her of persons having right of suffrage
therein shall have been for the space
of seven years; successively less than one
half the number of voters in some one
county in this State, such town thence-
forward shall cease to send two delegates
or representatives to the house of dele-
gates, until the said town shall have one
half of the number of voters in some
one county in this State.
6. That the commissioners of the said
town, or any three or more of them, for
the time being, shall be judges of the
said election, and may adjourn as afore-
said, and shall make return thereof as
aforesaid; but the inhabitants of the
said town shall not be entitled to vote
for, or be elected delegates for, Balti-
more county, neither shall the inhabi-
tants of Baltimore county, out of the
limits of Baltimore-town, be entitled to
vote for, or be elected delegates for, the
said town.
7. That on refusal, death, disqualifi-
cation, resignation, or removal out of this
State, of any delegate, or on his becoming
governor, or a member of the council, a
warrant of election shall issue by the
speaker, for the election of another in
his place, of which ten days notice at the
least, excluding the day of notice and
the day of election, shall be given.
8. That not less than a majority of the
delegates, with their speaker, (to be
chosen by them by ballot) constitute an
house for the transacting any business,
other than that of adjourning.
9. That the house of delegates shall
judge of the elections and qualifications
of delegates.
10. That the house of delegates may
originate all money bills, propose bills to
the senate or receive those offered by
that body, and assent, dissent or propose
amendments; that they may enquire, on
376
|
the oath of witnesses, into all complaints,
grievances, and offences, as the grand
inquest of this State, and may commit
any person for any crime to the public
jail, there to remain till he be discharged
by due course of law; they may expel
any member for a great misdemeanor,
but not a second time for the same
cause; they may examine and pass all
accounts of the State, relating 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 public
interest, and may direct all office bonds
(which shall be made payable to the
State ) to be sued for any breach of duty.
11. That the senate may be at full
and perfect liberty to exercise their judg-
ment in passing laws, and that they may
not be compelled by the house of dele-
gates either to reject a money bill which
the emergency of affairs may require, or
to assent to some other act of legisla-
tion, in their conscience and judgment
injurious to the public welfare; the house
of delegates shall not on any occasion,
or under any pretence, annex to, or
blend with a money bill, any matter,
clause, or thing, not immediately rela-
ting to, and necessary for the imposing,
assessing, levying or applying the taxes
or supplies, to be raised for the support
of government, or the current expences
of the State; and to prevent altercation
about such bills, it is declared, that no
bill imposing duties or customs for the
mere regulation of commerce, or inflic-
ting fines for the reformation of morals,
or to enforce the execution of the laws,
by which an incidental revenue may
arise, shall be accounted a money bill;
but every bill assessing, levying or apply-
ing taxes or supplies for the support of
|