forever, of the inhabitants of each town in the feveral counties of this Commonwealth, to be called by the Selectmen, and warned in due course of law, at least seven days before the first Monday in April, for the purpose of electing perfons to be Senators and Councillors: and at such meetings every male inhabitant of twenty-one years of age and upwards, having a

And

freehold estate within the Commonwealth of the annual income of three pounds, or any eftate of the value of fixty pounds, fhall have a right to give in his vote for the Senators for the district of which he is an inhabitant. to remove all doubts concerning the meaning of the word" inhabitant," in this Conftitution, every person shall be confidered as an inhabitant, for the purpose of electing and being elected into any office or place within this State, in that town, district, or plantation, where he dwelleth, or hath his home.

The Selectmen of the several towns fhall prefide at such meetings impartially; and shall receive the votes of all the inhabitants of fuch towns present and qualified to vote for Senators, and fhall fort and count them in open townmeeting, and in prefence of the town-clerk, who shall make a fair record, in presence of the

Select

di

Selectmen, and in open town-meeting, of the name of every person voted for, and of the number of votes against his name; and a fair copy of this record fhall be attefted by the Selectmen and the Town-clerk, and shall be sealed up, rected to the Secretary of the Commonwealth for the time being, with a superscription expreffing the purport of the contents thereof, and delivered by the town-clerk of fuch towns to the sheriff of the county in which such town lies, thirty days at least before the last Wednefday in May annually; or it fhall be delivered into the Secretary's office feventeen days at least before the faid last Wednesday in May; and the fheriff of each county shall deliver all such certificates by him received into the Secretary's office feventeen days before the faid last Wednefday in May.

And the inhabitants of plantations unincorporated, qualified as this Conftitution provides, who are or fhall be impowered or required to affefs taxes upon themselves towards the fupport of government, shall have the fame privilege of voting for Councillors and Senators in the plantations where they refide, as town inhabitants have in their refpective towns; and the plantation meetings for that purpose fhall be

held

held annually on the fame first Monday in April, at such place in the plantations refpectively as the affeffors thereof fhall direct, which affeffors shall have like authority for notifying the electors, collecting and returning the votes, as the Selectmen and town-clerks have in their feveral towns by this Conftitution. And all other perfons living in places unincorporated (qualified as aforefaid) who fhall be affeffed to the support of government by the affeffors of an adjacent town, shall have the privilege of giving in their votes for Councillors and Senators, in the town where they fhall be affeffed, and be notified of the place of meeting by the Selectmen of the town where they fhall be affeffed, for that purpose accordingly.

III. And that there may be a due convention of Senators on the last Wednesday in May annually, the Governor and five of the Council for the time being hall, as foon as may be, examine the returned copies of fuch records; and fourteen days before the faid day he shall iffue his fummons to fuch perfons as shall appear to be chofen by the majority of voters, to attend on that day and take their feats accordingly provided nevertheless, that for the first

year

year the faid returned copies fhall be examined by the Prefident and five of the Council of the former Conftitution of Government; and the faid Prefident fhall, in like manner, iffue his fummons to the perfons fo elected, that they take their feats as aforefaid.

may

IV. The Senate fhall be the final judge of the elections, returns, and qualifications of their own members, as pointed out in the Conftitution; and fhall, on the faid laft Wednesday in May annually, determine and declare who are elected by each district to be Senators by a majority of votes and in cafe there fhall not appear to be the full number of Senators elected by a majority of votes for any district, the deficiency shall be supplied in the following manner, viz. The Members of the Houfe of Representatives, and fuch Senators as fhall be declared elected, shall take the names of fuch perfons as fhall be found to have the highest number of votes in fuch diftrict, and not elected, amounting to twice the number of Senators wanting, if there be fo many voted for; and out of these shall elect by ballot a number of Senators fufficient to fill up the vacancies in fuch diftrict and in this manner all fuch vacancies

fhall

shall be filled in every district of the Commonwealth; and in like manner all vacancies in the Senate, arifing by death, removal out of the State, or otherwife, fhall be fupplied as foon as may be, after fuch vacancies fhall happen.

V. Provided nevertheless, that no person fhall be capable of being elected as a Senator, who is not seized in his own right of a freehold within this Commonwealth of the value of three. hundred pounds at least, or poffeffed of perfonal eftate to the value of fix hundred pounds at leaft, or of both to the amount of the fame fum, and who has not been an inhabitant of this Commonwealth for the fpace of five years immediately preceding his election, and at the time of his election he fhall be an inhabitant in the diftrict for which he fhall be chofen.

VI. The Senate fhall have power to adjourn themselves, provided fuch adjournments do not exceed two days at a time.

VII. The Senate fhall chufe its own Prefident, appoint its own officers, and determine its own rules of proceedings.

VIII. The Senate fhall be a court with full authority to hear and determine all impeachments made by the Houfe of Reprefentatives

againft