|
|
||||||||||
 |
||||||||||
 |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
ARTICLE VI. The Right of Suffrage and Qualifications of Officers; Civil
Officers, and Impeachments and Removals from Office. Section 1. Every free white male person of the age of twenty-one years
and upwards, and who shall be at the time of offering to vote, a citizen of
the Confederate States, and who shall have resided and had his habitation, domicil,
home and place of permanent abode in Florida for one year next preceding the
election at which he shall offer to vote, and who shall have at such time and
for six months immediately preceding said time, shall have had his habitation,
domicil, home and place of permanent abode in the county in which he may offer
to vote, and shall have paid all taxes due by him, at least five days before
the day of election, shall be deemed a qualified elector at all elections under
this Constitution, and none others shall be, except in elections by general
ticket in the State or District prescribed by law, in which cases the elector
must have been a resident of the State one year next preceding the election,
and six months within the election district in which he offers to vote: Provided,
That no person in the regular army or navy of the Confederate States, unless
he be a qualified elector of the State previous to his entry in the regular
army or navy of the Confederate States, or of the revenue service, shall be
considered a resident of the State in consequence of being stationed within
the same. Section 2. The General Assembly shall have power to exclude from every
office of honor, trust or profit within the State, and from the right of suffrage,
all persons convicted of bribery, perjury or other infamous crime. Section 3. No person shall be capable of holding or being elected to
any post of honor, profit, trust or emolument, civil or military, legislative,
executive or judicial, under the government of this State, who shall hereafter
fight a duel or send or accept a challenge to fight a duel, the probable issue
of which may be the death of the challenger or challenged, or who shall be a
second to either party, or who shall in any manner aid or assist in such duel,
or shall be knowingly the bearer of such challenge or acceptance, whether the
same occur or be committed in or out of the State; but the legal disability
shall not accrue until after trial and conviction, according to due form of
law. Section 4. No person who may hereafter be a collector or holder of public
moneys, shall have a seat in either House of the General Assembly, or be eligible
to any office of trust or profit under this State, until he shall have accounted
for and paid into the treasury all sums for which he may be accountable. Section 5. No Governor, member of Congress or of the General Assembly
of this State, shall receive a fee, be engaged as counsel, agent or attorney,
in any civil case or claim against this State, or to which this State shall
be a party, during the time he shall remain in office. Section 6. No Senator or Representative shall, during the term for which
he shall have been elected, be appointed to any civil office of profit under
this State, which shall have been created, or the emoluments of which shall
have been increased, during such term, except such offices as may be filled
by elections by the people. Section 7. Members of the General Assembly and all officers, civil or
military, before they enter upon the execution of their respective offices,
shall take the following oath or affirmation: I do swear (or affirm) that I
am duly qualified, according to the Constitution of this State, to exercise
the office to which I have been elected (or appointed,) and will, to the best
of my abilities, discharge the duties thereof, and preserve, protect and defend
the Constitution of this State, and of the Confederate States of America. Section 8. Every person shall be disqualified from serving as Governor,
Senator, Representative, or from holding any other office of honor or profit
in this State, for the term for which he shall have been elected, who shall
have been convicted of having given or offered any bribe to procure his election.
Section 9. Laws shall be made by the General Assembly to exclude from
office and from suffrage those who shall have been or may hereafter be convicted
of bribery, perjury, forgery, or other high crime or misdemeanor; and the privilege
of suffrage shall be supported by laws regulating elections and prohibiting,
under adequate penalties, all undue influence thereon, from power, bribery,
tumult, or other improper practices. Section 10. All civil officers of the State at large shall reside within
the State, and all district or county officers within their respective districts
or counties, and shall keep their respective offices at such places therein
as may be required by law. Section 11. It shall be the duty of the General Assembly to regulate
by law in what cases, and what deduction from the salaries of public officers
shall be made for neglect of duty in their official capacity. Section 12. Returns of elections for members of Congress and the General
Assembly shall be made to the Secretary of State, in manner to be prescribed
by law. Section 13. In all elections by the General Assembly, the vote shall
be viva voce, and in all elections by the people, the vote shall be
by ballot. Section 14. No member of Congress or person holding or exercising any
office of profit under the Confederate States, or under any foreign power, shall
be eligible as a member of the General Assembly of this State, or hold or exercise
any office of profit under the State; and no person in this State shall ever
hold two offices of profit at the same time, except the office of Justice of
the Peace, Notary Public, Constable and Militia offices. Section 15. The General Assembly shall, by law, provide for the appointment
or election and the removal from office of all officers, civil and military,
in this State, not provided for in this Constitution. Section 16. The power of impeachment shall be vested in the House of
Representatives. Section 17. All impeachments shall be tried by the Senate, and when
sitting for that purpose, the Senators shall be upon oath or affirmation, and
no person shall be convicted without the concurrence of two-thirds of the members
present. Section 18. The Governor and all civil officers shall be liable to impeachment
for any misdemeanor in office; but judgment in such cases shall not extend further
than to removal from office and disqualification to hold any office of honor,
trust or profit under this State; but the parties shall nevertheless be liable
to indictment, trial and punishment, according to law. Section 19. No citizen of any of the States or Territories of the United States, which are now at war with the Confederate States, shall ever be admitted to the rights of citizenship in this State. No such person shall vote at elections, be eligible to office, hold real estate, exercise any profession or trade, be engaged in mechanical, manufacturing, commercial, banking, insurance, or other business, under pain of confiscation, to the use of the State, of all property of such person as shall violate this clause of this Constitution.
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
