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OF THE

Legicial 2.1821.

STATE OF MAINE:~~-~~-

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PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY GOODALE, GLAZIER & CO.

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HARVARD

UNIVERSITY
LIBRARY
JPN 1977

HARVARD COLLEGE LIBRARY

1850 17

ADVERTISEMENT.

TN this Edition of the Laws, the following alterations in and

ade, which makes

with the classifiLaws made by the ty of the Legislathe Constitution of ppendix as in that g Maine into the

Union is added in this edition, and follows the Law last mentioned-The Ordinance of the Convention, determining the Style and Title of the State is likewise added, and immediately precedes the Constitution of the State.

The typographical errors as certified by the Secretary in the State Edition, have been carefully corrected in this.Many supposed errors have been discovered in the Laws, which we should have wished to have seen corrected, if, with propriety, we could have assumed the authority to have done it. Two supposed errors, of some importance, are found in the Articles, or 'Terms of the Separation Law, as incorporated with the Constitution: One is an omission of the following clause at the end of the 19th line of the first Article, page 46 of this edition; viz. " and prosecute as a party, under the name and style of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts:" The other is in the sixth Article, and relates to the filling of the vacancies of the Commissioners provided for in that Article. The Secretary of State has been called on, upon the subject of these errors, and states that these "passages are printed as they stand in the engrossed copy of the Constitution of the State."-But they vary from the corresponding provisions, in the Separation Law contained in the printed Laws of both this State and Massachusetts.

There are many supposed verbal errors, as well as in punctuation, which, in some instances, render passages unintelligible as they stand; concerning some of these, inquiry has likewise been made of the Secretary of State, who states the

passages to be "correctly printed from the engrossed Bills," but to be "undoubtedly errors in engrossing."-These errors were to be regretted, but when we recollected that the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts, as stated in one of the volumes of Massachusetts Reports, gave construction to a clause of an important Statute of that State by merely shifting a comma from one part of the clause to another, we felt unwilling to alter punctuation, and more so, to alter words.

From these remarks, we may learn, that care and attention in the Engrossing Committee of the Legislature are of more consequence to the public, than, if we may judge from their work, they have heretofore considered it.--As a specimen and result of the care and attention of this Committee, which generally consists in taking the Rolls of the engrossed Bills from the engrossing Clerks and putting them into the hands of the proper officer to be passed to be enacted, we would refer our readers to the last clause, under the head of "Coroners' Fees" in the Fee Bill, page 344 of this edition.

We shall in future publish the General Laws of every Session of the Legislature in such form as to correspond with this edition.

MAY 22, 1822.

[THE following Resolve prefixed to the Edition of the LAWS published by direction of the Legislature of the State, from which this Edition is copied, shows at what Sessions of the Legislature the Laws contained in the same were passed, and the authority by which the Laws were classed, arranged, and chaptered.]

RESOLVE

Authorizing the Board of Jurisprudence to superintend the publication of the Laws. March 8, 1821.

RESOLVED, That the Board of Jurisprudence be, and they are hereby authorized to superintend and direct the printing of the Laws revised at the present Session of the Legislature, and to prefix thereto the Constitution of the United States, and of this State; classifying and arranging the whole, as to them may appear most convenient; and combining therewith, such of the Laws of the last Session, and the present Session, as are of a general nature; the whole to be accompanied with a suitable Index, Marginal Abstracts, References, and Table of Contents. And the said Board are hereby further empowered and directed to insert in an Appendix to the said Edition, such parts of the Laws by which the several Counties in this State have been erected, and their boundaries determined, as to them may appear necessary; and also such other Statutes or parts of Statutes, revised or not revised, as in their judgment may be useful and expedient.

CONSTITUTION

OF THE

UNITED STATES.

WE, the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquillity, provide for the common defence, promote the gen- Preamble. 'eral welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

ARTICLE I.

SECTION I.

powers vested

1. ALL legislative powers herein granted shall be vested Legislative in a Congress of the United States, which shall consist of a in Congress. Senate and House of Representatives.

SECT. II.

House of Rep

its members;

tions of Elec

A Representa

25 years; 7

of the U. S. and an inhabitant of

elected.

Representa

tives and direct portioned ac

1. The House of Representatives shall be composed of resentatives; members chosen every second year by the people of the by whom chosseveral States, and the Electors in each State shall have the en; qualificaqualifications requisite for Electors of the most numerous tors. branch of the State Legislature. 2. No person shall be a Representative who shall not have tive to be aged attained to the age of twenty-five years, and been seven years years a citizen a citizen of the United States, and who shall not, when elected, be an inhabitant of that State in which he shall be chosen. his State, when 3. Representatives and direct taxes shall be apportioned among the several States, which may be included within this Union, according to their respective numbers, which shall be determined by adding to the whole number of free persons, bers mcluding those bound to service for a term of years, and excluding Indians not taxed, three fifths of all other persons. The actual enumeration shall be made within three years Actual enumerafter the first meeting of the Congress of the United States, years. and within every subsequent term of ten years, in such manner as they shall by law direct. The number of Represen- Limitation of tatives shall not exceed one for every thirty thousand, but Representa each State shall have at least one Representative; and, until tives, &c.

axes to be ap

cording to num

ation every ten

the ratio of

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