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CONSTITUTION — ART. III.

Charters may
be repealed
44 Md. 131.

All charters granted or adopted in pursuance of this section, and all charters
heretofore granted and created, subject to repeal or modification, may be altered
from time to time or bo repealed; provided, nothing herein contained shall be
construed to extend to banks or the incorporation thereof.

Regulation of
elections. "

SEC 49 The General Assembly shall have power to regulate by law, not
inconsistent with this Constitution, all matters which relate to the judges of
election, time, place, and manner of holding elections in this State, and of
making returns thereof.

Bribery.

SEC 60 It shall be the duty of the General Assembly, at its first session,
held after the adoption of this Constitution, to provide by law for the punish-
ment, by fine or imprisonment in the Penitentiary, or both, in the discretion
of the court, of any person who shall bribe, or attempt to bribe, any executive
or judicial officer of the State of Maryland, or any member or officer of the
General Assembly of the State of Maryland, or of any municipal corporation
in the State of Maryland, or any executive officer of such corporation, in order
to influence him in the performance of any of his official duties; and also to

Punishment

provide by law for the punishment, by fine or imprisonment in the Peniten-
tiary, or both, in the discretion of the court, of any of said officers or members
who shall demand or receive any bribe, fee, reward, or testimonial for the per-
formance of his official duties, or for neglecting or failing to perform the same;
and also to provide by law for compelling any person, so bribing or attempting

Evidence.

to bribe, or so demanding or receiving a bribe, fee, reward, or testimonial, to
testify against any person or persons who may have committed any of said
offences; provided, that any person so compelled to testify, shall be exempted
from trial and punishment for the offence of which he may have been guilty;
and any person convicted of such offence, shall, as part of the punishment

Disqualifica-
tion.

thereof, be forever disfranchised and disqualified from holding any office of
trust or profit in this State

Taxation of
personal prop-
erty.

SEC 51. The personal property of residents of this State shall bo subject to
taxation in the county or city where the resident bona fide resides for the greater
part of the year, for which the tax may or shall be levied, and not elsewhere,
except goods and chattels permanently located, which shall be taxed in the city
or county where they are so located

Appropriations
for private
claims.

SEC 62 The General Assembly shall appropriate no money out of the treas-
ury for payment of any private claim against the State exceeding three hundred
dollars, unless said claim shall have been first presented to the comptroller of
the treasury, together with the proofs upon which the same is founded, and
reported upon by him

Witness
Race or color

SEC. 53 No person shall be incompetent as a witness on account of race or
color, unless hereafter so declared by act of the General Assembly

No county to
contract debt
unless author-
ized

SEC 54. No county of this State shall contract any debt or obligation in the
construction of any railroad, canal, or other work of internal improvement,
nor give or loan its credit to, or in aid of, any association or corporation, unless
authorized by an act of the General Assembly, which shall be published for two
months before the next election for members of the House of Delegates in the
newspapers published in such county, and shall also be approved by a majority
of all the members elected to each bouse of the General Assembly at its next
session after said election.

Habeas Corpus.

SEC. 55 The General Assembly shall pass no law suspending the privilege
of the writ of habeas corpus.

Laws to execute
nested powers.

SEC 56 The General Assembly shall have power to pass all such laws as
may be necessary and proper for carrying into execution the powers vested by
this Constitution in any department or office of the government, and the duties
imposed upon them thereby.

Rate of interest.
13 Md 202, 45
Md 541, 546.

SEC 57 The legal rate of interest shall be six per cent, per annum, unless
otherwise provided by the General Assembly.