Reports of Cases Argued and Determined in the Superior Court of Judicature for the State of New-Hampshire Volume 8 (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated.1840 Excerpt: ... OPINION. An Opinion of the Justices of the /Superior Court of Judicature, communicated to the House of Representatives, June Session, 1835, upon certain Questions proposed to them by a resolution of the previous year. To the Honorable the Senate and House of Representatives of the State of New-Hampshire: The undersigned, justices of the Superior Court of Judicature. have attentively considered the questions proposed to them by a resolution of the House, passed on the 20th of June, 1834. These questions are--1. " Are aliens rateable polls, within the intent and meaning of those provisions of the constitution and laws of this state, which relate to the number of Representatives to this House, to which the several towns in this state are entitled 1" 2. "Whether persons over seventy years of age are rateable polls within the intent and meaning of the same provisions of said constitution and laws of this state V The clause of the constitution upon which these questions arise is as follows--"Every town, parish, or place entitled to town privileges, having one hundred and fifty rateable male polls, of twentyone years of age and upwards, may elect one representative; if four hundred and fifty rateable polls, may elect two representatives, and so proceeding in that proportion, making three hundred such rateable polls the mean increasing number for every additional representative. The constitution does not designate what polls are to be deemed rateable; but the ordinary import of the terms would seem to include all polls, of the age of twenty-one years, that may by law be taxed, within the description of rateable polls. The first inquiry, then, is whether aliens are by law liable to be taxed for their polls in this state. By the constitution, power is given to the Ge...