CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE. Article 1. Declaration of rights. 2. Distribution of powers. 3. Executive department. 4. Elections. 5. Impeachments. 6. Judicial department. 7. State and county officers. 8. Militia. 9. Disqualifications. 10. Oaths, bribery of elections, new counties. 11. Miscellaneous provisions. The schedule. to Section 12. No conviction shall work cor ruption of blood or forfeiture of estate. 13. No person arrested and confined in jail shall be treated with unnecessary rigor. 14. No person shall be put to an swer any criminal charge but by presentment, indictment or impeachment. 15. All prisoners shall be bailable, except for capital offenses. 16. Excessive bails or fines shall not be required. 17. All courts shall be open and jus tice shall be administered without delay. 18. No person shall be imprisoned for debt. 19. The printing presses shall be free every person to examine the proceedings of the ARTICLE I. Bill of Rights. Section Preamble. 1. All power is inherent in the people. 2. The government is instituted for the common benefit. 3. Freedom of religious thought and worship. 4. No political religious test Legislature. 20. No law impairing the obligation of contracts shall be made. 21. No man's services or property shall be taken without just compensation being made therefor. 22. Perpetuities and monopolies shall not be allowed. 23. The people have a right to as semble in a peaceable manner to consult for the common good. 24. There shall be a militia.-NO standing army. 25. No person shall be subject to military law except those em ployed in the army or militia. 26. The citizens have the right to keep and bear arms for their common defense. 27. No soldier shall, in the time of peace, be quartered in any should be required as a quali fication of office. 5. All elections to be free and equal, and the right of suf frage never denied. 8. The right of trial by jury shall | remain inviolate. 7. The people shall be secure from unreasonable searches and seizures. life, liberty or property but by the law of the land. accused has the right to be heard for himself. 10. No person shall be put in jeop ardy twice for the same of fense. u. No ex post facto laws shall be made. or a Section house without the consent of the owner. 28. No person shall be compelled to bear arms, provided he will pay an equivalent. 29. An equal participation in the free navigation of the Mississippi is one of the inherent rights of the citizens of the State. 30. No hereditary emoluments, priv ileges or honors shall ever be granted or conferred in this State. 31. The boundary of the State shall be as follows. 32. The erection of safe and com fortable prisons shall be pro vided for. 33. Slavery and involuntary servi tude are forever prohibited in this State. 34. The General Assembly shall make no law recognizing the right of property in man. Section and Representatives shall be held. 8. When the first session of the General Assembly shall com mence. 9. Qualifications necessary to be come a Representative. 10. Qualifications necessary to be come a Senator. 11. The Senate and House of Representatives shall each choose speaker.---'I'wo-thirds in each house shall constitute a ARTICLE II. Distribution of Porrere. 1. The powers of the government shall be the legislative, execu tive and judicial. 2. No person or persons belonging of these departments shall exercise any of the powers properly belonging to any of the others. to one а Legislutire Department. 3. The Legislative authority of this State shall be vested in quorum. 12. Each house may determine the rules of its proceedings, punish its members for disorderly conduct and expel a member by a two-thirds vote. 13. When Senators and Representa tives shall be privileged from arrest. 14. Each house may punish by im prisonment any person not a member, who shall be guilty of disrespect to the house. 15. The Governor shall have power to fill vacancies. 16. In regard to the adjournment of the two houses. 17. Bills may orignate in either house. ---No bill shall embrace more than one subject. 18. Every bill shall be read once on three different days. 19. No bill shall be passed after it has been rejected (during the same session). 20. The style of the laws of this State shall be. 21. Each house shall keep a journal of its proceedings. 22. The doors of each house shall be kept open. 23. In regard to the salary of the members of the General As sembly. 24. No money shall be drawn from the treasury, except by appropriation. General Assembly. voters and an apportionment General Assembly. shall be. 6. The number of Senators shall be. 7. The first election of Senators Section 25. In regard to the eligibility of members of the General As sembly. 26. No person holding any other office under the government shall have a seat in the Gen eral Assembly. 27. Any member of either house of the General Assembly shall have the liberty to protest against any act. 28. All property, real, personal or mixed, shall be taxed. 29. The General Assembly shall have the power to authorize the several counties and incorporated towns in this State to impose taxes. 30. No article manufactured in this State shall be taxed. 31. The credit of this State shall not be loaned or given. 32. No convention or General As sembly of this State shall act upon any amendment of the Constitution of the United States proposed by Congress to the several States. 33. No bonds of this State shall be issued to any railroad com Section sions convene the General As sembly. 10. He shall see that the laws are faithfully executed. 11. He shall give the General As sembly information on such matters as he shall judge ex pedient. 12. In case of the removal of the Governor from office. 13. No person holding any other office under the government shall execute the office of Gov ernor. 14. The Governor shall have the power to fill vacancies. 13. The seal of the State. 16. All grants and commissions shall be sealed with the State seal and signed by the Gov ernor. 17. A Secretary of State shall be appointed by joint vote of the General Assembly. 18. Every bill shall be signed by Governor. ARTICLE IV. Electors 1. Qualifications necessary to vote. 2. Laws may be passed excluding from the right of suffrage persons who may be convicted of infamous crimes. 3. When electors are privileged from arrest. 4. In all elections of the General Assembly the members thereof shall vote viva voce. ARTICLE V. ARTICLE III. Erecutire Department. 1. The supreme executive power of this State shall be vested in the Governor. 2. The Governor shall be chosen by the electors of the members of the General Assembly. 3. The Governor shall be at least thirty years of age. 4. His term of office. 5. He shall be Commander-in Chief of the army and navy of this State. 6. He shall have the power to grant reprieves and pardons. 7. His compensation. 8. He may require information in writing from the members of the executive department. Impeachments. 1. The House of Representatives shall have the sole power of impeachment. 2. All impeachments shall be tried by the Senate. 3. The House of Representatives shall elect three members, whose duty it shall be to prose cute impeachments. 4. Who shall be liable to impeach ment. ARTICLE VII. Section 5. Justices of the peace and other officers not hereinbefore mentioned shall be liable to indictment. ARTICLE VI. Judicial Department. 1. The judicial power of this State shall be vested in the Supreme Court. 2. The Supreme Court shall consist of five judges. 3. The judges of the Supreme Court shall be elected by the qualified voters of the State. 4. How the judges of the Circuit and Chancery Courts, etc., shall be elected. 5. An Attorney-General and re porter for the State shall be appointed by the judges of the Supreme Court. 6. The judges and attorneys for the State may be removed from office by a concurrent vote of both houses. State and County Officers. Section 1. In regard to the election of county officers. 2. Who shall have power to fill va cancies. 3. The General Assembly shall elect a Treasurer and a Comp troller of the Treasury. 4. The election of all officers to fill vacancies not heretofore provided for shall be made as the Legislature may direct. 5. When the elections for judicial and other civil officers shall be held. The term of each offices so elected. ARTICLE VIII. Militia. 1. All militia officers shall be elected by persons subject to military duty. 2. The Governor shall have power to appoint the Adjutant-Gene rals and his other staff officers. 3. The Legislature shall pass laws exempting citizens opposed to bearing arms from attending private and general musters. 7. Compensation of the judges of the Supreme and Inferior Courts. 8. The jurisdiction of the Circuit, Chancery and other inferior courts. 9. How judges shall charge juries. 10. Power of judges and justices of inferior courts. 11. No judge of the Supreme or in ferior courts shall preside at the trial of any cause in which he may be interested. 12. All writs and other process shall run in the name of the State of Tennessee. 13. Judges of the Supreme Court shall appoint their clerks. 14. In regard to the fines to be levied. 15. The different counties in this State shall be laid off as the ARTICLE IX. Disqualifications. 1. Ministers of the gospel, etc., are not eligible to a seat in either house of the Legislature. 2. No persons who deny the being of God shall hold any civil office. 3. Duelling disqualifies for office. ARTICLE X. Counties. 1. Every person before entering upon the duties of office, shall take the oath of office. 2. Each member of the Senate and House of Representatives shall before they proceed to busi Section ness, take the oath or affirma tion. 3. In regard to bribes. 4. New counties may be established by the Legislature. zens who may be included in Section improvement. homestead. - Shall be exempt from sale under legal process during the life of the head of a family. 12. In regard to education, literature and science. 13. In regard to fish and game laws within the State. 14. In regard to the intermarriage of white persons with negroes. 15. No person shall, in time of peace, be required to perform any service to the public. 16. The declaration of rights, hereto prefixed, is declared to be a part of the Constitution. 17. In regard to county offices cre ated by the Legislature. ARTICLE XI. Miscellaneous Provisions. 1. All laws now in force shall re main until they expire or are repealed. 2. In regard to the validity of debts or contracts. to this Constitution may be House of Representatives. vorces. 5. Lotteries illegal. 6. The Legislature shall have no power to change the names of persons. 7. The Legislature shall fix the rate of interest, which shall be uniform throughout the State. 8. The Legislature shall have no power to suspend any general ticular individual. re to private and local THE SCHEDULE. 1. In regard to the term of office of the State officers. 2. At the first election of judges under this Constitution there shall be elected six judges of the Supreme Court.- In regard to a vacancy.- The AttorneyGeneral and reporter of the State. 3. Every judge and officer of the executive department shall take the oath of office. 4. In regard to the statutes of mi tation PREAMBLE. Whereas, The people of the territory of the United States south of the River Ohio, having the right of admission into the general government as a member State thereof, consistent with the Constitution of the United States and the act of cession of the State of North Carolina, recognizing the ordinance for the government of the territory of the United States north-west of the Ohio river, by their delegates and representatives in convention assembled, did, on the sixth day of February, in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and ninety-six, ordain and establish a Constitution or form of government, and |