342 



GEORGIA. 



to increase, nt any time, the amount of said debt 

 three per centum upon such assessed valuation. 



2. Any county, municipal corporation, or political 

 division of this State, which shall incur any bonded 

 indebtedness under the provisions of this Constitu- 

 tion, shall, at or before the time of so doing, pro- 

 vide for the assessment and collection of an annual 

 tax sufficient in amount to pay the principal and 

 interest of said debt within thirty years from the 

 date of the incurring of said indebtedness. 



Section IX. is as follows : 



SECTION IX. 1. The receiving directly or indi- 

 rectly, by any officer of State or county, or member 

 or officer of the General Assembly, of any interest, 

 profits, or perquisites, arising from the use or loan of 

 public funds m his hands, or moneys to be raised 

 through his agency for State or county purposes, 

 shall be deemed a felony, and punishable as may be 

 prescribed by law, a part of which punishment shall 

 be a disqualification of holding office. 



In regard to existing bonds, the following 

 declarations are made : 



SECTION XI. 1. The General Assembly shall have 

 no authority to appropriate money, either directly or 

 indirectly, to pay the whole, or any part, of the prin- 

 cipal, or interest, of the bonds, or other obligations 

 which have been pronounced illegal, null and void 

 by the General Assembly, and the Constitutional 

 amendments ratified by a vote of the people on the 

 first day of May, 1877 ; nor shall the General As- 

 sembly have authority to pay any of the obligations 

 created by the State under laws during the late war 

 between the States, nor any of the bonds, notes, or 

 obligations made and entered into during the exist- 

 ence of said war, the time for the payment of which 

 was fixed after the ratification of a treaty of peace 

 between the United States and the Confederate 

 States; nor shall the General Assembly pass any 

 law, or the Governor or other State official enter 

 into any contract, or agreement, whereby the State 

 shall be made a party to any suit in any Court of 

 this State, or of the United States, instituted to test 

 the validity of any such bonds or obligations. 



SEC. XII. 1. The bonded debt of the State shall 

 never be increased, except to repel invasion, sup- 

 press insurrection, or defend the State in time ot 

 war. 



The proceeds of the sale of railroads or other 

 property held by the State are to be applied to 

 payment of the bonded debt. The sum of 

 $100,000 a year is to be raised by taxation for 

 a sinking fund, to meet the payment of bonds 

 at maturity. 



Article VIII. relates to Education. It re- 

 quires the establishment of a " thorough system 

 of common schools for the education of children 

 in the elementary branches of an English edu- 

 cation only, as nearly uniform as practicable, 

 the expenses of which shall be provided for by 

 taxation, or otherwise. The schools shall be 

 free to all children of the State, but separate 

 schools shall be provided for the white and 

 colored races;" There is to be a School Com- 

 missioner appointed by the Governor for a 

 term of two years. Certain special taxes for 

 educational purposes are provided for. 



Article IX. relates to "JIfimesteads and Ex- 

 emptions." Property to the amount cf $1,600 

 belonging to the head of a family, or to a per- 

 son with children, old persons, or females, de- 

 pendent upon him. is made exempt from levy 



and sale, and no judgment can be enforced 

 against such property. The debtor may re- 

 nounce his right to exemption, except for wear- 

 ing apparel, and not more than $300 worth of 

 household furniture. The General Assembly 

 is authorized to provide by law for the setting 

 apart and valuation of such property. 



Article X. authorizes the General Assembly 

 to provide for the organization of a volunteer 

 inilitia. 



Article XI. relates to counties and county 

 officers. It prohibits the creation of new coun- 

 ties and the changing of county lines, unless 

 the latter is done under a general law for that 

 purpose. 



Article XII. relates to " Laws of general op- 

 eration in force in this State." The Constitu- 

 tion of the United States, the laws made in 

 pursuance thereof, and treaties made under 

 the authority of the United States, are declared 

 to be supreme, and the State Constitution next 

 in authority. 



Article XIII. provides for future amendments 

 of the Constitution, and for submitting the 

 present instrument to the people for ratifica- 

 tion, at an election to be held on the first Wed- 

 nesday in December. An ordinance was 

 adopted submitting the Homestead article to 

 a separate vote, and also an ordinance submit- 

 ting the question of removing the State capi- 

 tal from Atlanta to Milledgeville. 



The election took place on the 5th of De- 

 cember, and resulted in the ratification of the 

 Constitution as a whole, and of the Homestead 

 article, and the retention of the capital at At- 

 lanta. The total vote on the Constitution wa 

 151,389 : for ratification 110,442, against rati- 

 fication 40,947 ; majority for ratification 69,495. 

 The total vote on the Homestead question 

 was 146,722 : for the Homestead provision of 

 1877, 94,722; for the Homestead of 1868, 52,- 

 000 ; majority for Homestead of 1877, 42,722. 

 The total vote on the question of removing 

 the capital was 154,347: for Atlanta as the 

 capital 99,147, for Milledgeville 55,201 ; ma- 

 jority in favor of Atlanta 43,946. At the 

 same election members of the Assembly were 

 chosen for the session beginning in November, 

 1878. 



The public debt of the State, as presented by 

 the Treasurer, in response to the inquiry of the 

 Constitutional Convention, under date July 

 18th, is as follows: 



6-per-cent. bonds issued for stock in the 

 Atlantic & Gulf Bailroad Company, 

 under an act approved February 27, 

 1856 $900,000 



7-per-cent. bonds secured by a mortgage 

 on the Western <fe Atlantic Railroacl, 

 issued under an act approved March 

 12, 1866 8,600,000 



7-per-cent. gold bonds with quarterly 

 coupons in gold, issued for redemp- 

 tion of past-due and outstanding bonds 

 of this State, under authoritv of an act 

 approved September 15, 1870 2,098,000 



7-per-cent. bonds issued for redemption 

 of past-due and near-due bonds of this 



