No tax shall be imposed on lands the property of the United States; nor shall lands belonging to persons residing out of the limits of this State ever be taxed at a higher rate than the lands belonging to persons residing within the State.

Sec. No person shall be prosecuted in any civil action or eriminal proceeding for or on account of any act by him done, performed or executed between the first day of January, one thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, and the twentieth day of August, one thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, by virtue of military authority vested in him, or in pursuance of orders from any person vested with such authority by the government of the United States, or of this State, or of the late Confederate States, or any of them, to do such act. And if any action or proceedings shall have been or shall hereafter be instituted against any person for the doing of any such act, the defendant may plead this section in bar thereof.

Sec. 3. No person who shall hereafter fight a duel, or assist in the same as a second, or send, accept or knowingly carry a challenge therefor, or agree to go out of the State to fight a duel, shall hold any office in this State.

Sec. 4. No person holding an office of profit under the United States shall, during his continuance in such office, hold any office of profit under this State.

Sec. 5. In the absence of any contrary provision, all officers now or hereafter elected or appointed, subject to the right of resignation, shall hold office during their official terms, and until their successors shall be duly elected or appointed and qualified.

Sec. 6. All officers, both civil and military, under the authority of this State, shall, before entering on the duties of their respective offices, take and subscribe an oath, or affirmation, to support the Constitution of the United States and of this State, and to demean themselves faithfully in office.

Sec. 7. The General Assembly shall, in addition to other penalties, provide for the removal from office of county, city, town and township officers, on conviction of willful, corrupt or fraudulent violation or neglect of official duty.

Sec. 8. The compensation or fees of no State, county or municipal officer shall be increased during his term of office; nor shall the term of any office be extended for a longer period than that for which such officer was elected or appointed.

Sec. 9. The appointment of all officers, not otherwise directed by this Constitution, shall be made in such manner as may be prescribed by law.

Sec. 10. The General Assembly shall have no power to authorize lotteries or gift enterprises for any purpose, and shall pass laws to prohibit the sale of lottery or gift enterprise tickets, or tickets in any schere in the nature of a lottery, in this State; and all acts or parts of acts heretofore passed by the Legislature of this State, authorizing a lottery or lotteries, and all acts aviendatory thereof or supplemental thereto, are hereby avoided.

Sec. 11. It shall be the duty of the grand jury in each county, at least once a year, to investigate the official acts of all officers having charge of public funds, and report the result of their investigations in writing to the court.

Sec. 12. Senators and representatives shall, in all cases, except treason, felony or breach of the peace, be privileged from arrest during the session of the General Assembly, and for fifteen days next before the commencement and after the termination of each session; and for any speech or debate in either house they shall not be questioned in any other place.

ARTICLE XV.

Mode of Amending the Constitution.

Section 1. This Constitution may be amended and revised only in pursuance of the provisions of this article.

Sec. 2. The General Assembly may, at any time, propose such amendments to this Constitution as a majority of the members elected to each house shall deem expedient; and the vote thereon shall be taken by yeas and nays and entered in full on the journals. The proposed amendments shall be published with the laws of that session, and also shall be published weekly in some newspaper, if such there be, within each county in the State, for four consecutive weeks next preceding the general election then next ensuing. The proposed amendments shall be submitted to a vote of the people, each amendment separately, at the next general election thereafter, in such manner as the General Assembly may provide. If a majority of the qualified voters of the State, voting for and against any one of said amendments, shall vote for such amendment, the same shall be

deemed and taken to have been ratified by the people, and shall be valid and binding, to all intents and purposes, as a part of this Constitution.

Sec. 3. The General Assembly may at any time authorize, by law, a vote of the people to be taken upon the question whether a convention shall be held for the purpose of revising and amending the Constitution of this State; and if at such election a majority of the votes on the question be in favor of a convention, the Governor shall issue writs to the sheriffs of the different counties, ordering the election of delegates to such a convention, on a day not less than three and within six months after that on which the said question shall have been voted on. At such election each Senatorial district shall elect two delegates for each Senator to which it may then be entitled in the General Assembly, and every such delegate shall have the qualifications of a State Senator. The election shall be conducted in conformity with the laws regulating the election of Senators. The delegates so elected shall meet at such time and place as may be provided by law, and organize themselves into a convention, and proceed to revise and amend the Constitution; and the Constitution, when so revised and amended, shall on a day to be therein fixed, rot less than sixty days nor more than six months after that on which it shall have been adopted by the convention, be submitted to a vote of the people for and against it, at an election to be held for that purpose; and if a majority of all the votes given be in favor of such Constitution, it shall, at the end of thirty days after such election, become the Consti tution of this State. The result of such election shall be made known by proclamation by the Governor. The General Assembly shall have no power, otherwise than in this section specified, to authorize a convention for revising and amending the Constitution.

SCHEDULE.

That no inconvenience may arise from the alterations and amendments in the Constitution of this State, and to carry the same into complete effect, it is hereby ordained and declared:

Section 1. That all laws in force at the adoption of this Constitution, not inconsistent therewith, shall remain in full force until altered or repealed by the General Assembly; and all rights, actions, prosecutions, claims and contracts of the State,

counties, individuals or bodies corporate, not inconsistent therewith, shall continue to be as valid as if this Constitution had not been adopted. The provisions of all laws which are inconsistent with this Constitution shall cease upon its adoption, except that all laws which are inconsistent with such provisions of this Constitution as require legislation to enforce them, shall remain in force until the first day of July, one thousand eight hundred and seventy-seven, unless sooner amended or repealed by the General Assembly.

Sec. 2. That all recognizances, obligations and all other instruments entered into or executed before the adoption of this Constitution, to this State or to any subdivision thereof, or any municipality therein, and all fines, taxes, penalties and forfeitures, due or owing to this State, or any such subdivision or municipality, and all writs, prosecutions, actions and causes of action, except as herein otherwise provided, shall continue and remain unaffected by the adoption of this Constitution. All indictments which shall have been found or may hereafter be found, for any crime or offense committed before this Constitution takes effect, may be proceeded upon as if no change had taken place, except as otherwise provided in this

Constitution.

Sec. 3. All county and probate courts, as now constituted and organized, shall continue with their jurisdiction until the General Assembly shall by law conform them in their organization to the requirements of this Constitution.

Sec. 4. All criminal courts organized and existing under the laws of this State, and not specially provided for in this Constitution, shall continue to exist until otherwise provided by

law.

Sec. 5. All courts of common pleas existing and organized in cities and towns having a population exceeding three thousand five hundred inhabitants, and such as by the law of their creation are presided over by a judge of a circuit court, shall continue to exist and exercise their present jurisdiction, until otherwise provided by law. All other courts of common pleas shall cease to exist at the expiration of the present terms of office of the several judges thereof.

Sec. 6. All persons now filling any office or appointment in this State shall continue in the exercise of the duties thereof,

according to their respective commissions or appointments, unless otherwise provided by law.

Sec. 7. Upon the adoption of this Constitution, all appeals to and writs of error from the Supreme court shall be returnable to the Supreme court at the City of Jefferson.

Sec. 8. Until the General Assembly shall make provision for the payment of the State and railroad indebtedness of this State, in pursuance of section fourteen of article X of this Constitution, there shall be levied and collected an annual tax of one-fifth of one per centum on all real estate and other property and effects subject to taxation, the proceeds of which shall be applied to the payment of the interest on the bonded debt of this State as it matures, and the surplus, if any, shall be paid into the Sinking fund, and thereafter applied to the payment of such indebtedness, and to no other purpose.

Sec. 9. This Constitution shall be submitted to the people of this State for adoption or rejection, at an election to be held for that purpose only, on Saturday, the thirtieth day of October, one thousand eight hundred and seventy-five. Every person entitled to vote under the Constitution and laws of this State shall be entitled to vote for the adoption or rejection of this Constitution. Said election shall be held, and said qualified electors shall vote at the usual places of voting in the several counties of this State; and said election shall be conducted, and returns thereof made, according to the laws now in force regulating general elections.

Sec. 10. The clerks of the several county courts in this State shall, at least five days before said election, cause to be delivered to the judges of election in each election district or precinct in their respective counties, suitable blank poll-books, forms of return and five times the number of properly prepared printed ballots for said election, that there are voters in said respective districts, the expense whereof shall be allowed and paid by the several county courts, as other county expenditures are allowed and paid.

Sec. 11. At said election the ballots shall be in the following form: New Constitution ticket (erase the clause you do not favor). New Constitution, Yes. New Constitution, - No. Each of said tickets shall be counted as a vote for or against this Constitution, as the one clause or the other may be canceled