3/4
Commonwealth require, the Freemen thereof, or the major part of them, shall petition to them so to do;
if then it be either denied or neglected, the said Freemen, or the major part of them, shall have the
power to give order to the Constables of the several Towns to do the same, and so may meet together,
and choose to themselves a Moderator, and may proceed to do any act of power which any other
General Courts may.
-
It is Ordered, sentenced, and decreed, that after there are warrants given out for any of the said
General Courts, the Constable or Constables of each Town, shall forthwith give notice distinctly to the
inhabitants of the same, in some public assembly or by going or sending from house to house, that at a
place and time by him or them limited and set, they meet and assemble themselves together to elect and
choose certain deputies to be at the General Court then following to agitate the affairs of the
Commonwealth; which said deputies shall be chosen by all that are admitted Inhabitants in the several
Towns and have taken the oath of fidelity; provided that none be chosen a Deputy for any General
Court which is not a Freeman of this Commonwealth. The aforesaid deputies shall be chosen in manner
following: every person that is present and qualified as before expressed, shall bring the names of such,
written in several papers, as they desire to have chosen for that employment, and these three or four,
more or less, being the number agreed on to be chosen for that time, that have the greatest number of
papers written for them shall be deputies for that Court; whose names shall be endorsed on the back
side of the warrant and returned into the Court, with the Constable or Constables' hand unto the same.
-
It is Ordered, sentenced, and decreed, that Windsor, Hartford, and Wethersfield shall have power,
each Town, to send four of their Freemen as their deputies to every General Court; and Whatsoever
other Town shall be hereafter added to this Jurisdiction, they shall send so many deputies as the Court
shall judge meet, a reasonable proportion to the number of Freemen that are in the said Towns being to
be attended therein; which deputies shall have the power of the whole Town to give their votes and
allowance to all such laws and orders as may be for the public good, and unto which the said Towns are
to be bound.
-
It is Ordered, sentenced, and decreed, that the deputies thus chosen shall have power and liberty to
appoint a time and a place of meeting together before any General Court, to advise and consult of all
such things as may concern the good of the public, as also to examine their own Elections, whether
according to the order, and if they or the greatest part of them find any election to be illegal they may
seclude such for present from their meeting, and return the same and their reasons to the Court; and if it
be proved true, the Court may fine the party or parties so intruding, and the Town, if they see cause,
and give out a warrant to go to a new election in a legal way, either in part or in whole. Also the said
deputies shall have power to fine any that shall be disorderly at their meetings, or for not coming in due
time or place according to appointment; and they may return the said fines into the Court if it be
refused to be paid, and the Treasurer to take notice of it, and to escheat or levy the same as he does
other fines.
-
It is Ordered, sentenced, and decreed, that every General Court, except such as through neglect of
the Governor and the greatest part of the Magistrates the Freemen themselves do call, shall consist of
the Governor, or some one chosen to moderate the Court, and four other Magistrates at least, with the
major part of the deputies of the several Towns legally chosen; and in case the Freemen, or major part
of them, through neglect or refusal of the Governor and major part of the Magistrates, shall call a