532 



NEW YORK. 



made to hold them in Saratoga after July 4. but 

 this was voted down by a large majority, and all 

 the sessions were held in the Assembly chamber 

 in Albany. The actual working time of the con- 

 vention wag eighteen weeks. 



The following officers were elected : President, 

 Joseph H. Choate, of New York ; first vice-presi- 

 dent, Thomas G. Alvord, of Onondaga ; second 

 vice-president, William H. Steele, of Oswego; 

 secretary, Charles E. Fitch, of Monroe. 



After a recess of two weeks, President Choate 

 appointed 27 regular committees, which did the 

 greater part of the work till the final month of 

 the session. The original plan was to submit all 

 the amendments as a revised Constitution. But 

 after a long delay it was decided to submit sep- 

 arately the amendments relating to the appor- 

 tionment and to canal improvement, and to sub- 



JOSEPH H. CHOATE. 



mit all the rest in a single group. Of the 394 

 amendments offered, only 33 were finally passed 

 and sent to the people for a vote, but among 

 those passed were included many smaller amend- 

 ments. The revised Constitution, as a whole, 

 received 410,697 votes, and 327,402 were cast in 

 opposition a majority of 83,295. The appor- 

 tionment article received 404,335, and 350,625 

 were cast in opposition a majority of 53,710. 

 The canal amendment received 442,988, and 

 327,645 were cast in opposition a majority of 

 115.343. The total of votes cast for these sev- 

 eral propositions was about two thirds that of 

 the total vote for Governor at the same election. 

 The general amendments numbered 31. One of 

 them separates local and municipal elections 

 from State and national elections, by making 

 the former come in the odd-numbered vears and 



the latter in the even-numbered years. But this 

 applies only to the cities of New York, Brooklyn, 

 Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Albany, and Troy. 

 The other cities are exempt, because nearly all 

 of them now hold their local elections in the 

 spring. A second amendment divides cities into 

 3 classes first, those having a population of 

 250,000 or more; second, 50,000 and less than 

 250,000; third, all others. Local bills shall be 

 submitted to the authorities of the respective 

 cities for their approval, but if they do not ap- 

 prove a majority vote of the Legislature may 

 pass them. A third amendment provides that 

 whenever the boundaries of any city shall become 

 the same as those of a county, the power of the 

 county to become indebted shall cease, but the 

 debt of the county at that time existing shall 

 be included as a part of the city debt. This an- 

 ticipates the absorption of Kings County by the 

 city of Brooklyn. The judiciary article, one of 

 the most important, retains the present number 

 of the judges of the Court of Appeals, 7. The 

 Supreme Court shall consist of the justices now 

 in office and of 12 additional justices, who shall 

 reside in and be chosen by the electors of the 

 several existing judicial districts 3 in the first, 

 3 in the second, and 1 in each of the others tc 

 be changed by the Legislature once after every 

 enumeration of the inhabitants of the State. 

 There are to be 4 departments, of which tt 

 first shall be the County of New York. The 

 others shall be bounded by county lines, am 

 compact and equal in population as nearly as 

 may be. There shall be an appellate division of 

 the Supreme Court, consisting of 7 justices in 

 the first department, and 5 in each of the other 

 departments. In each department 4 shall con- 

 stitute a quorum, and the concurrence of 3 shall 

 be necessary to a decision. No more than 5 jus- 

 tices shall sit in any case. From all the justices 

 elected to the Supreme Court the Governor shall 

 designate those who shall constitute the appel- 

 late division in each department, and he shall 

 designate the presiding justice thereof, who shall 

 act as such during his term of office, and shall 

 be a resident of the department. The other jus- 

 tices shall be designated for a term of five year 

 or the unexpired portions of their respectr 

 terms of office if less than-five years. No justi( 

 of the appellate division shall exercise any of tr 

 powers of a justice of the Supreme Court other 

 than those of a justice of court and those per 

 taming to the appellate division, or to the hear 

 ing and decision of motions submitted by cor 

 sent of counsel. From and after the last day of " 

 cember, 1895, the appellate division shall have the 

 jurisdiction now exercised by the Supreme Cour' 

 at its general terms, and by the general terms of 

 the Court of Common Pleas for the city ant? 

 County of New York, the Superior Court of th( 

 city of New York, the Superior Court of Buffalo 

 and the City Court of Brooklyn, which are abol- 

 ished, and such additional jurisdiction as ma\ 

 be conferred by the Legislature. It shall have 

 power to appoint and remove a reporter. Th( 

 official term of the justices of the Supreme Cour 

 shall be fourteen years. Circuit courts am 

 courts of oyer and terminer are abolished fron: 

 and after the last day of December. 1895. All tlu-ii 

 jurisdiction shall be vested in the Supreme Coin ' 

 The Court of Appeals is not changed in forr 



