27 



21 

 or no convention, and for the election of 120 convention delegates. 



The people approved the holding of the Convention of 1868, the chief 



business of which was the revision of the state Constitution, 



The limitations upon and instructions to the Convention of 



22 

 1868 are to be found in the Reconstruction Acts. The principal 



requirements were that the new Constitution had to be "in conformity 



with the Constitution of the United States in all respects", and 



had not only to be ratified by a majority of those voting thereon, 



23 

 but had to be approved by Congress as well. The Constitution 



of 1868, drafted and proposed by this Convention, was ratified 



by the people and approved by Congress, 



Proposed Convention of 1871 . 



In 1871 the General Assembly submitted to the people the 



25 

 question of convention or no convention, which the people rejected. 



The convention act authorized that convention, if held, "to con- 

 sider and propose all necessary amendments and alterations to the 

 constitution not inconsistent with the constitution of the United 

 States", except for designated matters over which the convention 

 would have no authority whatever, including: the existing consti- 

 tutional homestead and personal property exemptions 3 the rights 

 guaranteed by the 13th, ihth, and l5th Amendments to the federal 

 Constitution; and the constitutional provision for a mechanics' 



2lGeneral Orders No, 101, I8 Oct, I867, Jonathan VJorth Letter 

 Book, 1865-1867 , 637-6UO, MS in State Department of Archives and 

 History, 



22iU Stat . U28 (1867), C. l53j l5 Stat , 2 (I867), C. 6; l5 

 Stat , III (iBFf), C, 30, 



^hh Stat . U28 (1867), C, 153, Sec. 5. 

 2U15 Stat, 73 (1868), C, 70, 

 2^Public Laws 1870-71, C, 211, 



