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necessary absence, or until another governor shall be duly appointed to fill such vacancy.

representa

ment.

SEC. 4. And be it further enacted, That the legisla- Legislative tive power and authority of said territory shall be assembly. vested in the governor and a legislative assembly. The legislative assembly shall consist of a council and house of representatives. The council shall Council. consist of nine members, which may be increased to thirteen, having the qualifications of voters as hereinafter prescribed, whose term of service shall continue two years. The house of representatives shall House of consist of thirteen members, which may be increased tives. to twenty-six, possessing the same qualifications as prescribed for members of the council, and whose term of service shall continue one year. An appor- Apportiontionment shall be made, as nearly equal as practicable, among the several counties or districts for the election of the council and house of representatives, giving to each section of the territory representation in the ratio of its population (indians excepted) as nearly as may be; and the members of the council and of the house of representatives shall reside in, and be inhabitants of, the district for which they may be elected, respectively. Previous to the first election, the governor shall cause a census or enu- Census. meration of the inhabitants of the several counties and districts of the territory to be taken; and the first election shall be held at such time and places Elections. and be conducted in such manner as the governor shall appoint and direct: and he shall, at the same time, declare the number of the members of the council and house of representatives to which each of the counties or districts shall be entitled under this act. The number of persons authorized to be elected, having the highest number of votes in each of said council districts for members of the council, shall be declared by the governor to be duly elected to the council; and the person or persons authorized to be elected having the greatest number of votes for the house of representatives, equal to the number to which each county or district shall be entitled, shall be declared by the governor to be elected members of the house of representatives: Provided, Proviso. That in case of a tie between two or more persons voted for, the governor shall order a new election, to supply the vacancy made by such tie. made by such tie. And the persons thus elected to the legislative assembly shall

Length of sessions.

Voters' qualifications.

Power of the legislature.

Township, district,

officers.

meet at such place and on such day as the governor shall appoint; but thereafter the time, place, and manner of holding and conducting all elections by the people, and the apportioning the representation in the several counties or districts to the council and house of representatives, according to the population, shall be prescribed by law, as well as the day of the commencement of the regular sessions of the legislative assembly: Provided, That no one session shall exceed the term of forty days, except the first, which may be extended to sixty days, but no longer.

SEC. 5. And be it further enacted, That every free white male citizen of the United States above the age of twenty-one years, who shall have been a resident of said territory at the time of the passage of this act, including those recognized as citizens by the treaty with the republic of Mexico, concluded February two, eighteen hundred and forty-eight, and the treaty negotiated with the same country on the thirtieth of December, eighteen hundred and fiftythree, shall be entitled to vote at the first election, and shall be eligible to any office within the said territory; but the qualifications of voters and of holding office at all subsequent elections shall be such as shall be prescribed by the legislative assembly.

SEC. 6. And be it further enacted, That the legislative power of the territory shall extend to all rightful subjects of legislation consistent with the constitution of the United States and the provisions of this act; but no laws shall be passed interfering with the primary disposal of the soil; no tax shall be imposed upon the property of the United States; nor shall the lands or other property of non-residents be taxed higher than the lands or other property of residents; nor shall any law be passed impairing the rights of private property; nor shall any discrimination be made in taxing different kinds of property; but all property subject to taxation shall be in proportion to the value of the property taxed.

SEC. 7. And be it further enacted, That all township, and county district, and county officers, not herein otherwise provided for, shall be appointed or elected, as the case may be, in such manner as shall be provided by the governor and legislative assembly of the territory. The governor shall nominate, and by and with the advice and consent of the legislative council, appoint all officers not herein otherwise provided for; and in

the first instance the governor alone may appoint all said officers, who shall hold their offices until the end of the first session of the legislative assembly, and shall lay off the necessary districts for members of the council and house of representatives, and all other officers.

to

SEC. 8. And be it further enacted, That no member of the legislative assembly shall hold or be appointed any office which shall have been created, or the salary or emoluments of which shall have been increased, while he was a member, during the term for which he was elected, and for one year after the expiration of such term; and no person holding a commission or appointment under the United States, except postmasters, shall be a member of the legislative assembly, or shall hold any office under the government of said territory.

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power.

SEC. 9. And be it further enacted, That the judicial Judicial power of said territory shall be vested in a supreme court, district courts, probate courts, and in justices

court.

Jurisdic

of the peace. The supreme court shall consist of a supreme chief justice and two associate justices, any two of court. whom shall constitute a quorum, and who shall hold a term at the seat of government of said territory annually; and they shall hold their offices during the period of four years. The said territory shall be divided into three judicial districts, and a district District court shall be held in each of said districts by one of the justices of the supreme court at such time and place as may be prescribed by law; and the said judges shall, after their appointments, respectively, reside in the districts which shall be assigned them. The jurisdiction of the several courts herein pro- tion of vided for, both appellate and original, and that of the courts. probate courts and of the justices of the peace, shall be as limited by law: Provided, That justices of the peace and probate courts shall not have jurisdiction of any matter in controversy when the title or boundaries of land may be in dispute, or where the debt or sum claimed shall exceed one hundred dollars; and the said supreme and district courts, respectively, shall possess chancery as well as common law juris- jurisdiction diction; and authority for redress of all wrongs committed against the constitution or laws of the United States, or of the territory, affecting persons or property. Each district court or the judge thereof shall Clerk and appoint its clerk, who shall also be the register in

of justices and probate courts.

of the peace

Chancery

register.

Writs of error, etc.

excep

chancery, and shall keep his office at the place where the court be held. Writs of error, bills of may tion, and appeals, shall be allowed in all cases from the final decisions of said district courts to the supreme court, under such regulations as may be prescribed by law; but in no case removed to the supreme court shall trial by jury be allowed in said. court. The supreme court, or the justices thereof, shall appoint its own clerk, and every clerk shall hold his office at the pleasure of the court for which he shall have been appointed. Writs of error and appeals from the final decisions of said supreme court, shall be allowed, and may be taken to the supreme court of the United States, in the same manner and under the same regulations as from the circuit courts of the United States, where the value of the property or the amount in controversy, to be ascertained by the oath or affirmation of either party, or other competent witness, shall exceed one thousand dollars; and each of the said district courts shall have and exercise the same jurisdiction, in all cases arising under the constitution and laws of the United States, as is vested in the circuit and district courts of the United States; and the said supreme and district courts of the said territory, and the respective judges thereof, shall and may grant writs of Habeas cor- habeas corpus in all cases in which the same are grantable by the judges of the United States in the District of Columbia; and the first six days of every term of said courts, or so much thereof as shall be necessary, shall be appropriated to the trial of causes arising under the said constitution and laws, and writs of error and appeals in all such cases shall be made to the supreme court of said territory the same Pay of clerk as in other cases. The said clerk shall receive in all such cases the same fees which the clerks of the district courts of Oregon territory received for similar services.

pus.

Attorney.

Marshal.

SEC. 10. And be it further enacted, That there shall be appointed an attorney for said territory, who shall continue in office for four years, unless sooner removed by the president, and who shall receive the same fees and salary as the attorney of the United States for the late territory of Oregon. There shall also be a marshal for the territory appointed, who shall hold his office for four years, unless sooner removed by the president, and who shall execute all

fied.

processes issuing from said courts when exercising their jurisdiction as circuit and district courts of the United States; he shall perform the duties, be subject to the same regulations and penalties, and be entitled to the same fees as the marshal of the district court of the United States for the late territory of Oregon, and shall, in addition, be paid two hundred dollars annually as a compensation for extra services. SEC. 11. And be it further enacted, That the govern- Governor, judges, etc., or, secretary, chief justice and associate justices, at- to be aptorney and marshal, shall be nominated, and by and the prest with the advice and consent of the senate, appointed dent. by the president of the United States. The govern- How quali or and secretary to be appointed as aforesaid shall, before they act as such, respectively take an oath or affirmation before the district judge or some justice of the peace in the limits of said territory, duly authorized to administer oaths and affirmations by the laws now in force therein, or before the chief justice or some associate justice of the supreme court of the United States, to support the constitution of the United States, and faithfully to discharge the duties of their respective offices, which said oaths, when so taken, shall be certified by the person by whom the same shall have been taken; and such certificates shall be received and recorded by the secretary among the executive proceedings; and the chief justice and associate justices, and all other civil officers in said territory, before they act as such, shall take a like oath or affirmation before the said governor or secretary, or some judge or justice of the peace of the territory who may be duly commissioned and qualified, which said oath or affirmation shall be certified and transmitted by the person taking the same to the secretary, to be by him recorded as aforesaid; and afterwards the like oath or affirmation shall be taken, certified, and recorded in such manner and form as may be prescribed by law. The governor shall receive Salaries. an annual salary of fifteen hundred dollars as governor, and one thousand dollars as superintendent of indian affairs; the chief justice and associate justices shall each receive an annual salary of eighteen hundred dollars; the secretary shall receive an annual salary of eighteen hundred dollars. The said salaries shall be paid quarter-yearly at the treasury of the United States. The members of the legislative assembly shall be entitled to receive three dollars

Pay of memassembly.

bers of the

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