16 



ALABAMA. 



eral law, unless notice of the intention to apply 

 therefor shall have been published in the locality 

 where the matter or things to be affected may be 

 situated ; which notice shall be at least twenty days 

 prior to the introduction into the General Assembly 

 of such bill, and the evidence of such notice having 

 been given shall be exhibited to the General _ As- 

 sembly, before such bill shall be passed : Provided, 

 That the provisions of this constitution, as to spe- 

 cial or local laws, shall not apply to public or educa- 

 tional institutions of or in this State, nor to indus- 

 trial, mining, immigration, or manufacturing corpo- 

 rations or interests, or corporations for constructing 

 canals, or improving navigable rivers or harbors of 

 this' State. 



Other interesting features of this article are 

 the following: 



SECTION 29. No bill shall be passed giving any 

 extra compensation to any public officer, servant or 

 employe, agent or contractor, after the services shall 

 have been rendered, or contract made ; nor shall any 

 officer of the State bind the State to the payment of 

 any sum of money but by authority of law. 



SEO. 34. No appropriation shall be made to any 

 charitable or educational institution not under the 

 absolute control of the State, other than normal 

 schools established by law for the professional train- 

 ing of teachers for the public schools of the State, 

 except by a vote of two-thirds of all the members 

 elected to each House. 



SEC. 37. When the General Assembly shall be con- 

 vened in special session, there shall be no legislation 

 upon subjects other than those designated in the 

 proclamation of the Governor calling such session. 



SEC. 54. The State shall not engage in works of in- 

 ternal improvement, nor lend money or its credit in 

 aid of such ; nor shall the State be interested in any 

 private or corporate enterprise, or lend money or its 

 credit to any individual, association, or corporation. 



SEO. 55. The General Assembly shall have no pow- 

 er to authorize any county, city, town, or other sub- 

 division of this State, to lend its credit, or to grant 

 public money or thing of value in aid of, or to any 

 individual, association, or corporation whatsoever, 

 or to become a stockholder in any such corporation, 

 association, or company, by issuing bonds or other- 

 wise. 



Article V., relating to the Executive Depart- 

 ment, consists of twenty-six sections. It pro- 

 vides for the election of a Governor, Secretary 

 of State, Treasurer, State Auditor, and Attor- 

 ney-General, by the qualified electors of the 

 State for a term of two years. It also declares 

 that there shall be a Superintendent of Educa- 

 tion, and a sheriff for each county, the latter 

 to be elected in the several counties for terms 

 of four years. The compensation of executive 

 officers is left to be fixed by law. In case of- 

 the death, removal, or disability of the Gov- 

 ernor, the President of the Senate acts in his 

 place ; and in case he also is absent, removed, 

 or under disability, the Speaker of the House 

 assumes the executive office. The rest of this 

 article is taken up with defining the duties and 

 qualifications of executive officers. 



Article VI. relates to the Judicial Depart- 

 ment, and contains twenty-eight sections. The 

 judicial power is -vested in the Senatfe as a 

 Court of Impeachment, a Supreme Court, Cir- 

 cuit Courts, Chancery Courts, Courts of Pro- 

 bate, such inferior Courts of Law and Equity 

 to consist of not more than five, members, as 

 the General Assembly may from time to time 



establish, and such persons as may be by law 

 invested with powers of a judicial nature. The 

 Supreme Court is clothed mainly with an ap- 

 pellate jurisdiction, and is required to sit at the 

 capital. It is to consist of one Chief-Justice 

 and such number of associates as may be pre- 

 scribed by law. The General Assembly is re- 

 quired to divide the State into circuits not ex- 

 ceeding eight in number, unless the same is 

 increased by a two-thirds vote of the Legisla- 

 ture, each circuit including not less than three 

 nor more than twelve counties. There shall 

 be a judge for each circuit and a circuit court in 

 each county at least twice every year. The 

 Circuit Courts have original civil and criminal 

 jurisdiction of a general kind. The General 

 Assembly is required to establish a Court or 

 Courts of Chancery, dividing the State into 

 not more than three chancery districts, unless 

 increased by a two-thirds vote at any time, 

 with a chancellor for each district, and a 

 Chancery Court in each district at least once a 

 year. The General Assembly is also empow- 

 ered to establish a Probate Court in each 

 county, and may provide for other courts of 

 inferior jurisdiction. The judges of the Su- 

 preme Court, the Circuit Courts, and Probate 

 Court, and the Chancellors, are to be elected by 

 the people of the State, districts, and counties, 

 respectively, for a term of six years, and shall 

 receive a compensation to be fixed by law. No 

 judge of a court of record can practise law. The 

 Clerk of the Supreme Court is to be appointed 

 by the judges, and registers in chancery by the 

 chancellors, but the clerks of the Circuit Courts 

 are to be elected by the people. A solicitor for 

 each circuit is to be elected by the Legislature. 

 Justices of the peace may be elected, not ex- 

 ceeding two for each precinct. 



Article VII. makes provision for the im- 

 peachment and removal of executive and judi- 

 cial officers for cause. 



Article VIII. covers the 'subject of " suffrage 

 and elections." The qualifications of electors 

 are as follows : 



SECTION 1. Every male citizen of the United 

 States, and every male person of foreign birth, who 

 may have legally declared his intention to become a 

 citizen of the United States before he offers to vote, 

 who is twenty-one years old or upward, possessing 

 the following qualifications, shall be an elector, and 

 shall be entitled to vote at any election by the peo- 

 ple, except as hereinafter provided : 



1. He shall have resided in the State at least one 

 year immediately preceding the election at which he 

 offers to vote. 



2. He shall have resided in the county for three 

 months, and in the precinct, or ward, for thirty days 

 immediately preceding the election at which he of- 

 fers to vote : Provided, That the General Assembly 

 may prescribe a longer or shorter residence in any pre- 

 cinct in any county, or in any ward in any incorpo- 

 rated city or town having a population of more than 

 five thousand inhabitants, but in no case to exceed 

 three months : And provided, That no soldier, sailor, 

 or marine in the military or naval service of the 

 United States shall acquire a residence by being sta- 

 tioned in this State. 



. SEO. 3. The following classes shall not be permit- 

 ted to register, vote, or hold office : 



