of the next legislature thereafter to increase or diminish the number by the rule hereinafter prescribed," shall not be a part of the constitution; but one hundred and fifty one representatives shall be apportioned according to the rule in this constitution. ARTICLE V. [* The annual meeting of the legislature shall be on the second Wednesday of May, in each year; and the governor and other state officers elected for the political year commencing on the first Wednesday of January, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and forty five, shall hold their offices till the second Wednesday of May, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and forty-six.] ARTICLE VI. The credit of the state shall not be directly or indirectly loaned in any case. The legislature shall not create any debt or debts, liability or liabilities, on behalf of the state, which shall singly, or in the aggregate, with previous debts and liabilities hereafter incurred at any one time, exceed three hundred thousand dollars, except to suppress insurrection, to repel invasion, or for purposes of war; but this amendment shall not be construed to refer to any money that has been, or may be deposited with this state by the government of the United States, or to any fund which the state shall hold in trust for any Indian tribe. ARTICLE VII. The constitution of this state is amended in the fifth section of the first part of the fourth article, by striking out the words, "a majority of all the " and inserting instead * Annulled. See 8th Amendment. |