of the United States, nine of whom shall be appointed and commissioned as aforesaid, to serve as members of the legislative council five years, if not sooner removed. No person shall be a member of the legislative council who hath not attained to the age of twenty-five years.
House of representatives.
Ratio of representation, &c.
Qualification of representatives.Sec. 6. And be it further enacted, That the house of representatives shall be composed of members elected every second year by the people of the said territory, to serve for two years. For every five hundred free white male inhabitants there shall be one representative, and so on progressively with the number of free white male inhabitants shall the right of representation increase until the number of representatives shall amount to twenty-five, after which the number and proportion of representatives shall be regulated by the general assembly. No person shall be eligible or qualified to be a representative, who shall not have attained to the age of twenty-one years, and who shall not have resided in the territory one year next preceding the day of election, and who shall not be a freeholder within the county in which he may be elected; and no person holding an office under the United States or an office of profit under the territory shall be a representative.Supply of vacancies.
Qualification of electors. In case of a vacancy by death, resignation, removal or otherwise of a representative, the governor shall issue a writ to the county, whenever a vacancy may be as aforesaid, to elect another person to serve the residue of the term. That all free white male citizens of the United States, above the age of twenty-one years, who have resided in said territory twelve months next preceding an election, and who shall have paid a territorial or county tax, assessed at least six months previous thereto, shall be entitled to vote for representatives to the general assembly of said territory.
Governor in the first instance to cause elections and to lay out counties.Sec. 7. And be it further enacted, That in order to carry the same into operation, the governor of the said territory shall cause to be elected thirteen representatives, and for that purpose shall proceed, as circumstances may require, to lay off the parts of the said territory to which the Indian title hath been extinguished, into convenient counties, on or before the first Monday in October next, and give notice thereof throughout the same, and shall appoint the most convenient time and place within each of the said counties for holding the elections, and shall nominate a proper officer or officers to preside at and conduct the same, and to return to him the names of the persons who shall have been elected.Subsequent elections, &c. All subsequent elections shall be regulated by the general assembly, and the number of representatives shall be determined and the appointment made in the manner herein before prescribed.
Meeting of general assembly, &c.Sec. 8. And be it further enacted, That the representatives elected as aforesaid, shall be convened by the governor in the town of St. Louis on the first Monday in December next; and the first general assembly shall be convened by the governor, as soon as may be convenient, at St. Louis, after the members of the legislative council shall be appointed and commissioned. The general assembly shall meet once in each year, at St. Louis, and such meeting shall be on the first Monday in December annually, unless they shall by law appoint a different day. The legislative council and house of representatives,Mode of proceeding of each branch. when assembled, shall each choose a speaker and its other officers, and determine the rules of its proceedings. Each house shall sit on its own adjournments from day to day. Neither house shall during the session, without consent of the other, adjourn for more than two days, nor to any other place than that where the two houses shall be sitting. The members of the general assembly shall, in all cases except treason, felony or breach of the peace, be privileged from arrest during their attendance at their respective houses, and in going to and returning from the same;Privilege from arrest, &c. and for any speech or debate in either house, they shall not be questioned in any other place.
Sec. 9. And be it further enacted, That all and every free white