CONNECTICUT.

ACCOUNT

OF THE

CONSTITUTION OF CONNECTICUT.

ONNECTICUT is divided into fix coun

CONNE

ties, and each county is divided into a number of towns. Each town has a right to fend two Representatives to the General Court or Affembly. The General Court confifts of two branches, called the Upper and Lower Houfe. The Upper House is composed of the Governor, Deputy-Governor, and twelve Affiftants or Councillors; and the Lower House of the Representatives of the feveral towns. This Court has the fole power to make and repeal laws, grant levies, difpofe of lands belonging to the State, to particular towns and perfons; to erect and ftile judicatories and officers, as they shall fee neceffary for the good government of the people; and alfo to call to account any court, magiftrate, or other offi

cer,

cer, for any misdemeanor or mal-adminiftration; and for juft caufe may fine, difplace, or remove them, or deal otherwife, as the nature of the cafe fhall require; and deal or act in any other matter that concerns the good of the State, except the election of Governor, Deputy-Governor, Affiftants, Treafurer, and Secretary, which shall be done by the freemen at the yearly court of election, unless there be any vacancy by reafon of death or otherwife, after the election, which may be filled up by the General Court. This Court has power alfo, for reafons fatisfactory to them, to grant fufpenfion, release, and jail delivery upon reprieve, in capital and criminal cafes. The General Court has two stated feffions annually, on the second Thursdays of May and October.

The Governor, or in his abfence the Deputy-Governor, may call the Affembly, on fpecial emergencies, to meet at any other time. The Governor, Deputy-Governor, Affiftants, and Secretary, are annually elected on the fecond Thursday in May. The Representatives are newly chofen for each stated feffion. Judges and Juftices are annually appointed by the General Court; the fame perfons are com

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The

monly

monly re-appointed from time to time during their capacity to ferve, unless guilty of misbehaviour. The fheriffs are appointed by the Governor and Council, without limitation of time, but may be fuperfeded by the authority that appoints them. The Governor for the time being is Captain-General of the Militia; the Deputy-Governor, Lieutenant-General; the other general officers and the field-officers are appointed by the General Court, and commiffioned by the Governor. The captains and fubalterns are chofen by the vote of the Company and housholders living within the limits of the Company; the perfons fo chosen must be approved by the General Court, and commiffioned by the Governor, before they have power to execute their offices. All the military officers hold their offices during the pleafure of the Affembly, nor can they refign their commiffions without leave of the CaptainGeneral, under penalty of doing duty in the ranks as private foldiers.

The mode of electing the Governor, Deputy-Governor, Affiftants, Treasurer, and Secretary, is, that the freemen in the several towns meet on the Monday next after the first Tues

day

day in April annually (being the day appointed by law for that purpose, and choofing Reprefentatives), and give in their votes for the perfons they choose for faid offices refpectively, with their names written on a piece of paper, which votes are received and fealed up by a conftable in the freemen's meeting; the votes for each of faid officers in a different paper, writing on the outfide the name of the town, and the office for which the votes are given in, which are fent by the Representatives to the General Court, to be held on the fecond Thursday of May next ensuing; atwhich time, after the Houfe of Reprefentatives have chofen a Speaker and Clerk, a committee is chofen of Members of both Houfes, to fort and count the votes, and declare the names of the perfons chofen to faid offices. Any freeman qualified to vote for Reprefentatives, &c. may be elected to any office under Government. In choosing Affistants twenty persons are nominated by the votes of the freemen, given in at their meeting for choofing Representatives in September annually, and fealed up and fent to the General Court in October then next, which are counted by a committee of both Houses, and the twenty perfons who have the greatest

number of votes ftand in nomination, out of which number twelve are to be chofen Affistants by the freemen, the next April, in manner afore described.

The qualifications requifite to entitle a perfon to vote in election of the officers of Government are, maturity in years, quiet and peaceable behaviour, a civil conversation, and forty fhillings freehold, or forty pounds perfonal eftate: if the Selectmen of the town certify a perfon qualified in those refpects, he is admitted a freeman, on his taking an oath of fidelity to the State.

The names of all that are thus admitted, are inrolled in the town-clerk's office, and continue freemen during life, unlefs disfranchised by a sentence of the fuperior court on convic tion of a misdemeanor.

The Governor, or in his abfence the DeputyGovernor, in the Upper Houfe, and the Speaker in the Lower House of Affembly, have à casting voice when the Members of the refpective Houfes, including the Governor and Speaker, are equally divided in opinion on any question.

There