COMPARATIVE ARRANGEMENT OF THE CONSTITUTIONAL PREPARED UNDER THE DIRECTION OF A COMMITTEE OF THE NEW YORK CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION OF 1867, BY FRANKLIN B. HOUGH. ALBANY: WEED, PARSONS & COMPANY, PRINTERS. 1867. PREFACE. PREVIOUS to the meeting of the present Constitutional Convention, a summary of the various provisions found in the existing Constitution of the several States had been prepared by Dr. FRANKLIN B. HOUGH, with the design of affording facilities for comparison and reference in the revision of the Constitution of the State of New York. This summary was examined by several delegates to the Convention, and soon after organization the undersigned were appointed a committee to take into consideration the expediency of printing in bill form the present Constitution of New York, with such comparative references as might be proper. This committee, after a careful examination of the plan proposed by Dr. HOUGH, approved of its general arrangement, but recommended a more extended list of references, a specification of the page, in the volume of Constitutions forming the first volume of the "Manual," where the subject referred to would be found in its proper connection, and the adoption of the exact phraseology used in the several Constitutions whenever practicable. A concise statement was thought proper in cases where it might be desirable to present the various provisions upon particular subjects at a single glance. It would have been desirable to include in this connection references to legal decisions upon constitutional points, but the brief time allowed for the preparation, upon the plan as modified, rendered this altogether impracticable. From the blending of several subjects into one section, which in other cases are stated separately, a strict classification could not in all cases be secured, but to render this inconvenience less sensible, an extended index has been prepared, which will obviate much of the difficulty of reference. As a general rule, provisions of a strictly local character, and such as refer to circumstances and conditions that have passed away, are omitted. Whenever |