n the people of Georgia is vested the power of government and with
them lies the supreme authority in the State, except in this: the
people of Georgia can pass no law which conflicts with the provisions
of the Constitution of the United States. As a safeguard and for the
better administration of their affairs, the people of Georgia have
established a Constitution. The present Constitution was adopted by
delegates selected from Senatorial districts. The delegates met in
convention and adopted the present Constitution in 1877. All laws in
Georgia must be made in accordance with the Constitution of the United
States and the Constitution of Georgia. They must also be executed
according to the provisions of these Constitutions. The Constitution
of Georgia can be amended by a two-thirds vote of the members of each
branch of the General Assembly, but the action of the General Assembly
in amending the Constitution must be ratified by the voters at the next
election of members of the General Assembly; or, a new Constitution can
be made by another constitutional convention, which can be called only
by two thirds of the members of each house of the General Assembly.

The Constitution of Georgia places the administration of the civil
government of the State in three departments, the Legislative, the
Executive, and the Judicial.

LEGISLATIVE.--The Legislative department consists of two bodies,
namely, the _Senate_ and the House of Representatives. The Senate is
composed of forty-four members, one from each Senatorial district. The
Senatorial districts consist of three or more counties. No one can be
elected a State Senator who is not a citizen of the United States, who
has not attained the age of twenty-five years, and who has not been a
resident of the State four years.

The _House of Representatives_ consists of one hundred and eighty-six
members, apportioned among the different counties according to
population. The six counties having the largest population have three
representatives each; the twenty-six counties having the next largest
population have two representatives each; the remaining one hundred
sixteen counties have one representative each. A member of the House
of Representatives must be twenty-one years of age, and must have
resided in the State four years, and in the county from which elected
one year. The members of the Legislature are elected biennially on the
first Wednesday in October.

Both member