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The privilege and benefit of the habeas corpus shall be enjoyed in this State in the most free, easy, cheap, expeditious, and ample manner, and shall not be suspended by the Legislature except upon the most urgent and pressing occasions, and for a time not exceeding three months.

The enacting style in making and passing acts, statutes, and laws, shall be, Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives, in General Court convened.

No president or judge of the superior court shall hold any office or place under the authority of this State except such as by this Constitution they are admitted to hold, saving that the judges of the said court may hold the offices of justices of the peace throughout the State; nor shall they hold any place or office, or receive any pension or salary, from any other State, government, or power whatever.

No person shall be capable of exercising at the same time more than one of the following offices within this State, viz., judge of probate, sheriff, register of deeds; and never more than two offices of profit which may be held by appointment of the president, or president and council, or Senate and House of Representatives, or superior or inferior courts; military offices and offices of justices of the peace excepted.

No person holding the office of judge of the superior court, secretary, treasurer of the State, judge of probate, attorney-general, commissary-general, judge of the maritime court, or judge of the court of admiralty, military officers receiving pay from the Continent or this State, excepting officers of the militia occasionally called forth on an emergency, judge of the inferior court of common pleas, register of deeds, president, professor, or instructor of any college, sheriff, or officer of the customs, including naval officers, shall at the same time

have a seat in the Senate, or House of Representatives, or council; but their being chosen or appointed to, and accepting the same, shall operate as a resignation of their seat in the Senate, or House of Representatives, or council; and the place so vacated shall be filled up. No person shall ever be admitted to hold a seat in the Legislature, or any office of trust or importance under the government, who in the due course of law has been convicted of bribery or corruption in obtaining an election or appointment.

In all cases where sums of money are mentioned in this Constitution, the value thereof shall be computed in silver at six shillings and eight pence per ounce.

To the end that there may be no failure of justice, or danger arise to this State from a change of the form of government, all civil and military officers, holding commissions under the government and people of New Hampshire, and other officers of the said government and people, at the time this Constitution shall take effect, shall hold, exercise, and enjoy all the powers and authorities to them granted and committed until other persons shall be appointed in their stead. All courts of law in the business of their respective departments, and the executive and legislative bodies and persons, shall continue in full force, enjoyment, and exercise of all their trusts and employments until the General Court and the supreme and other executive officers under this Constitution are designated and invested with their respective trusts, powers, and authority.

This form of government shall be enrolled on parchment and deposited in the secretary's office, and be a part of the laws of the land, and printed copies thereof shall be prefixed to the books containing the laws of this State in all future editions thereof.

To preserve an effectual adherence to the principles of the Constitution, and to correct any violations thereof, as well as to make such alterations therein as from

experience may be found necessary, the General Court shall, at the expiration of seven years from the time this Constitution shall take effect, issue precepts, or direct them to be issued from the secretary's office, to the several towns and incorporated places, to elect delegates to meet in convention for the purposes aforesaid; the said delegates to be chosen in the same manner and proportioned as the representatives to the General Assembly; provided, that no alteration shall be made in this Constitution before the same shall be laid before the towns and unincorporated places, and approved by two thirds of the qualified voters present, and voting upon the question.

IN CONVENTION HELD AT CONCORD,

The 31st Day of October, 1783.

The returns from the several towns being examined, and it appearing that the foregoing bill of rights and form of government were approved of by the people, the same are hereby agreed on and established by the delegates of the people, and declared to be the civil Constitution for the State of New Hampshire, to take place on the first Wednesday in June, 1784; and that in the meantime the General Court, under the present government, make all the necessary arrangements for introducing this Constitution at that time, and in the manner therein described.

NATHANIEL FOLSOM,
President, P. T.

Attest:

J. M. SEWALL, Secretary.

Fourth Constitutional Convention of 1791-1792. After a period of seven years, pursuant to the provisions of the Constitution of 1784, and agreeably to precepts issued for that purpose, a convention to revise the Constitution of New Hampshire assembled in Concord, on Wednesday, September 7, 1791. It organized by the election of Samuel Livermore, of Portsmouth, as president, and John Calf, of Hampstead, as secretary.

Among the distinguished members of this body, besides its president and secretary, were William Plumer, of Epping, whose active part in this convention caused its work to be popularly known as Plumer's constitution; Jeremiah Smith, of Peterborough ; John Pickering, of Newington; Edward St. Loe Livermore, of Portsmouth; Abiel Foster, of Canterbury; Timothy Walker, of Concord; Nathaniel Peabody, of Atkinson ; Joshua Atherton, of Amherst; Major Benjamin Pierce, of Hillsborough; Elisha Payne, of Lebanon; Gen. Joseph Cilley, of Nottingham; Ebenezer Thompson, of Durham; Moses Chase, of Cornish; and Jonathan Freeman, of Hanover.

On September 8th the following Rules of Procedure were adopted:

Ist. The President having taken the Chair and a Quorum being present, the Journal of the preceding day shall be read, to the end that any mistake may be corrected that shall have been made in the entries.

2nd. No member shall speak to another or otherwise interrupt the business of the Convention while the Journal is reading or when any member is speaking; nor pass between the President and a member speaking.

3rd. Every member when he speaks shall stand up and address the President and when he has finished shall sit down.

4th. No member shall speak more than twice in any one debate on the same day without leave of the Convention.

5th. When two members rise at the same time, the President shall name the person to speak, but in all cases the person first rising shall speak first.

(P. 41.) 6th. When the President shall stand up to put the question, the members shall sit down and keep silence.

7th. No motion shall be debated until the same shall be seconded-and any member may at any time withdraw his motion.

8th. When a motion shall be made and seconded it shall if desired by the President or any member be reduced to writing, delivered in at the table and read by the President before the same shall be debated.

9th. While a question is before the Convention, no motion shall be received, unless for an amendment, for postponing the main question, or to commit it, or to adjourn.

10th. The previous question being moved and seconded, the question from the Chair shall be, "Shall the main question be now put?" and if the negative prevails the main question shall not then be put.

(P. 42.) 11th. If a question in debate contain several points, any member may have the same divided.

12th. Committees of less than five shall be nominated by the President, but Committees of five or more shall be chosen by ballot.

13th. Questions of order shall be determined by the President, but any member may appeal to the Convention; and when a member is called to order, he shall

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