have authority to punish, by imprisonment, every person who shall be guilty of disrespect to the House, in its presence, by any disorderly and contemptuous behaviour, or by threatening, or ill-treating, any of its members, or by obstructing its deliberations; every person guilty of a breach of its privileges, in making arrests for debt, or assaulting any member during his attendance at any session; in assaulting or disturbing any one of its officers in the execution of any order or procedure of the House; in assaulting any witness, or other person ordered to attend, by and during his attendance of the House, or in rescuing any person arrested by order of the House, knowing them to be such. The Senate, Governor and Council, shall have the same powers in like cases: provided that no imprisonment by either, for any offence, exceed ten days.

The journals of the proceedings, and all the public acts of both Houses of the Legislature, shall be printed and published immediately after every adjournment or prorogation; and upon motion made by any one member, the yeas and nays, upon any question, shall be entered in the journals: And any member of the Senate, or House of Representatives, shall have a right, on motion made at the time for that purpose, to have his protest, or dissent, with the reasons against any vote, resolve, or bill passed, entered on the journals.

EXECUTIVE POWER.

GOVERNOR.

THE Governor shall be chosen annually, in the month of March; and the votes for Governor shall be received, sorted, counted, certified, and returned, in the same manner as the votes for Senators; and the Secretary shall lay the same before the Senate and House of Representatives, on the last Wednesday of October, to be by them examined; and in case of an election by a majority of votes through the State, the choice shall be by them declared and published.

And the qualifications of electors of the Governor shall be the same as those for Senators; and if no person shall have a majority of votes, the Senate and House of Representatives shall, by joint ballot, elect one

of

of the two persons having the highest number of votes, who shall be declared Governor.

And no person shall be eligible to this office, unless, ́ at the time of his election, he shall have been an inhab→ itant of this State for seven years next preceding, and unless he shall be of the age of thirty years, and unless he shall, at the same time, have an estate of the value of five hundred pounds, one half of which shall consist of a freehold, in his own right, within this State.

In cases of disagreement between the two Houses, with regard to the time or place of adjournment or prorogation, the Governor with the advice of Council, shall have a right to adjourn or prorogue the General Court, not exceeding seven months at any one time, as he may determine the public good may require, to meet at the place where the General Court shall be at that time sitting; and he shall dissolve the same seven days before the said last Wednesday of October.

And, in case of any infectious distemper prevailing in the place where the said Court at any time is to convene, or any other cause, whereby dangers may arise to the health or lives of the members from their attendance, the Governor may direct the session to be holden at some other the most convenient place within the State.

Every bill which shall have passed both Houses of the General Court, shall, before it become a law, be presented to the Governor; if he approve, he shall sign it, but if not, he shall return it, with his objections, to that House in which it shall have originated, who shall enter the objections at large on their journal, and proceed to consider it; if, after such reconsideration, twothirds of that House shall agree to pass the bill, it shall be sent, together with such objections, to the other House, by which it shall likewise be reconsidered, and if approved by two-thirds of that House, it shall become a law. But in all such cases the votes of both Houses shall be determined by yeas and nays, and the names of the persons voting, for or against the bill, shall be entered on the journal of each House respectively. any bill shall not be returned by the Governor, within

If

five days (Sundays excepted) after it shall have been presented to him, the same shall be a law, in like manner as if he had signed it, unless the Legislature, by their adjournment, prevent its return, in which case it shall not be a law.

Every resolve shall be presented to the Governor, and, before the same shall take effect, shall be approved by him, or being disapproved by him, shall be repassed by the Senate and House of Representatives, according to the rules and limitations prescribed in the case of a bill.

All judicial officers, the Attorney-General, Solicitors, all Sheriffs, Coroners, Registers of Probate, and all officers of the navy, and general and field officers of the militia, shall be nominated and appointed by the Governor and Council; and every such nomination shall be made at least three days prior to such appointment; and no appointment shall take place, unless a majority of the Council agree thereto. The Governor and Council shall have a negative on each other, both in the nominations and appointments. Every nomination and appointment shall be signed by the Governor and Council, and every negative shall be also signed by the Governor or Council who made the same,

The captains and subalterns, in the respective regiments, shall be nominated by the field officers, and if approved by the Governor, shall be appointed by him.

Whenever the chair of the Governor shall become vacant, by reason of his death, absence from the State, or otherwise, the President of the Senate, shall, during such vacancy, have and exercise all the powers and authorities which, by this Constitution, the Governor is vested with, when personally present; but when the President of the Senate shall exercise the office of Governor, he shall not hold his office in the Senate.

The Governor, with advice of Council, shall have full power and authority, in the recess of the General Court, to prorogue the same from time to time, not exceeding seven months, in any one recess of said Court; and during the session of said Court, to adjourn or prorogue it to any time the two Houses may desire, and to call. it together sooner than the time to which it may be ad

journ

journed, or prorogued, if the welfare of the Senate should require the same.

The Governor of the State for the time being shall be commander in chief of the army and navy, and all the military forces of this State, by sea and land; and shall have full power by himself, or by any chief commander, or other officer, or officers, from time to time, to train, instruct, exercise and govern the militia and navy; and for the special defence and safety of this State, to assemble in martial array, and put in warlike posture, the inhabitants thereof, and to lead and conduct them, and with them to encounter, expulse, repel, resist and persue by force of arms, as well by sea as by land, within and without the limits of this State; and also to kill, slay, destroy, if necessary, and conquer by all fitting ways, enterprize and means, all and every such person and persons as shall, at any time hereafter, in a hostile manner, attempt or enterprize the destruction, invasion, detriment or annoyance of this State'; and to use and exercise over the army and navy, and over the militia in actual service, the law martial in time of war, invasion, and also in rebellion, declared by the Legislature to exist, as occasion shall necessarily require. And surprize by all ways and means whatsoever, all and every such person or persons, with their ships, arms, ammunition, and other goods, as shall in a hostile manner invade or attempt the invading, conquering or annoying this State: And in fine, the Governor hereby is entrusted with all other powers incident to the office of Captain-General and Commander in Chief and Admiral, to be exercised agreeably to the rules and regulations of the Constitution, and the laws of the land: Provided, that the Governor shall not, at any time hereafter, by virtue of any power by this Constitution granted, or hereafter to be granted to him by the Legislature, transport any of the inhabitants of this State, or oblige them to march out of the limits of the same, without their free and voluntary consent, or the consent of the General Court,nor grantcommissions for exercising the law-martial in any case, without the advice and consent of the Council. The power of pardoning offences, except such as per

sons

sons may be convicted of before the Senate, by impeachment of the House, shall be in the Governor, by and ́with the advice of the Council: But no charter of pardon granted by the Governor, with advice of Council, before conviction, shall avail the party pleading the same, notwithstanding any general or particular expressions contained therein, descriptive of the offence or offences intended to be pardoned.

No officer duly commissioned to command in the militia shall be removed from his office, but by the address of both Houses to the Governor, or by fair trial in court-martial, pursuant to the laws of the State for the time being.

The commanding officers of the regiments shall appoint their Adjutants, and Quarter-Masters; the Brigadiers, their Brigade-Majors; the Major-Generals, their Aids; the Captains and Subalterns, their non-commissioned officers.

The Governor and Council shall appoint all officers of the continental army, whom, by the confederation of the United States, it is provided that this State shall appoint; as also all officers of forts and garrisons.

The division of the militia into brigades, regiments, and companies, made in pursuance of the militia laws now in force, shall be considered as the proper division of the militia of this State, until the same shall be altered by some future law.

No monies shall be issued out the treasury of this State, and disposed of, (except such sums as may be appropriated for the redemption of bills of credit, or Treasurer's notes, or for the payment of interest arising thereon) but by warrant under the hand of the Governor for the time being, by and with the advice and consent of the Council for the necessary support and defence of this State, and for the necessary protection and preservation of the inhabitants thereof, agreeably to the acts and resolves of the General Court.

All public boards, the Commissary-General, all superintending officers of public magazines and stores, belonging to this State, and all commanding officers of forts and garrisons within the same, shall, once in every

three