Constitution of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts |
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12 Allen absentee voting adjourn aforesaid annually appointed approved and ratified Article of Amendment Article was adopted Articles were adopted assemble bill or resolve census of polls chosen cillors citizen city or town COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS consent constitution day of November declared Dukes County duties elect one representative eligible eral ernor executive full power governor and council Gray Harvard College hereby annulled hold house of representatives judge justice last Wednesday lature legal voters legis legislature lieutenant lieutenant-governor manner Mass meeting ments militia monwealth notaries public number of votes oath open town meeting person poll tax power and authority prescribe president probate prorogue qualified Quorum register of deeds religious repre representa representative district respectively returned secretary selectmen senate and house sheriff standing laws Superseded by amendments tenth year thereafter thereof thousand eight hundred tion tives vacancies wealth Wednesday of January
Popular passages
Page 4 - Therefore, to promote their happiness, and to secure the good order and preservation of their government, the people of this commonwealth have a right to invest their legislature with power to authorize and require, and the legislature shall, from time to time, authorize and require, the several towns, parishes, precincts, and other bodies politic, or religious societies, to make suitable provision, at their own expense, for the institution of the public worship of Got), and for the support and maintenance...
Page 3 - The body politic is formed by a voluntary association of individuals; it is a social compact by which the whole people covenants with each citizen and each citizen with the whole people that all shall be governed by certain laws for the common good.
Page 4 - All men are born free and equal and have certain natural, essential and unalienable rights; among which may be reckoned the right of enjoying and defending their lives and liberties; that of acquiring, possessing and protecting property; in fine, that of seeking and obtaining their safety and happiness.
Page 5 - And all moneys, paid by the subject to the support of public worship, and of the public teachers aforesaid, shall, if he require it, be uniformly applied to the support of the public teacher or teachers of his own religious sect or denomination, provided there be any on whose instructions he attends: otherwise it may be paid towards the support of the teacher or teachers of the parish or precinct in which the said moneys are raised.
Page 35 - ... with the consent, and on the application, of a majority of the inhabitants of such town, present and voting thereon, pursuant to a vote at a meeting duly warned and holden for that purpose...
Page 26 - Whenever the office of the governor and lieutenant-governor shall be vacant, by reason of death, absence, or otherwise, then the council, or the major part of them, shall, during such vacancy, have full power and authority to do, and execute, all and every such acts, matters, and things, as the governor or the...
Page 7 - ... suspected persons, or to seize their property, be not accompanied with a special designation of the persons or objects of search, arrest, or seizure; and no warrant ought to be issued but in cases, and with the formalities, prescribed by the laws.
Page 7 - Every subject of the Commonwealth ought to find a certain remedy, by having recourse to the laws, for all injuries or wrongs which he may receive in his person, property or character. He ought to obtain right and justice freely, and without being obliged to purchase it; completely, and without any denial; promptly, and without delay ; conformably to the laws.
Page 4 - And no subject shall be hurt, molested, or restrained, in his person, liberty, or estate, for worshipping GOD in the manner and season most agreeable to the dictates of his own conscience; or for his religious profession of sentiments; provided he doth not disturb the public peace, or obstruct others in their religious worship.
Page 8 - The people have a right to keep and to bear arms for the common defence. And as in time of peace armies are dangerous to liberty, they ought not to be maintained without the consent of the legislature; and the military power shall always be held in an exact subordination to the civil authority and be governed by it Art.