Gambar halaman
PDF
ePub

ment of a grand jury; and in every trial on impeachment or indictment, the party accused shall be allowed counsel as in civil actions. No person shall be subject, for the same offence, to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall he be compelled, in any criminal case, to be a witness against himself; nor be deprived of life or liberty, or property, without due process of law: Nor shall private property be taken for public use without just compensation.

SEC. VIII. Every citizen may freely speak, write and publish his sentiments, on all subjects, being responsible for the abuse of that right; and no law shall be passed to restrain or abridge the liberty of speech or of the press. In all prosecutions or indictments for libels, the truth may be given in evidence to the jury; and if it shall appear to the jury, that the matter charged as libellous is true, and was published with good motives, and for justifiable ends, the party shall be acquitted; and the jury shall have the right to determine the law and the fact.

SEC. IX. The assent of two thirds of the members elected to each branch of the legislature shall be requisite to every bill appropriating the public moneys or property, for local or private purposes, or creating, continuing, altering, or renewing any body politic or corporate.

SEC. X. The proceeds of all lands belonging to this state, except such parts thereof as may be reserved or appropriated to public use, or ceded to the United States, which shall hereafter be sold or disposed of, together with the fund denominated the common school fund, shall be and remain a perpetual fund; the interest of which shall be inviolably appropriated and applied to the support of common schools throughout this state. Rates of toll, not less than those agreed to by the canal commissioners, and set forth in their report to the legislature of the twelfth of March, one thousand eight hundred and twenty-one, shall be imposed on, and collected from, all parts of the navigable communications between the great western and northern lakes and the Atlantic ocean, which now are,or hereafter shall be, made and completed; And the said tolls, together with the duties on the manufacture of all salt, as established by the act of the fifteenth of April, one thousand eight hundred and seventeen; and the duties on goods sold at auction, excepting therefrom the sum of thirty-three thousand five hundred dollars, otherwise appropriated by the said act; and the amount of the revenue, established

by the act of the legislature of the thirteenth of March, one thousand eight hundred and twenty, in lieu of the tax upon Steam-boat pas sengers, shall be and remain inviolably appropriated and applied to the completion of such navigable communications, and to the payment of the interest, and reimbursement of the capital, of the money already borrowed, or which hereafter shall be borrowed, to make and complete the same. And neither the rates of toll on the said navigable communications; nor the duties on the manufacture of salt aforesaid; nor the duties on goods sold at auction, as established by the act of the fifteenth of April one thousand eight hundred and seventeen; nor the amount of the revenue established by the act of March the thirteenth, one thousand eight hundred and twenty, in lieu of the tax upon Steam-boat passengers; shall be reduced or diverted, at any time before the full and complete payment of the principal and interest of the money borrowed, or to be borrowed, as aforesaid. And the legislature shall never sell or dispose of the salt springs belonging to this state, nor the lands contiguous thereto, which may be necessary or convenient for their use, nor the said navigable communications, or any part or section thereof; but the same shall be and remain the property of this state.

SEC. XI. No Lottery shall hereafter be authorized in this state; and the legislature shall pass laws to prevent the sale of all lottery tickets within this state, except in lotteries already provided for by law.

SEC. XII. No purchase or contract for the sale of lands in this state made, since the fourteenth day of October, one thousand seven hundred and seventy five, or which may hereafter be made, of or with the Indians in this state, shall be valid, unless made under the authority, and with the consent, of the legislature

SEC. XIII. Such parts of the common law, and of, the acts of the legislature of the colony of New-York, as together did form the law of the said colony on the nineteenth day of April, one thousand seven hundred and seventy-five, and the resolutions of the congress of the said colony, and of the convention of the state of New-York, in force on the twentieth day of April, one thousand seven hundred and seventy-seven, which have not since expired, or been repealed, or altered; and such acts of the legislature of this state as are now in force, shall be and continue the law of this state, subject to such alterations as the legislature shall make concerning

the same. But all such parts of the common law, and such of the said acts, or parts thereof, as are repugnant to this constitution, are hereby abrogated.

SEC. XIV. All grants of land within this state, made by the king of Great Britain, or persons acting under his authority, after the fourteenth day of October, one thousand seven hundred and seventy-five, shall be null and void: but nothing contained in this constitution shall affect any grants of land within this state, made by the authority of the said king or his predecessors, or shall annul any charters to bodies politic and corporate, by him or them made, before that day or shall affect any such grants or charters since made by this state, or by persons acting under its authority; or shall impair the obligation of any debts contracted by the state, or individuals, or bodies corporate, or any other rights of property, or any suits, actions, rights of action,or other proceedings in courts of justice.

ARTICLE EIGHTH.

SEC .I. Any amendment or amendments to this constitution may be proposed in the senate or assembly; and if the same shall be agreed to by a majority of the members elected to each of the two houses, such proposed amendment or amendments shall be entered on their journals, with the yeas and nays taken thereon, and referred to the legislature then next to be chosen and shall be published for three months previous to the time of making such choice; and if in the legislature next chosen as aforesaid, such proposed amendment or amendments shall be agreed to by two thirds of all the members elected to each house, then it shall be the duty of the legis lature to submit such proposed amendments to the people in such manner, and at such time, as the legislature shall prescribe; and if the people shall approve and ratify such amendment or amendments, by a majority of the electors qualified to vote for members of the legislature, voting thereon, such amendment or amendments shall become part of the constitution.

ARTICLE NINTH.

SEC. I. This constitution shall be in force from the last day of December, in the year one thousand eight hundred and twentytwo. But all those parts of the same which relate to the right of suffrage, the division of the state into senate districts, the number of members of the assembly to be elected, in pursuance of this constitution; the apportionment of members of assembly; the elec

tions hereby directed to commence on the first Monday of November, in the year one thousand eight hundred and twenty-two; the continuance of the members of the present legislature in office, until the first day of January, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and twenty-three, and the prohibition of authorizing lotteries; the prohibition against appropriating the public moneys, or property, for local or private purposes, or creating, continuing, altering, or renewing, any body politic or corporate, without the assent of two thirds of the members elected to each branch of the legislature, shall be in force and take effect, from the last day of February next. The members of the present legislature shall, on the first Monday of March next, take and subscribe an oath or affirmation, to support this constitution, so far as the same shall then be in force. Sherifs, clerks of counties, and coroners, shall be elected at the election hereby directed to commence, on the first Monday of November, in the year one thousand eight hundred and twenty-two; but they shall not enter upon the duties of their offices before the first day of January then next following. The com

missions of all persons holding civil offices, on the last day of "December, one thousand eight hundred and twenty-two, shall expire on that day; but the officers then'in commission, may respectively continue to hold their said offices, until new appointments or elections shall take place, under this constitution.

SEC. II. The existing laws relative to the manner of notifying, holding, and conducting elections, making returns, and canvassing votes, shall be in force, and observed in respect to the elections hereby directed to commence on the first Monday of November, in the year one thousand eight hundred and twenty-two, so far as the same are applicable. And the present legislature shall pass such other and further laws, as may be requisite for the execution of the provisions of this constitution, in respect to elections.

Done in convention, at the capitol, in the city of Albany, the tenth day of November, in the year one thousand eight hundred and twenty-one, and of the independence of the United States of America the forty-sixth.

[ocr errors]

In wilness whereof, we have hereunto subscribed our names.

JOHN F. BACON,

DANIEL D. TOMPKINS, President. And Delegate from the County of Richmond.

SAMUEL S. GARDINER,

Secretarics.

DELEGATES,

WHO SIGNED THE AMENDED CONSTITUTION.

Ezekiel Bacon, Oneida.

Jirah Baker, Rensselaer.

Elisha Barlow, Dutchess.

Barak Beckwith, Madison.

Parly E. Howe, Onondaga and
Oswego.

Ransom Hunt, Otsego.

Isaac Hunting, Dutchess.

V. Birdseye, Onondaga and Os- James Hunter, Ulster and Sul

[blocks in formation]

Matthew Carpenter, Tioga.

[blocks in formation]

Nathan Carver, Clinton Frank-John L. Lawrence, New York.

lin.

John Leflerts Kings.

Ameri Case, Onondaga and Os- Alexander Livingston Washing

wego.

Salmon Child, Saratoga.
Daniel Clark, Ulster and Sulli-

van.

Joseph Clyde, Otsego.
Ela Collins, Lewis.
John Cramer, Saratoga.
William Irving Dodge, Montgo-
mery.

J. Dubois, Ulster and Sullivan.
John Duer, Orange.
Jacobus Dyckman, New York.
A. Eastwood, Onondaga and
Oswego.

Ogden Edwards, New York..
James Fairlie, New York.
Jason Fenton, St. Lawrence.
Augustus F. Ferris Cayuga.
Joel Frost. Putnam.

John Hallock jr., Orange.

ton and Warren.

Peter R. Livingston, Dutchess.
James M'Call, Steuben and Alle-
gany.

Peter Millikin, Orange.
Usher H. Moore. Suffolk.
Feter Jay Munro, Westchester.
Samuel Nelson, Cortland.
William Park, Otsego.
William Paulding jr., New York.
Jarvis K. Pike, Chenango.
Nathaniel Pitcher, Washington-
and Warren.

Augustus Porter, Erie, Niagara,
f.c.
Charles Pumpelly, Broome.
Jacob Radcliff, New York.
John Reeve, Rensselaer.
John Richards, Washington and
Warren.

James L.Hogeboom, Rensselaer. Jeremy Rockwell, Saratoga.

D

« SebelumnyaLanjutkan »