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ARTICLE III—LEGISLATIVE DEPARTMENT.

SECTION 1 . Time legislature shall consist of two distinct
Branches, a Senate and a House of Delegates, wimich shall be
styled "The General Assembly of Maryland."

SEC. 2. Every county of the State, and time city of Baltimore,
shall be entitled to elect one Senator, who shall he elected by
the qualified voters of the counties and city of Baltimore, respec
lively, and who shall serve for four years from the day of their
election.

SEc. 3. The Legislature at its first session alter the returns
of the National Census of eighteen hundred and sixty, are pub
lished, and in like manner after each subsequent census, shall ap
portion the members of the House of I)elegates among the
4 several counties of the State, according to the population of each,
and shall always allow to the city of Baltimore four more
delegates than are allowed to the most populous county, but no
county shall be entitled to less than two members nor shall the
whole number of delegates ever exceed eighty or be less than
sixty-five; and until the apportionment is made under the census
of eighteen hundred and sixty, St, Mary's county shall be entitled
to two delegates; Kent two; Anne Arundel three; Calvert two;
Charles two; Baltimore County six; Talhot two; Somerset four;
Dorchester three; Cecil three; Prince George's three; Queen
Anne's two; Worcester three; Frederick six; Harford three;
Garoline two; Baltimore city ten; Washington five; Montgomery
two; Allegany four; Carroll three and Howard two.

SEc. 4. The members of time House of Delegates shall be elect
ed by the qualified voters of the counties and the city of Baltimore
respectively, to serve for two years from the day of their election.
SEC. 5. first election for delegates shall take place on the
first Wednesday of November, eighteen hundred and fifty-one;
and the election for delegates, and for one half of the sena
tors as nearly as practicable, shall be held on the same day in every
second year thereafter, but an election for senators shall be held
in the year eighteen hundred and fifty-one in Howard county
and all those counties in which senators were elected in the year
eighteen h u ndred and forty-six.
SEC. 6. Immediately after the Senate shall have convened after
the fist election under this constitution, the senators shall be
divided by lot, into two classes, as nearly equal in number as
may be; the senators of the first class shall go out of office at the
expiration of two years, and senators shall be elected on the first
Wednesday of November eighteen hundred and fifty-three, for
the term of four years, to supply their places; so that, after the
first election, one-half of the senators may be chosen every second
year; provided, that in no case shall any senator be placed in a
class which shall entitle him to serve for a longer term than that for
which he was elected. In case the number of senators be here.