Pay of members and officers of the General Assembly. Extra session. Limitations upon power of General Assembly to enact private or special legislation. SEC. 28. The members of the General Assembly for the term for which they have been elected shall receive as a compensation for their services the sum of four dollars per day for each day of their session, for a period not exceeding sixty days; and should they remain longer in session they shall serve without compensation. They shall also be entitled to receive ten cents per mile, both while coming to the seat of government and while returning home, the said distance to be computed by the nearest line or route of public travel. The compensation of the presiding officers of the two Houses shall be six dollars per day and mileage. Should an extra session of the General Assembly be called, the members and presiding officers shall receive a like rate of compensation for a period not exceeding twenty days. Convention 1875. Kendall v. Stafford, 178-461; Bank v. Worth, 117-153. SEC. 29. The General Assembly shall not pass any local, private, or special act or resolution relating to the establishment of courts inferior to the Superior Court; relating to the appointment of justices of the peace; relating to health, sanitation, and the abatement of nuisances; changing the names of cities, towns and townships, authorizing the laying out, opening, altering, maintaining, or discontinuing of highways, streets, or alleys; relating to ferries or bridges; relating to nonnavigable streams; relating to cemeteries; relating to the pay of jurors; erecting new townships, or changing township lines, or establishing or changing the lines of school districts; remitting fines, penalties, and forfeitures, or refunding moneys legally paid into the public treasury; regulating labor, trade, mining or manufacturing; extending the time for the assessment or collection of taxes or otherwise relieving any collector of taxes from the due performance of his official duties or his sureties from liability; giving effect to informal wills and deeds; nor shall the General Assembly enact any such local, private or special act by the partial repeal of a general law, but the General Assembly may at any time repeal local, private, or special laws enacted by it. Any local, private or special act or resolution passed in violation of the provisions of this section shall be void. The General Assembly shall have power to pass general laws regulating matters set out in this section. 1915, с. 99. In effect Jan. 10, 1917. See Reade v. Durham, 173-668; Mills v. Comrs., 175-215. Davis v. Lenoir County, 178-668; Comrs. v. Pruden, 178-394; Comrs. v. Trust Co., 178-170; Martin County v. Trust Co., 178-26; Parvin v. Comrs., 177-508; Mills v. Comrs., 175-215; Highway Com. v. Malone, 173685; Richardson v. Comrs., 173-685; Rankin v. Gaston County, 173-683; Reade v. Durham, 173-668; Brown v. Comrs., 173-598. ARTICLE III EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT Executive De Terms of office. SECTION 1. The Executive Department shall consist of a Gov- Officers of the ernor, in whom shall be vested the supreme executive power of partment. the State, a Lieutenant-Governor, a Secretary of State, an Auditor, a Treasurer, a Superintendent of Public Instruction, and an Attorney-General, who shall be elected for a term of four years by the qualified electors of the State, at the same time and places and in the same manner as members of the General Assembly are elected. Their term of office shall commence on the first day of January next after their election, and continue until their successors are elected and qualified: Provided, that the officers first elected shall assume the duties of their office ten days after the approval of this Constitution by the Congress of the United States, and shall hold their offices four years from and after the first day of January. Const. 18683; Convention 1835, art. II, s. 1. Wilson v. Jordan, 124-719; Rhyne v. Lipscombe, 122-652; Caldwell v. Wilson, 121-476; Winslow v. Morton, 118-490; Battle v. McIver, 68-467; Howerton v. Tate, 68-546. SEC. 2. No person shall be eligible as Governor or Lieutenant- Qualifications of Governor and Governor unless he shall have attained the age of thirty years, Lieutenantshall have been a citizen of the United States five years, and shall Governor. have been a resident of this State for two years next before the election; nor shall the person elected to either of these two offices be eligible to the same office more than four years in any term of eight years, unless the office shall have been cast upon him as Lieutenant-Governor or President of the Senate. Const. 18683; Const. 1776, s. 15. SEC. 3. The return of every election for officers of the Execu- Returns of elections. tive Department shall be sealed up and transmitted to the seat of government by the returning officer, directed to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, who shall open and publish the same in the presence of a majority of the members of both Houses of the General Assembly. The persons having the highest number of votes respectively shall be declared duly elected; but if two or more be equal and highest in votes for the same office, then one of them shall be chosen by joint ballot of both Houses of the General Assembly. Contested elections shall be determined by a joint ballot of both Houses of the General Assembly in such manner as shall be prescribed by law. Const. 1868; Convention 1835, art. II, ss. 3, 4. SEC. 4. The Governor, before entering upon the duties of his office, shall, in the presence of the members of both branches of the General Assembly, or before any Justice of the Supreme Court, take an oath or affirmation that he will support the Constitution Oath of office for Duties of Gov ernor. Reprieves, commutations and pardons. Annual reports from officers of and laws of the United States, and of the State of North Carolina, and that he will faithfully perform the duties appertaining to the office of Governor, to which he has been elected. Const. 1868; Convention 1835, art. II, s. 5. SEC. 5. The Governor shall reside at the seat of government of this State, and he shall, from time to time, give the General Assembly information of the affairs of the State, and recommend to their consideration such measures as he shall deem expedient. Const. 1868. SEC. 6. The Governor shall have power to grant reprieves, commutations and pardons, after conviction, for all offenses (except in cases of impeachment), upon such conditions as he may think proper, subject to such regulations as may be provided by law relative to the manner of applying for pardons. He shall biennially communicate to the General Assembly each case of reprieve, commutation or pardon granted, stating the name of each convict, the crime for which he was convicted, the sentence and its date, the date of commutation, pardon or reprieve, and the reasons therefor. Const. 18683; Const. 1776, s. 19. In re Williams, 149-436; State v. Bowman, 145-452; Herring v. Pugh, 126-862; In re McMahon, 125-40; State v. Mathis, 109-815; State v. Cardwell, 95-643; State v. Alexander, 76-231; State v. Mooney, 74-98; State v. Blalock, 61-242. SEC. 7. The officers of the Executive Department and of the Executive Depart- public institutions of the State shall, at least five days previous ment and of public institutions. Commander-in chief. Extra sessions of General Assembly. to each regular session of the General Assembly, severally report to the Governor, who shall transmit such reports with his message to the General Assembly; and the Governor may, at any time, require information in writing from the officers in the Executive Department upon any subject relating to the duties of their respective offices, and shall take care that the laws be faithfully executed. Const. 1868. Arendell v. Worth, 125-122; Welker v. Bledsoe, 68-463; Nichols v. McKee, 68.435. SEC. 8. The Governor shall be commander-in-chief of the militia of the State, except when they shall be called into the service of the United States. Const. 1868; Const. 1776, s. 18. SEC. 9. The Governor shall have power, on extraordinary ocсаsions, by and with the advice of the Council of State, to convene the General Assembly in extra session by his proclamation, stating therein the purpose or purposes for which they are thus convened. Const. 1868. SEC. 10. The Governor shall nominate and, by and with the Officers whose appointments are advice and consent of a majority of the Senators-elect, appoint all not otherwise officers whose offices are established by this Constitution and provided for. whose appointments are not otherwise provided for. Const. 1868; Convention 1875. Salisbury v. Croom, 167-223; State v. Baskerville, 141-811; Day's Case, 124-366; Ewart v. Jones, 116-570; University v. McIver, 72-76; Cloud v. Wilson, 72-155; Battle v. McIver, 68-467; Nichols v. McKee, 68-429; Howerton v. Tate, 68-546; Rogers v. McGowan, 68-520; Badger v. Johnson, 68-471; Welker v. Bledsoe, 68-457; Clark v. Stanley, 66-59; State v. Pender, 66-317; Railroad v. Holden, 63-410. Lieutenant SEC. 11. The Lieutenant-Governor shall be President of the Duties of the Senate, but shall have no vote unless the Senate be equally Governor. divided. He shall, whilst acting as President of the Senate, receive for his services the same pay which shall, for the same period, be allowed to the Speaker of the House of Representatives; and he shall receive no other compensation except when he is acting as Governor. Const. 1868. SEC. 12. In case of the impeachment of the Governor, his fail- In case of impeachment of ure to qualify, his absence from the State, his inability to dis- Governor, or charge the duties of his office, or in case the office of Governor vacancy caused by death or shall in any wise become vacant, the powers, duties and emolu- resignation. ments of the office shall devolve upon the Lieutenant-Governor until the disability shall cease or a new Governor shall be elected and qualified. In every case in which the Lieutenant-Governor shall be unable to preside over the Senate, the Senators shall elect one of their own number President of their body; and the powers, duties and emoluments of the office of Governor shall devolve upon him whenever the Lieutenant-Governor shall, for any reason, be prevented from discharging the duties of such office as above provided, and he shall continue as acting Governor until the disabilities are removed, or a new Governor or Lieutenant-Governor shall be elected and qualified. Whenever, during the recess of the General Assembly, it shall become necessary for the President of the Senate to administer the government, the Secretary of State shall convene the Senate, that they may elect such President. Const. 1868. Rodwell v. Rowland, 137-626; Caldwell v. Wilson, 121-476. executive officers. SEC. 13. The respective duties of the Secretary of State, Audi- Duties of other tor, Treasurer, Superintendent of Public Instruction, and Attorney-General shall be prescribed by law. If the office of any of said officers shall be vacated by death, resignation, or otherwise, it shall be the duty of the Governor to appoint another until the disability be removed or his successor be elected and qualified. Every such vacancy shall be filled by election at the first general election that occurs more than thirty days after the vacancy has taken place, and the person chosen shall hold the office for the Council of State. Compensation of executive officers. Seal of State. Department of Agriculture, Statistics. Abolishes the dis- remainder of the unexpired term fixed in the first section of this article. Const. 1868. Rodwell v. Rowland, 137-626; Sneed v. Bullock, 80-135; Cloud v. Wilson, 72-163; Clark v. Stanley, 66-59; Nichols v. McKee, 68-429; Battle v. McIver, 68-467; Boner v. Adams, 65-639. SEC. 14. The Secretary of State, Auditor, Treasurer, and Superintendent of Public Instruction shall constitute, ex officio, the Council of State, who shall advise the Governor in the execution of his office, and three of whom shall constitute a quorum. Their advice and proceedings in this capacity shall be entered in a journal to be kept for this purpose exclusively, and signed by the members present, from any part of which any member may enter his dissent; and such journal shall be placed before the General Assembly when called for by either House. The Attorney-General shall be, ex officio, the legal adviser of the Executive Department. Const. 1868; Const. 1776, s. 16. SEC. 15. The officers mentioned in this article shall, at stated periods, receive for their services a compensation to be established by law, which shall neither be increased nor diminished during the time for which they shall have been elected, and the said officers shall receive no other emolument or allowance whatever. Const. 1868. SEC. 16. There shall be a seal of the State, which shall be kept by the Governor, and used by him as occasion may require, and shall be called "The Great Seal of the State of North Carolina." All grants and commissions shall be issued in the name and by the authority of the State of North Carolina, sealed with "The Great Seal of the State," signed by the Governor and countersigned by the Secretary of State. Const. 1868; Const. 1776, ss. 17, 36. Howell v. Hurley, 170-798; Richards v. Lumber Co., 158-54. SEC. 17. The General Assembly shall establish a Department of Agriculture, Immigration and Statistics, under such regulations as may best promote the agricultural interests of the State, and shall enact laws for the adequate protection and encouragement of sheep husbandry. Const. 18683; Convention 1875. Cunningham v. Sprinkle, 124-638; Chemical Co. v. Board of Agriculture, 111-136. ARTICLE IV JUDICIAL DEPARTMENT SECTION 1. The distinctions between actions at law and suits in equity, and the forms of all such actions and suits, shall be abolished; and there shall be in this State but one form of action for the enforcement or protection of private rights or the redress |