general assembly; provided, that the report
of the State superintendent shall be in con-
formity with the provisions of this constitu-
tion.
Section 6. The general assembly shall levy
at its first session after the adoption of this
constitution, an annual tax of not less than
ten cents on each one hundred dollars of tax-
able property throughout the State for the
support of the free public schools, which tax
shall be collected at the same time, and by
the same agents as the general State levy,
and shall be paid into the treasury of the
State, and shall be distributed under such re-
gulations as may be prescribed by law, among
the counties and the city of Baltimore, in pro-
portion to their respective population between
the ages of five and twenty years; provided,
that the general assembly shall not levy any
additional school tax upon particular coun-
ties, unless such county express by popular
vote its desire for such tax; the city of Bal-
timore shall provide for its school tax as at
present.
Section 7. The general assembly shall fur-
ther provide by law at its first session after
the adoption of this constitution, a fund for
the support of the free common schools of the
State, by the imposition of an annual tax of a
not less annual amount than three hundred
thousand dollars, the proceeds of which tax
shall be known as the school fund, and shall
be invested by the treasurer, together with its
annual interest, until such time as said fund
shall, by its own increase and any additions
which may be made to it from time to time,
together with the present school fund, amount
to six millions of dollars, after which time
the principal shall remain forever inviolate
and shall only be further increased by such
means as the legislature may determine; and
the annual interest of said school fund shall
be disbursed for educational purposes only, as
may be prescribed by law.
J. M. CUSHING, Chairman,
B. A. CUNNINGHAM,
T. P. JONES,
A. C. GREENE,
J. L. RIDGELY,
E. J, HENKLE,
T. J, HODSON.
COUNTIES.
Mr. HEBB. I submit the following report
from the committee on the rights, duties, di-
visions and sub-divisions of counties. In
presenting this report I desire to state that
the committee could have presented it two
months ago. But as the convention had
sufficient before it, and aa it was supposed
that during the progress of the convention,
gome new matter might arise which would be
referred to the committee, the committee re-
frained from making their report until the
present time.
This report is signed by all of the members |
of the committee but two; who, if they desire
to submit a minority report,I hope may be
allowed to do so.
The report, as follows, was read the first
time and ordered to be printed :
"The committee on the rights, duties,
divisions and sub-divisions of counties, res-
pectfully submit the following report, to be
embodied in a separate article in the constitu-
tion :
ARTICLE —.
Counties and Townships.
''Section 1. The general assembly shall
provide for organizing new counties, locating
and removing county seats, and changing
connty lines, but no new county shall be or-
ganized without the consent of a majority of
the legal voters residing within the limits
about to form said connty, nor shall any new
county contain less than four hundred square
miles, nor less than ten thousand white inhab-
itants, nor shall any county be reduced below
that amount of square miles, nor below that
number of white inhabitants.
" Section 2. The generall assembly may pro-
vide by general law for dividing the counties
into towns or permanent municipal corpora-
tions in place of the existing election districts,
prescribing their limits, and confiding to them
all powers necessary for the management of
their public local concerns, and whenever the
organization of these township corporations
shall be perfected all officers provided for in
this constitution, but whose official functions
shall have been superseded by such organiza-
tions, shall be dispensed with, and the affairs
of such towns, and of the counties as affected
by the action of such town, shall be transact-
ed in such manner as the general assembly
shall direct.
HOPEWELL, HEBB,
JOHN SWOPE,
JASPER ROBINETTE,
JAMES SYKES,
J. D. CARTER."
AMENDMENTS OF THE CONSTITUTION.
On motion of Mr. STOCKBRIDGE—
The convention preceded to consider the
report of the committee on future amendments
of the constitution, which was on its second
reading.
The first section was read as follows :
"Section 1, Either branch of the general
assembly may propose amendments to this
constitution; and if the same shall be agreed
to by three-fifths of the members elected to
each house, such proposed amendments shall
be entered on the journals, with the yeas
and nays taken thereon, and shall be pub-
lished ill two newspapers in each county
in the State where two are published, and
in three newspapers in the city of Baltimore,
one of which shall be German, for three
months preceding the next election for sena- |
