614 NEW JERUSALEM CHURCH. 



NEW YORK. 



Ross, Dem., 13,509; Clark, Repub., 13,176; 

 Hope, Nat., 3,843. Fourth District Clark, 

 Dem., 11,449; Potts, Repub., 9,852 ; Larrison, 

 Nat., 1,539. Fifth District Voorhis, Repub., 

 10.893 ; Demarest, Dem., 10,089 ; Potter, Nat., 

 3,268. Sixth District Blake, Repub., 14,771 ; 

 Albright, Dem., 12,832; Bliss, Nat., 2,106. 

 Seventh District Brigham, Repub., 13,199; 

 Laverty, Dem., 11,234; Winant, 1,424. 

 The State Legislature was divided as follows : 



NEW JERUSALEM CHURCH. The fifty- 

 eighth meeting of the General Convention of 

 the New Jerusalem Church was held at Bos- 

 ton, Mass., beginning May 31st. The Rev. 

 Chauncey Giles presided. The Treasurer re- 

 ported the condition of the several funds under 

 his charge, viz., the Wales fund, the Rice fund, 

 the Jenkins fund, all invested in Indiana, and 

 the Wilkins, Richards, and Building funds, 

 invested in United States bonds. Their entire 

 amount, with the cash in his hands, was $13,004. 

 The Board of Publication reported that the 

 assets in their hands on the 1st day of April, 

 1878, amounted to $17,904. The publication 

 of the works of Swedenborg, principally the 

 "True Christian Religion" and the "New 

 Jerusalem," Tafel's " Heavenly Doctrines," and 

 a tract entitled "A Talk about Swedenborg," 

 had been continued. The new " Book of Wor- 

 ship " had been generally adopted ; and a " Book 

 of Rites and Sacraments" was in preparation. 

 A committee which had been appointed in 1866 

 to examine and publish Swedenborg 1 s manu- 

 scripts reported that the work " De Caritate " 

 had been transcribed and published ; and that 

 progress had been made in the republication 

 and revision of other works. About thirty- 

 six thousand copies of the "True Christian 

 Religion," the "Apocalypse Revealed," and 

 "Heaven and Hell" had been distributed by 

 the trustees of the lungerich fund, nearly all 

 of which had been asked for by ministers and 

 theological students representing all denomi- 

 nations, and the white, black, and Indian races. 

 The trustees of the Rotch Legacy reported that 

 they held property belonging to this fund to 

 the amount of $17,642. The receipts of tbe 

 Theological School Fund for the year had been 

 $1,033, and the expenditures on its behalf had 

 been about $900. The sum of $32,845 was 



11 due the fund from its old treasurer, in 

 payment of which a tract of land near Chicago, 

 111., had been offered the trustees. Four stu- 

 dents had been under instruction during the 

 fear in the Theological School at Waltham, 

 Mass., two of whom were now preaching for 

 YewChnrch societies.' Addresses were read 

 irom the societies in Stockholm, Sweden, and 

 Copenhagen, Denmark, from which it appeared 



that these societies were publishing a New 

 Church monthly periodical in the Danish-Nor- 

 wegian language, large numbers of which were 

 gratuitously distributed. 



NEW YORK. The Legislature of New 

 York commenced its usual annual session at 

 Albany on the first Tuesday of January, 1878. 

 In the Senate there were 18 Republicans, 13 

 Democrats, and 1 Independent. In the As- 

 sembly there were 66 Republicans, 61 Demo- 

 crats, and 1 Independent. 



The apportionment of members of the Legis- 

 lature according to the population became a 

 subject of unusual interest. The Constitution 

 of the State requires the Senate districts to " be 

 altered by the Legislature at the first session 

 after the return of every enumeration of the 

 inhabitants, so that each district shall contain, 

 as nearly as may be, an equal number of inhab- 

 itants, excluding aliens and persons of color 

 not taxed " ; and provides that " the districts 

 shall remain unaltered until the return of an- 

 other enumeration, and shall at all times con- 

 sist of contiguous territory.'' The same article 

 enacts that "the Legislature at its first session 

 after the return of every enumeration shall ap- 

 portion the members of Assembly among the 

 several counties of the State," and requires the 

 boards of supervisors to divide the several 

 counties entitled to more than one member 

 into Assembly districts ; and also provides that 

 the apportionment and districts shall remain 

 unaltered until another enumeration shall be 

 made. An enumeration of the inhabitants of 

 the State was made in 1875. The Legisla- 

 ture of 1876 omitted or refused to make the 

 apportionment. The southeastern portion of 

 the State, and especially the cities of New 

 York and Brooklyn, had so rapidly increased 

 in population as to lead to an increase in the 

 number of representatives, while in the inte- 

 rior there would be a reduction. 



The first question raised related to the right 

 of the succeeding Legislature to make the ap- 

 portionment ; and on this the opinion of the 

 Attorney-General was asked. He replied : 



The Constitution contains no prohibition against 

 the exercise of this power by the Legislature after 

 the first session following the decennial enumeration, 

 except where the duty has been performed. Then, 

 no change can be made until the next enumeration. 



In the nature of things, and under well-settled 

 principles of interpretation, the State Constitution, 

 unlike the Federal Constitution, is not a grant of 

 legislative powers, but a series of limitations and 

 restrictions upon legislative power. 



All legislative power is vested in the Senate and 

 Assembly (article 3, section 1). And when not re- 



The power to apportion the legislative districts is 

 a beneficial power to secure equal representation and 

 just government to all the inhabitants of the State. 

 A prohibition upon the power by implication can 

 not be favored, because obviously it would be against 

 the public welfare. It can.not be taken away by the 

 letter of the Constitution. That has not been done 

 by an express enactment, aud in my judgment can 

 be done in no other way. 



