SEC. 6. If there be no member present in the house of representatives from the city of Newport, to preside at the organization of that house, the senior member of the house in continued membership, shall preside in such organization.

SEC. 7. Upon the organization of the two houses, the senate shall unite with the house of representatives in grand committee, for the purpose of receiving and counting the votes for general officers, and of inducting the persons elected into their respective offices.

SEC. 8. The attendance of senators elect and representatives elect, and of senators and representatives, may be compelled by warrant under the hand of the presiding officer for the time being, of the senate or house of representatives, as the case may be, directed to any sheriff or deputy sheriff, which warrant may be executed by such officer in any county.

SEC. 9. Senators and representatives not present at the first meeting of the respective houses, may and shall, after presenting their certificates of election, take the oath of office, before they shall act in their respective offices.

SEC. 10. If any vacancy shall happen in either house, during any session of the general assembly, the house in which it occurs, may order a new election, and appoint such time therefor, and give such notice thereof, as it may deem proper.

SEC. 11. The following shall be the form of oath to be taken by the senators and representatives: -You, being chosen to the place of in the general assembly, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that you will be true and faithful to this State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations; that you will support the constitution of the United States, and the constitution and laws of this state, and that you will faithfully and impartially discharge the duties of your aforesaid office, to the best of your abilities, according to law. So help you God: (or, this affirmation you make and give, upon peril of the penalty of perjury.)

SECTION 1. When any petition to be presented to the general assembly affects the rights or interests of any person, notice thereof

shall be given by delivering to, or by leaving at the last and usual place of abode of such person, or the clerk, agent or cashier of any corporation, or the person acting as such, a copy of such petition at least thirty days before the commencement of the session; or if such person resides, or such corporation is established out of the state, and has no known agent or attorney residing in the state, by publishing a copy of such petition, or the substance thereof, three weeks successively in some newspaper printed in the city of Providence, the last publication of which shall be at least one week before said session.

SEC. 2. When any such petition affects the rights or interests of any town, notice thereof may be given by delivering to, or by leaving at the last and usual place of abode of the clerk of such town, a copy of such petition, at least thirty days before the first Wednesday of April next preceding the session to which such petition is to be presented.

SEC. 3. The notice required in the two sections next preceding, may be served by any disinterested person, and the person making such service shall be paid like fees as are allowed by law to officers for serving writs of summons.

SEC. 4. Whenever any person, or town, whose rights or interests are affected by any such petition, shall require a bond of the petitioner, such person or town shall give notice in writing of such requirement, to the secretary of state, on or before the first day of the session to which such petition is to be presented.

SEC. 5. Upon notice given as aforesaid of the requirement of such bond, the petitioner shall deliver to the secretary, within one week after the commencement of the session, a bond to the adverse party, with one sufficient surety, in such sum as the secretary shall think proper; the condition of which bond shall be for the payment of all lawful costs and damages which the adverse party shall sustain by the preferring of such petition.

SEC. 6. The same costs shall be allowed to the parties, and taxed by the secretary, upon such petitions as are allowed by law in cases before the supreme court.

SEC. 7. When any person or town shall sustain any damage by the preferring of any petition as aforesaid, the secretary shall deliver such bond to the person or town so damaged, and said person or town may bring a suit thereon.

SEC. 8. When any bill shall be presented to either house, to create a corporation for any other than for religious, literary or charitable purposes, or for a military or fire company, notice of the pendency of such bill, of the purpose thereof, and of the place where such corporation is intended to be established, shall be given by the petitioner in some newspaper printed in the town or county where such corporation is sought to be located; or if there be no newspaper printed in such town or county, then in some newspaper published in an adjoining town or county, for three weeks successively preceding the first Wednesday of April next after the preferring of such petition.

SEC. 9. Any senator or representative while acting as a member

of any committee of the general assembly, or of either house thereof, may administer an oath to any person who may be examined touching any matter pending before such committee.

CHAPTER 3.

OF THE PUBLICATION AND DISTRIBUTION OF ACTS AND RESOLVES OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

SECTION 1. The original acts, resolves and other proceedings of the general assembly, shall be deposited in the office of the secretary of state.

SEC. 2. The secretary shall, immediately after the close of each session of the general assembly, cause to be printed, as many copies as he may think necessary, of the proceedings thereof, with a suitable index thereto.

SEC. 3. He shall, as soon as may be after the publication of such copies, transmit to the governor, to the lieutenant-governor, to the attorney-general, to the general treasurer, to the state auditor, the commissioner of public schools, to each member of the senate and house of representatives, to each of the clerks thereof, to each of the justices of the supreme court, to the clerk of each court, to each sheriff, town clerk and town treasurer, to the adjutant-general, to the librarian of Brown University, to each of the cabinet keepers of the Rhode Island Historical Society, to the Providence Athenæum, to the Redwood Library, to any other chartered library in the state, that may apply therefor, to the Harvard Library, to the Astor Library, and to the Antiquarian Society of Worcester, one copy each; and to the Rhode Island Historical Society, thirty copies, for exchange for similar documents from other states; and shall reserve one copy for himself; which copies, except those of the governor and lieutenant-governor, of the members of the senate and house of representatives, and justices of the supreme court, shall be kept by the persons aforesaid, and be transmitted by them to their successors in office.

SEC. 4. The secretary shall, every two years, cause copies of the proceedings aforesaid of the preceding two years, to be bound into volumes; and shall transmit to the governor, to the general treas

urer, to each of the clerks of the house of representatives, to each town clerk, one copy each; and to each of the clerks of the supreme court and court of common pleas, two copies each; to be preserved and transmitted to their successors in office; and he shall retain two copies for the use of the senate.

SEC. 5. The secretary shall, once in two years, cause to be published in pamphlets, with a proper index, all the public laws that may be hereafter passed, continuing the pages from the last page of this digest, and shall distribute the same as provided in the third section of this chapter, with the addition of four copies to the secretary of state of the United States, three copies to the executive departments of each state, three copies to the library of congress, one copy to the judge of the circuit court of the United States for the first circuit, and one copy to the judge of the district court for the Rhode Island district, and he shall retain the residue in his office.

SEC. 6. The governor may transmit to the executive departments of the several states, and of the United States, to our senators and representatives in congress, and to the agents of foreign countries in the United States authorized to make exchanges for the same, and to such persons and libraries as he may think proper, copies of all acts, resolutions, reports and other documents published by this state, or by the authority of any officer thereof.

SEC. 7. Any person who shall seasonably publish in some conspicuous place, to the satisfaction of the secretary, in a daily and semi-weekly, and all other newspapers published by him in this state, all the public acts and resolves, and all proclamations issued by the governor, and shall annually deliver to the cabinet keeper of the Rhode Island Historical Society for the northern district, a copy, half bound, of the series of newspapers so published by him, shall annually be paid therefor thirty dollars.

SEC. 8. Any person who shall publish as aforesaid, said acts, resolves and proclamations in a daily, semi-weekly or weekly newspaper published by him in this state, and shall annually deliver a copy, half bound, of the series so published, to said cabinet keeper, shall annually be paid therefor twenty-five dollars.

SEC. 9. The newspapers so deposited in the cabinet of the Historical Society, shall be considered the property of the state, and at all proper times shall be open to the inspection and examination

of the citizens thereof.

SEC. 10. The copies of the laws of the United States, which may be hereafter transmitted for the use of this state, shall be distributed as follows: one copy to the secretary, one to the attorney-general, one to the general treasurer, one to each of the justices of the supreme court, one to each clerk of the supreme court and court of common pleas, and one to each town clerk, to be kept, and to be delivered over to their successors in office.

CHAPTER 4.

OF CERTAIN CIVIL OFFICERS ELECTED BY THE GENERAL

SECTION

ASSEMBLY.

SECTION

1. Election of senators of this state in the 3. Officers elected annually at the May Congress of the United States. session in grand committee.

2. When to be elected.

SECTION 1. Senators of this state in the congress of the United States, shall be elected by the general assembly in grand committee, and not in separate houses. And such election shall be in the following manner: The name of each member of the grand committee shall be called aloud by the clerk, when such member shall hand in a ballot with the name of the person for whom he votes written thereon, and shall also respond aloud the name written upon his ballot; and the name of the member voting and of the person voted for by him for senator, shall be recorded.

SEC. 2. Except in cases provided for by the second paragraph of the third section of the first article of the constitution of the United States, senators of this state shall not be elected before the stated session of the general assembly, next preceding the expiration of the term of service of the senators for the time being.

SEC. 3. The officers hereinafter named, shall be elected annually at the May session of the general assembly in grand commit

tee: —

State auditor.

Agent of the Providence and Pawtucket Turnpike.

Five railroad commissioners.

Five commissioners of shell fisheries.

Three commissioners of the Providence Washington Bridge. One inspector of beef and pork.

One inspector of lime.

One inspector of scythe stones.

Three inspectors of ferries.

Clerks of the supreme court for each county.

Clerks of the court of common pleas for each county.

Sheriffs of the several counties.

So many public notaries for the several counties as the general assembly may deem expedient.

Three justices of the court of justices in the city of Newport. Three justices of the court of magistrates in the city of Providence.

One presiding justice, and one clerk of the court of magistrates in Woonsocket.

So many justices of the peace for the several towns, as the general assembly may deem expedient.