Aug.} 



CHRONICLE. 



113 



V. Opening of the Sitimgs of the 

 . Diet. — Forms of Deliberation. 



6S. Each Diet must be opened 

 in the presence of the united 

 Chambers, by the Grand Duke 

 in person, or by a Commission 

 appointed bjf him. 



69. The members, on their first 

 admission to the Diet, take the 

 following oath : — 



" I swear fidelity to the Grand 

 Duke, and obedience to the laws; 

 to observe and maintain the 

 Constitution, and ia the Diet 

 only to advise the general welfare 

 and advantage of the country, 

 without respect to orders or 

 classes, according to my sincere 

 conviction. — So help me God and 

 his sacred Gospel." 



70. No Government proposi- 

 tion can be discussed or sub- 

 mitted to a vote until it has been 

 referred to a particular Com- 

 mittee, and a report thereupon 

 has been made. 



71. The Government Com- 

 missioners meet the Commis- 

 sioners of the Diet for the pre- 

 vious examination of law projects, 

 on all occasions in which either 

 party judge such conferences 

 necessary. No essential alteration 

 can be made in the plan of any 

 law, imless it has been discussed 

 with the Government Commis- 

 sioners in such a conference. 



72. After a law project has 

 been reported, the Chambers 

 may again refer it to the Com- 

 mittee. 



73. A law project or any other 

 proposition brought from one 

 Chamber to the other may, if 

 not relative to financial objects, 

 be, with amendments, pi-eviously 

 considered according to article 



Vol. LX. 



71 in a Committee, sent back to 

 the Chamber whence it came. 



74. Every valid decision of 

 either Chamber requires, wliere 

 no exception is expressly esta- 

 blished, an absolute majority of 

 the votes of the assembly. When 

 there is an equal division, the 

 President gives the casting vote. 

 In financial questions, when tlie 

 votes of both Chambers are 

 counted, the President of the 

 Second Chamber has the deci- 

 sion in the case of an equality of 

 votes. 



The vote is given by pro- 

 nouncing with an audible voice, 

 the word — " Content," or " Non- 

 content." But, in the election 

 of Candidates for the President- 

 ship of the second Chamber, the 

 members of the Representative 

 Commission and of the Com- 

 mittees, the choice is decided by a 

 majority of votes given by ballot. 



In the first Chamber, 10 mem- 

 bers ; in the second, 35, includ- 

 ing the Presidents, make complete 

 Chambers for business. In both 

 Chambers, to render valid delibe- 

 rations respecting any change of 

 the Constitution, three -fourths 

 of the members nmst be present. 



75. Both Chambers can either 

 by the whole, or through Com- 

 missions, hold conferences to- 

 gether. Their ordinary relations 

 to each other are limited to the 

 communication of their respec- 

 tive decisions. Deputations can 

 only be delegated after permis- 

 sion obtained from the Grand 

 Duke. 



76. The Ministers, Members 

 of the Administration, and grand 

 ducal Commissioner, have access 

 to every public and private sitting 

 of either Chamber, and must be 



I h«ard 



