A thorough and efficient system of free public schools
shall be maintained by the General Assembly. (Article
8, section I, Constitution.)

The Legislature is required to pass such laws as will
promote volunteer militia organizations, and will afford
them effectual encouragement. (Article 9, section I, Con-
stitution.)

Either branch of the Legislature can require the Gov-
ernor to report the petitions, recommendations, and rea-
sons which influenced him in the granting of pardons.—
(Article 2, section 20, Constitution.)

New counties, with the consent of the voters in the sec-
tions affected, may be organized and, with same consent,
county seats may be located, or removed, by the Legisla-
ture. Before such formation shall take place, the consent
of the majority of legal voters residing within the limits
proposed to be formed into said new county, must be ob-
tained. If said new county is formed out of two or more
portions of counties, the consent of a majority of legal
voters of such parts of said counties, respectively, shall
be required; nor shall the lines of any county be changed
without the consent of a majority of the legal voters re-
siding within the district which, under said proposed
change, would form a part of a county different from that
to which it belonged prior to said change. All new
counties must contain at least four hundred square miles
of area and ten thousand white inhabitants. No change
in county lines can be made that will reduce its area
below four hundred square miles and its white inhabi-
tants below ten thousand. (Article 13, section I, Consti-
tution.)

POWERS AND DUTIES OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY UNDER
THE LAWS.

The oath of office required for members of the Legisla-
ture shall be administered in the Senate by a Senator to
the President and by him to the Senators ; in the House
a member shall administer the oath to the Speaker who
shall administer the oath to the remaining members and
to the officers of the House. (Article 68, section 3, P.
G. L., Maryland Code.)

Whenever the General Assembly shall meet, it shall
not be necessary for any officer of the preceding General
Assembly to be present, except the chief clerk, reading