the aggregate the sum of five hundred thousand dollars. And
they shall not use or appropriate the proceeds of the internal
improvement companies, or of the State tax, now levied, or
which may hereafter be levied, to pay off the public debt [or]
to any other purposes until the interest and debt are fully
paid or the sinking fund shall be equal to the amount of the
outstanding debt; but the General Assembly may, without
laying a tax, borrow an amount never to exceed fifty thousand
dollars to meet temporary deficiencies in the Treasury, and
may contract/debts to any amount that may be necessary for
the defence of the State. And provided further that nothing in
this section shall be construed to prohibit the raising of funds
for the purpose of aiding or compensating in such manner or way
as the General Assembly of the State shall deem proper, those
citizens of the State who have served, with honor, their country
and State in time of war; provided, however, that such action
of the Genera) Assembly shall be effective only when submitted
to and approved by a vote of the people of the State at the
General Election next following the enactment of such legisla-
tion.*

SEC. 35. No extra compensation shall be granted or allowed
by the General Assembly to any public officer, agent, servant or
contractor, after the service 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.

35A. Nothing in this Constitution shall exempt the sal-
ary or compensation of any judge or other public officer from
the imposition by the General Assembly of a non-discriminatory
tax upon income.

SEC. 36. No lottery grant shall ever hereafter be authorized
by the General Assembly.

SEC. 37. The General Assembly shall pass no law providing
for payment by this Stage for slaves emancipated from servitude
in this State; but they shall adopt such measures as they may
deem expedient to obtain from the United States compensation
for such slaves, and to receive and distribute the same equitably
to the persons entitled.

SEC. 38. No person shall be imprisoned for debt.

SEC. 39. The books, papers and accounts of all banks shall
be open to inspection under such regulations as may be pre-
scribed by law.t

* Thus amended by Chapter 827, Acts of 1924, ratified by the people November 4, 1924.
t Thus amended by Chapter 151, of the Acts of the Special Session of 1936 and ratified by
the people November 8, 1936.