NEW YORK. 



41 



iis uiiiver-ity receives the endowment of the 

 liberal -nut nf land made I iy OoogroM for the 

 encourairement, of systematic education in agri- 

 culture :inil tin- mechanic arK 



<MU' the enact incuts of the last Legisla- 

 ture was one making eight hours' labor, l>e- 

 Minri-o and --unset, a lepd day's work, 

 which was so restricted in its action, however, 

 as not to atl'ect farm-labor, or service by the 

 year, month, or week, or prevent any per-on 

 from entering into special contract for working 

 any length of time within the twenty-four 

 hours. An act was also passed amending the 

 jramo laws, so as to make it a misdemeanor for 

 any person to carry a gun or fishing-rod on 

 Sunday, except upon his own premises. 



I u March last an act passed the Legislative 

 body of the State, providing for a convention 

 to revise the constitution. The election for 

 delegates was 'to be held on the 23d of April, 

 and the delegates then chosen to assemble at 

 Albany on the first Tuesday in June. Four 

 delegates were allowed to each senate district, 

 while thirty-two delegates at large were to bo 

 chosen by the voters of the entire State, no 

 one elector voting for more than sixteen of 

 them. The aggregate number of members was 

 thus fixed at 160. The political parties held 

 State conventions to nominate delegates at 

 larjre, and as each nominated sixteen candi- 

 dates, the manner of election secured the entire 

 ticket to each party at the election. The whole 

 hod y, as chosen on the 23d of April, consisted 

 of 97 Republicans and 63 Democrats. The 

 members met on the 4th. of June, in the Assem- 

 bly Chamber of the capitol, and organized for 

 their labors by placing Win. A. Wheeler in the 

 chair. This convention is still in session, and 

 as no official publication of any of the results 

 of its work has yet appeared, no attempt will 

 bo made in the present article to give more 

 than a faint outline of a few prominent features 

 of the constitution which it is framing, as va- 

 rious portions have come up from time to time 

 for adoption or modification. 



A large part of the debate which was car- 

 ried on in the convention during the summer 

 months was devoted to the question of quali- 

 fications for exercising the right of suffrage. 

 The original report on this subject proposed to 

 take this right from paupers, to require two 

 months of complete citizenship of naturalized 

 foreigners before granting it to them, and to do 

 a\\ay with the disabilities founded on a distinc- 

 tion of color. Subsequent amendments re- 

 moved the first two of these propositions, and 

 a protracted discussion followed on the last. 

 An attempt was made to have it separately 

 submitted to a vote of the people at the elec- 

 tion of 1867, but this proposition was defeated, 

 and the discussion cut off by an adjournment 

 the election, from September 24th to No- 

 vember 12th. Petitions were received praying 

 for an extension of suffrage to women; the 

 subject found some earnest advocates, and was 

 supported by the votes of twenty delegates. 



Registration in to be required in all cam* to 

 the ritrht of voting. The provision of 

 the old constitution against the exaction of anj 

 test oath from persons accepting office is not 

 retained. 



The committee on the powers and duties of 

 the I.e-Maturo endeavored to provide for the 

 relief of that body from tho great mas- i' 

 lation for special and local purposes which lias 

 frequently embarrassed its action, by forbid- 

 ding the passage of special and local laws in 

 numerous cases, such as laying out roads, 

 granting the right of laying down street rail- 

 roads, changing county seats, etc., and author- 

 izing general laws in these and all other cases 

 where they are* applicable. Another class of 

 troublesome acts is done away >y providing 

 for tho establishment of a Court of Claims, to 

 consist of three judges nominated by the Gov- 

 ernor, and appointed by him with the consent 

 of the Senate, to adjudicate such claims upon 

 the State as the Legislature, by general laws, 

 shall direct. The sessions of the Legislature 

 are to be biennial only, if this article is adopted 

 unchanged. 



The article on the judiciary, as reported by 

 tho committee to whom that subject was in- 

 trusted, provides for the establishment of a 

 Court of Appeals, a Supreme Court, and infe- 

 rior courts, upon much the same plan as that 

 now existing. The State is to be divided into 

 four departments, and each department into 

 two districts, to facilitate the exercise of the 

 jurisdiction of the Supreme Court ; and twenty- 

 four justices are to preside in three of these 

 departments, while the city and county of New 

 York is to form a separate district, with ten 

 justices. The judges of the State courts are 

 to be elected as heretofore, but are to hold 

 their position during good behavior, or until 

 they reach the age of seventy years. The 

 county judges are to hold office seven years. 

 Provision is made for submitting to a vote of 

 the people in 1870 the question of appointing 

 the judges and justices of the Court of Appeals, 

 Supreme and Superior Courts, and Court of 

 Common Pleas, instead of having them elected, 

 as is done at present. 



There has been much complaint of official cor- 

 ruption in the management of the canals, and it 

 was proposed by Mr. Greeley of New York that 

 the canals be sold ; but this project received very 

 little favor, and one of the provisions of the 

 legislative article prohibits their sale, lease, or 

 other disposal of them, declaring that they shall 

 remain under the management of the State 

 forever. The same declaration is made with 

 regard to the salt springs. The Comptroller 

 Treasurer, and Attorney-General, are made 

 commissioners of the canal fund, with the 

 power of appointing all officers intrusted with 

 the collection and safe-keeping of the revenues 

 derived from that source, and an auditor of the 

 canal department is to be appointed by the 

 Governor, who, with the Superintendent of 

 Public Works and the commissioners above 



