Sec. 22nd. No extra compensation shall be
granted or allowed by the General Assembly to
any public officer, agent, servant, or contractor
after the services shall have been rendered, or
the contract entered into, nor shall the salary or
compensation of any public officer be increased
or diminished during his term of office.
The twenty-third section of the report was
then read as follows:
Sec. 23rd. No county now established by law,
shall ever be reduced by the establishment of any
new county, to a population of less than
thousands, nor shall any new county be hereafter
established with a population of less
thousand.
This section was informally passed over.
The twenty-fourth section of the report was
then read, as follows :
Sec. 24th. No senator or delegate shall, during
the term for which he shall have been elected,
be appointed to any civil office in this State, which
shall have been created, or the salary or emolu-
ments of which shall have been increased during
such term; and no senator or delegate, during
the time he shall continue to act as such, shall
be eligible to any civil office.
Mr. HARBINE suggested that the gentleman
from Prince George's, (Mr. Tuck,) had given
notice of an amendment which he intended to of-
fer. [It appeared that Mr. T. had been unexpect-
edly called from the city by sickness in his family.]

After some conversation,
The section was informally passed over.
The twenty-fifth section of the report was read
and adopted, as follows :
Sec. 25th. Each House may determine the
rules of its own proceedings, punish a member
for disorderly or disrespectful behaviour, and
with the consent of two-third!,, expel a member
but no member shall be expelled a second time
for the same offence.
The twenty-sixth section of the report was read
and adopted, as follows :
Sec. 26th. Each House may punish by impris-
onment, during the session of the General Assembly,
any person not a member, for disrespect-
ful or disorderly behaviour in its presence, or for
obstructing any of its proceedings, or any of its
officers in the execution of their duties; provi-
ded, such imprisonment shall not at say one time
exceed ten days.
The twenty-seventh section was read, and no
amendment having been offered, was adopted, as
follows:
Sec. 27th. The members of each House shall,
in all cases, except treason, felony or breach of
the peace, be privileged from arrest during their
attendance at the sessions of the General Assem-
bly, and in going to and returning from the same,
allowing one day for every thirty miles such
inember may reside from the place at which the
General Assembly is convened.
The twenty-eighth section of the report was
read and adopted, as follows :
Sec. 28th. No senator or delegate shall be lia-

ble in any civil action or criminal prosecution,
whatever, for words spoken in dehate.
The twenty-ninth section of the report was read,
and no amendment having been proposed, was
read as follows:
Sec. 29th. The House of Delegates may in-
quire, on the oath of witnesses, into all com-
plaints, grievances and offences, as the grand in-
quest of the State, and may commit any person,
for any crime, to the public jail, there to remain
until discharged by due course of law—they may
examine and pass all accounts of the State rela-
ting either to the collection or expenditure of the
revenue, or appoint auditors to state and adjust
the same—they may call for all public or official
papers and records, and send for persons whom
they may judge necessary in the course of their
enquiries concerning affairs relating to the pub-
lic interest, and may direct all office bonds which
shall be made payable to the State, to be sued
for any breach of duty.
The thirtieth section of the report was read
and adopted as follows :
Sec. 30th. In case of the death, disqualification,
refusal to act, expulsion or removal from the
county or district for which he shall have been
elected, if any person shall have been chosen as
a Delegate or Senator, or in case of a tie between
two or more qualified persons, a warrant of elec-
tion shall be issued by the Governor, or person
exercising the functions of Governor for the
time being, for the election of a Senator or Dele-
gate, as the case may be, to supply the vacancy,
of which not less than ten days notice, exclusive
of the day of notice and day of election, shall be
given; provided, however, that unless a meeting
of the General Assembly may intervene, or the
vacancy shall occur during the session of the
General Assembly, the election to fill the same
shall take place on the day of the ensuing gene-
ral election.
The thirty-first section of the report was read,
and no amendment having been offered, was
adopted as follows:
Sec. 31st. The senators and delegates shall re-
ceive such compensation for their services as
may be allowed by law; but no law increasing
or diminishing the compensation shall be made
to take effect until after the general elections
next ensuing the passage thereof. No book or
other printed matter not appertaining to the bu-
siness of the session, shall be subscribed for, for
the use of the members, or be distributed among
them.
The thirty-second section of the report was
read, as follows:
Sec. 32nd No law passed by the General As-
sembly shall take effect until the expiration of
days, from the closing of the ses-
sions at which it may be passed, unless it be ex-
pressly declared on the face of the law, that it
shall take effect on or after a different day; and
no law of a public nature shall take effect until
the same shall be published.
Mr. PHELPS moved to fill the blank in the se-
cond line with " ninety."
The amendment was agreed to.