NEW YORK. 



569 



above required, proceed by resolutions to de- vate purposes, and restrict the indebtedness of 

 clare the estimates to be final and adopted, and counties, cities, towns and villages 

 the several sums of money therein estimated as An important event of the year was the com- 

 necessary shall be appropriated for the depart- mencement of the operation, on September 1st. 

 ments and officers therein mentioned, and for of the new code of civil procedure In 1848 

 the objects and purposes therein mentioned. the old system of practice at law'and equity 



Section 8 provides that " no debt or liability was abolished, and in its stead was enacted the 

 shall be incurred by any department, board, or code of civil procedure. In 1870 the Legisla- 

 any other officer in any city, unless there shall ture passed an act authorizing certain commis- 

 be at the time an unexpended appropriation sioners to "revise, simplify, arrange, and con- 

 applicable thereto sufficient to satisfy the same solidate all statutes of the State of New York 

 and all debts and liabilities previously incurred general and permanent in their nature," and in 

 and payable out of such appropriation; and all performing this duty to bring "together all 

 contracts and .engagements in con- 

 travention thereof shall be void. 

 Nor shall any debt or liability of the 

 city be paid except out of money in 

 the treasury appropriated to the 

 purpose of paying such debt or lia- 

 bility. No city government, or any 

 department thereof, shall grant any 

 extra compensation to any officer, 

 servant, agent, contractor, or em- 

 ployed 



The Legislature shall have no 

 power to pass any law for opening, 

 maintaining, or improving streets, 

 parks, docks, or other city improve- 

 ments; but all authority for such 

 purposes must be conferred by law 

 on the city government. Nor shall 

 the Legislature impose any charge 

 on any city or civil division of the 

 State containing a city, except by -a 

 two-thirds vote of all the members 

 elected to each house. Any local 

 improvement in or for a city, the 

 cost of which is to be wholly paid 

 by the city at large, must be author- 

 ized by resolution, passed by the 

 vote of two-thirds of all the mem- 

 bers elected to the board of alder- 

 men and board of finance respec- 

 tively. 



Section 10 relates to the borrow- 

 ing of money and the creation of 

 debts. 



No change is to be made in the 

 organization of any city except by 

 an act of the Legislature, on applica- 

 tion of the city, through a resolution 

 by the boards of aldermen and 

 finance, approved by the mayor. 



The other amendments empower the Legis- 

 lature to provide for minority representation in 

 city boards; provide that the duties of making 

 contracts, procuring supplies, or creating, audit- 

 ing, or allowing county charges, shall be per- 

 formed exclusively by the county boards of 

 finance ; provide for an additional Justice of 

 the Supreme Court ; provide for the education 

 of all persons between 5 and 21 years of age, 

 for a period of at least 28 weeks in each year ; 

 prohibit the use of public money, property, or 



ROMAN CATHOLIC CATIIKDRAL, HKW YORK CITY. 



statutes and parts of statutes, which, from sim- 

 ilarity of subject, ought to be brought together, 

 omitting redundant or obsolete enactments, and 

 making such alterations as may be necessary to 

 reconcile the contradictions, supply the omis- 

 sions, and amend the imperfections of the orig- 

 inal text." 



The commissioners prepared nnd unbmitted 

 a new and voluminous act. entitled " Tho Code 

 of Remedial Justice." Part of it, including 

 1,496 sections, was enacted by the Legislature 



credit in the support of sectarian schools ; pro- of 1876, with n provision that it should not take 

 hibit the loan or use of public money for pri- effect until May 1, 1877. At its last session, 



