foreigners, and determine the rights and duties attached to that condition.

CHAP. V.—General Government.

XXXVI. The General Government of the United States of Columbia shall, in accordance with the nature of its constitutive principles, be republican, federal, elective, alternative, and responsible, and be divided for its exercise into Legislative Power, Executive Power, and Judicial Power.

CHAP. VI.-Legislative Power.

Sect, 1.-General Enactments.

XXXVII. The Legislative Power shall be vested in two chambers denominated, the one" Chamber of Representatives," the other "Senate of Plenipotentiaries."

- XXXVIII. The Chamber of Representatives shall represent the Columbian people, and shall be composed of the representatives corresponding to each State, in the proportion of one for every 50,000 souls, and one more for a residue of not less than 20,000.

XXXIX. The Senate of Plenipotentiaries shall represent the States as political entities of the Union, and shall be composed of 3 Senators for each State.

XL. The States shall determine the manner of appointing their Senators and Representatives.

XLI. The Congress shall meet for its ordinary session, without the necessity of any convocation, on the 1st day of February of every year, in the capital of the Union.

§ 1. It may likewise meet at any other place, or hold its sessions temporarily elsewhere, and prorogue the same, when the Congress may so decide for some grave reason.

§ 2. The mutual consent of both Chambers is required to transfer their sessions temporarily to another place, or to suspend the session for more than two days.

§ 3. The ordinary sessions shall last 90 days.

XLII. The Congress shall meet extraordinarily by agreement of both Chambers, or when convoked by the Executive Power.

XLIII. In order that Congress may open and continue its sessions, it is necessary that in each Chamber there shall be an absolute majority of the members belonging to it. One of the Chambers cannot open its sessions on a different day from the other, nor continue the same whilst the other is in recess.

XLIV. The Senators and Representatives enjoy immunity for their persons and property from the day on which the session com

mences, or ought to commence, during the session, and during their journey from and return home.

§. For the purposes of this Article, the law shall fix the time supposed to be necessary for such journeys,

XLV. The Senators and Representatives are not responsible for the votes and opinions they may give.

§. No authority can at any time bring them to account for those votes and opinions, under any pretext whatsoever,

XLVI. The Senators and Representatives cannot accept any office in the free appointment of the President of the Columbian Union, excepting those of Secretaries of State, Diplomatic Agents, and Military Chiefs in time of war.

§. The acceptance of such offices vacates the post in the respective Chamber.

XLVII. The Senators and Representatives, whilst they retain their character as such, cannot make in their own name, or indirectly through another person, any kind of contract with the General Government.

§. Neither can they accept from any Government, Company, or person, power to act in matters having any relation to the Government of the Columbian Union.

Sect. 2.-Congress.

XLVIII. The Chamber of Representatives and the Senate of Plenipotentiaries shall bear collectively the name of "Congress of the United States of Columbia.”

XLIX. The following are exclusive attributions of the Congress:

1st. To appropriate annually the sums to be taken out of the treasury of the Union for the national expenses.

2nd. To decree the sale of the property of the Union, and its application to public uses.

3rd. To fix annually the strength of the naval and land forces for the service of the Union.

4th. To allow the transit of foreign troops through the territory of the Union.

5th. To authorize the President of the Union to declare war against another nation.

6th. To authorize the Executive Government to allow foreign vessels of war to be stationed in the ports of the Republic.

7th. To grant amnesties and general or individual pardons for any grave reason of national expediency.

8th. To grant privileges and assistance for the navigation by steam of such rivers or other waters as may serve as a channel for

the commerce of more than one State, or which flow on to the territory of a neighbouring nation.

9th. To designate the capital of the Columbian Union.

10th. To make in the joint assembly of the Chambers the scrutiny of the votes for President of The United States and Magis trates of the Supreme Federal Court, to declare and communicate the election.

11th. To name, annually, by an absolute majority of votes, and in the joint assembly of the Chambers, 3 Designates to exercise the Executive Power of the Union, and 5 supplementary magistrates of the Supreme Court, determining the order in which they are to replace the principals in case of absolute or temporary vacancy.

12th. To decide upon such public Treaties and Conventions as the President of the Union may conclude with other nations, and upon the contracts he may make with the States or private individuals, whether natives or foreigners, and which it is his duty to submit to its consideration.

13th. To create such offices as may be required for the public service, and to establish the regulations for their appointment, salary, and duties.

14th. To demand of the Executive Power an account of all his operations, and such verbal or written reports as may be required for the better despatch of the congressional business.

15th. To designate from among the Generals of the Republic as many as eight who may be disposable, and from among them the Executive Power shall appoint the Commander-in-chief of the Army, agreeably to law; and he may be removed by the Chamber of Representatives whenever it may deem it expedient; and

16th. To legislate upon all matters within the competence of the General Government.

L. Neither the Congress nor either of the Legislative Chambers can delegate any of their attributions.

Sect. 3.-Senate.

LI. The attributions of the Senate are:

1st. To approve the appointment of Secretaries of State, made by the Executive Power; of the superior officers in the different administrative departments; of all diplomatic agents and military field officers.

2nd. To approve the instructions given by the Executive Power to diplomatic agents relating to public Treaties.

3rd. To decree the suspension of the President of The United States, and of the Secretaries of State, and to place them at the disposal of the Supreme Federal Court, in virtue of an accusation made by the Chamber of Representatives, or the Attorney-General, if there

should be grounds for proceeding against those functionaries for ordinary offences.

4th. To take cognizance in actions of responsibility against the President of The United States, the Secretaries of State, the Magistrates of the Supreme Federal Court, and the Attorney-General of the nation, on the accusation of the Chamber of Representatives, for offences committed in the discharge of their functions; and

5th. To decide definitively upon the nullity or validity of the legislative acts of the State Assemblies, which may be denounced as contrary to the Constitution of the Republic.

LII. During the recess of the Senate, and when the good of the service may require it, the Executive Power is allowed to appoint Secretaries of State, diplomatic agents, and superior officers of the administrative departments, under the obligation of submitting such appointments to the approval of the Senate at its next meeting.

Sect. 4.-Chamber of Representatives.

LIII. The attributions of the Chamber of Representatives are: 1st. To examine and definitively close the general account of the National Treasury.

2nd. To accuse before the Senate the President of The United States, the Secretaries of State, the Magistrates of the Supreme Federal Court, and the Attorney-General of the nation, in the cases and for the purposes of the 3rd and 4th clauses of Article LI.

3rd. To take care that all public functionaries and officers in the service of The United States, do perfectly fulfil their duties, and to require the proper officer of the Public Ministry to institute the necessary accusation against all who may incur responsibility;

and

4th. To appoint annually, and by an absolute majority of votes, the Attorney-General and two substitutes.

Sect. 5.-Enactment of the Laws.

LIV. In the Chamber of the Senate and in that of Representatives, all projects of law proposed by members of the same, or by committees of the said Chambers, may be brought forward and discussed, excepting such as may impose contributions or organize the Public Ministry, which must always originate in the Chamber of Representatives.

LV. No project shall become law until it shall have gone through 3 readings in each Chamber, on 3 distinct days, nor without having been approved by an absolute majority of the members present at the respective sittings.

LVI. Every legislative project, besides the approbation of the Chambers, requires the sanction of the President of the Union,

who has the right to return the project to the Chamber in which it originated, in order to its being reconsidered, accompanying it with the observations which induce him to return it.

LVII. Should the project of law be returned as unconstitutional or inexpedient altogether, and one of the Chambers declares the observations made by the President to be well founded, then the project shall be thrown out, and shall not be taken into consideration again during the same session.

§. Should both Chambers declare the observations to be unfounded, the project of law shall be returned to the President of the Union, who in such case cannot withhold his sanction.

LVIII. If the President of the Union confines his observations to only one or more of the provisions of the project of law, and both Chambers declare them to be well-founded wholly or partly, then it shall be re-considered, and the necessary modifications of the portion or portions to which the remarks refer shall be made.

§ 1. Should the modifications adopted be in accordance with the proposal made by the President of the Union, he cannot refuse his sanction to the project of law; but if they are not so, or any new provisions are introduced, or any are suppressed which were not objected to, the President may make fresh observations on the project.

§ 2. Should one of the Chambers declare the observations to be unfounded, and the other the contrary, the project shall be thrown out.

§ 3. In all cases in which both Chambers declare the observations to be unfounded, it is the duty of the President to sanction the project of law.

§ 4. When, on considering the observations made by the President, new provisions are introduced, they need only go through two readings, on different days, in each Chamber.

LIX. The President of the Union is allowed the period of 6 days for returning any project with his observations, when the project does not consist of more than 50 articles; if beyond that number, the period shall be 10 days.

§. Every project not returned within the period specified must be sanctioned; but if the Congress should go into recess during the period allowed the President for returning the project, he must either sanction or object thereto within the 10 days immediately following that on which the Congress went into recess, and moreover he must publish the result through the medium of the press.

LX. Every legislative project which, on the Chambers going into recess, remains pending, shall be considered as a new project when discussed in the following session.