shall take an oath to discharge faithfully their office, and to act in all things conformably with the prescriptions of this Constitution.

CHAPTER II-Of the Senate.

XXVI. The Senate shall be composed of Senators elected directly by the people, in conformity with the electoral law.

XXVII. One Senator shall be elected for every 12,000 souls, or for a fraction that does not fall short of 6,000, and the election shall take place at the same time as that for Deputies.

XXVIII. The Senators for the first Legislature shall be named in the following proportion: For the city 12, and one for each section of the rural districts, excepting those of Bahia Blanca and Patagones, which shall name only one between them; the 2 last remitting their respective registers to the capital, where the scrutiny shall be effected.

XXIX. For the second Legislature the provisions of Article XXI shall be observed.

XXX. The functions of Senators shall last for 3 years, one-third part being renewed annually. As soon as the Chamber assembles it shall be decided by lot who are to go out the first and second years, the following order to be observed as regards the rural districts: 4 the first year, 4 the second, and the remaining 5, the third.

XXXI. The requisites for being named a senator are;—natural citizenship in exercise, or legal citizenship acquired conformably to Article XI; 32 years of age, and a capital of 20,000 dollars, or an equivalent income, or a scientific profession capable of producing it.

XXXII. Should a person be elected both Senator and Representative, he may choose between the two.

XXXIII. It is the exclusive competency of the Senate, to judge by public trial, those accused by the Chamber of Representatives, and the concurrence of two-third parts of the votes shall suffice for passing a sentence against the accused, the extent of such sentence being confined to removing the party from his office, leaving him still liable to accusation, trial and punishment according to law.

CHAPTER III.-Attributes common to both Chambers.

XXXIV. The General Assembly shall meet in the Capital, and commence their sessions immediately after the promulgation of this Constitution, and afterwards, on the 1st day of every succeeding May.

XXXV. The Sessions shall last 5 months, and shall be proroguable only for one, with the consent of two-thirds of their members.

XXXVI. Each Chamber shall decide on the election of its own members.

XXXVII. The Chambers shall be governed by the regulations agreed upon by each; and when in united session by those of the Senate.

XXXVIII. Each shall name its own President, Vice-President, and Secretaries.

XXXIX. It shall fix its respective expenses, acquainting the Executive thereof, in order to their being included in the general estimate of the State.

XL. Neither Chamber shall commence its sessions without more than half the total number of its members being present; but if this number also should not be completed on the day appointed by the Constitution, those present, although a minority, must form themselves into a Chamber, in order to procure or compel the attendance of the absentees, under the penalities made and provided.

XLI. The sessions shall be public, and such State affairs only as require reserve shall be discussed with closed doors.

XLII. The Chambers shall communicate with each other in writing, and with the Government, by means of their respective presidents, with certification of a Secretary.

XLIII. The Senators and Representatives are inviolable for the opinions they may express, and the votes they may give in the discharge of their duties. There is no authority that can at any time either prosecute or even reprimand them on account of them.

XLIV. They shall be exempt from arrest during their attendance at the Legislature, unless taken in the act of committing some crime that may merit capital, degrading or other afflictive punishment; in which case an account shall immediately be given to the respective Chamber, with the corresponding precognition of the

case.

XLV. No Senator or Representative shall be criminally accused for other crimes than those specified in Article XXIV, nor even for them except before his respective Chamber. Should a vote of twothird parts thereof declare that there are grounds for an indictment the accused shall be suspended from his functions, and placed at the disposal of the competent tribunal.

XLVI. In like manner each Chamber, by the same number of votes, may correct any one of its members for disorderly conduct in the discharge of his functions, or declare him suspended on account of some moral or physical impossibility supervening after his becoming a member, but a majority of one vote over the half of those present shall be sufficient to decide in cases of voluntary resignations.

XLVII. Either of the Chambers may cause the Ministers of the Government to attend in person, to give the information that may be deemed expedient.

XLVIII. When convoked upon extraordinary occasions they

shall strictly confine their discussions to the subject that caused their being so assembled.

CHAPTER IV.—Attributes of the General Assembly.

XLIX. It belongs to the General Assembly, to name the Governor of the State at the periods appointed by law.

L. To fix annually the general expenses of the State, in conformity with the estimates of the same, and of the ways and means which must be presented by the Government.

LI. To impose taxes and contributions necessary to meet the former, and to repeal, modify, and increase existing ones.

LII. To audit, approve, or amend annually the accounts of the disbursement of the public moneys, which must be presented by the Government.

LIII. To create and abolish public offices in the State, to determine their attributes and responsibilities, to assign, augment, or diminish their allowances or retiring salaries, to accord pensions or rewards, and to decree public honours for great services rendered to the State.

LIV. To establish courts of justice, and to regulate the forms by which trials are to be conducted.

LV. To grant pardons and amnesties for crimes committed within the State, or directed against it, when grave reasons of public interest so demand.

LVI. To approve or reject the formation and regulations of every kind of bank proposed to be established in the State.

LVII. To regulate public education, to accord to the authors, inventors and first introducers of useful discoveries, all kinds of privileges for a definite period.

LVIII. To make all other laws or statutes required for the welfare of the State, and which relate to it alone; to modify, interpret, and repeal existing ones.

LIX. To fix the territorial divisions so as to insure the best administration.

LX. To fix annually the permanent land and sea forces, and to legislate respecting the National Guard.

LXI. Until the General Congress be assembled, in which the State of Buenos Ayres shall be represented, its General Assembly shall take cognizance of all those matters which are within the competency of the Congress, and whenever the Government of the State is required to interfere in them, the general Executive cannot act therein without being authorized so to do by the said General Assembly.

LXII. Before going into recess, the General Assembly shall name by its respective Chambers, and by plurality of votes, a per

manent Commission, composed of 3 Senators and 4 Representatives, with an equal number of substitutes. These having met shall elect their President and Vice-President.

LXIII. When from indisposition, death, or any other impediment, it may be necessary to replace any of the Senators, the Commission shall select by lot from the 3 substitutes the one who is to supply his place. It shall proceed in the same manner with respect to the 4 Representatives.

LXIV. The Permanent Commission shall continue till the reopening of the General Assembly.

LXV. Its attributes shall be: to watch over the observance of the Constitution and the laws, making the necessary suggestions and remonstrances to the Government, under responsibility to the General Assembly; and in case these when repeated a second time, should be unavailing, to convoke, according to the importance and gravity of the matter, the General Assembly; and, finally, to inform that body of all that may have occurred during its recess.

LXVI. The provisions of the preceding Article shall be more especially observed whenever the Government appears dilatory in ordering the elections to be effected.

LXVII. To receive the reports of the elections, which the central Boards are required to transmit, and to forward the same to the respective Commission.

LXVIII. To convoke consecutively both Chambers in preparatory Sessions, for examining the reports of elections.

LXIX. To exercise the powers accorded to the Chambers in Article XLVII.

CHAPTER VI.-Of the Formation and Sanction of the Laws.

LXX. Any Bill (proyecto de ley) except those contained in Article XXIV may be introduced in either of the two Chambers on a motion made by any of its members or on the proposition of the Executive Power.

LXXI. A Bill having been approved by the Chamber in which it originated, shall be immediately passed to the other one, for the purpose of being discussed therein, and either approved, modified, or thrown out. If approved, it shall then be communicated to the Executive Power.

LXXII. A Bill so thrown out in the Chamber in which it originated, cannot be again brought forward therein during the same. legislative period, on the motion of any member of the said Chamber.

LXXIII. If the Bill should be altered by the Chamber to which it has been passed, the latter shall return it together with the proposed changes, and if the Chamber receiving the Bill so altered should approve the amendments it shall be passed to the Executive [1855-56.] 3 I

Power. But if not agreeing, the Chamber should insist upon the Bill's being approved by the cther one, precisely as it was submitted in the first instance, the Chamber can (due notice having previously been given to the one so returning it) solicit a meeting of both Chambers, which shall take place in that of the Senate, or in that of the Representatives, should the Senate so decide, and, after the Bill being again discussed, it shall be disposed of by a vote of two-thirds. The same order shall be observed in the case of a Bill being rejected entirely by one of the Chambers to which it shall have been passed.

LXXIV. A Bill thrown out by the General Assembly cannot be reconsidered during the same legislative period.

LXXV. Should the Executive, on receiving the Bills, sign them, or not return them with a statement of objections within the term of 10 days after their receipt, they shall have the force of law.

LXXVI. Should it have objections to offer, or remarks to make upon them, it shall return them with the same to the Chamber that forwarded them, within 10 days.

LXXVII. In this case, both Chambers having met in Conference, as provided in Article LXXIII, the Bills shall be reconsidered, in view of the said objections or remarks, and the vote of two-thirds of the members present shall be held as a final sanction, which, on being communicated to the Executive the Bills shall be passed without further changes.

LXXVIII. Should the Bill be returned by the Executive Power, when the Chambers are closed, it shall in this case be addressed to the permanent Commission, which may then, according to the opinion it may form of the urgency, gravity, and importance of the matter, either convoke the General Assembly, or reserve the subject till its next ordinary meeting. But should the Executive Power, on returning the Bill insist upon its urgency, the Assembly must forthwith be convoked.

LXXIX. In giving sanction to the laws this form shall be used -The Senate and Chamber of Representatives of the State of Buenos Ayres united in General Assembly, have sanctioned, &c.

LXXX. At every meeting of the General Assembly, the office of President shall be filled by the President of the Senate, or by that of the Chamber of Representatives, and, in their default, by the respective Vice-Presidents.

SECTION V.

CHAPTER I. Of the Executive Power.

LXXXI. The Executive Power of the State shall be exercised by one person only, under the title of Governor of the State of Buenos Ayres.