STATE GOVERNMENT. The Constitution of the United States provides that all powers not delegated to the United States nor prohibit ed by it to the States are reserved to the States, respectively, or to the people. Those powers absolutely prohibited to the States are the conclusion of treaties, alliances, or confederations among themselves; the granting of letters of marque and reprisal; the coining of money; the issue of bills of credit; the making of anything but gold and silver a tender in pay ment of debts; the enactment of ex post judo laws, bills of attainder, or laws impairing the ob ligation of contracts; and granting of titles of nobility. Those prohibited except with the con sent of Congress are the levying of duties on imports or exports, except such as may be abso lutely necessary for executing inspection laws; the laying of tonnage duties; keeping troops or ships of war in time of peace; entering into agreements or compacts with other States or foreign powers, or engaging in war unless actu ally invaded or when the danger is such as not to admit of delay.
Upon examination it will be seen that the re lat-ion of the citizen to the State Government is far more close than with the National Gov ernment. Nearly the whole domain of civil and religious liberty, education, suffrage, domestic relations, marriage, business transactions, prop erty, professions, trades, contract relations, ad ministration of the criminal law, and many other social and business relationships come within the sphere of the State Government. The funda mental law of each State is embodied in a writ ten constitution drawn up by a constituent conven tion and ratified in most cases by the electorate at the polls. The earlier constitutions were brief instruments containing little more than the law for the organization of the Government and the necessary safeguards for the protection of civil liberty, but the later ones are bulky docu ments containing a vast amount of matter which should properly appear in the statutes. In each
of the States the legislative power is vested in the Legislature, consisting of a Senate and a House of Representatives, though in six States the latter chamber is styled 'the Assembly' and in three 'the House of Delegates.' Both Houses are chosen by popular vote and by the same electorate, although there arc variations as to the mode of choice and tenure. Usually the districts from which Senators are chosen are larger than those from which Repre sentatives are elected, and as a consequence the Lower House is a more numerous body. The Sen ates range in size from 17 members in Delaware to 51 in Illinois. Delaware has also the smallest House of Representatives, consisting of 35 mem bers, while New Hampshire has the largest, with 390 members. The relative size of the two Houses in New York is 50 and 150 members, respectively, in Pennsylvania 50 and 201, in Massachusetts 40 and 240. The tenure of State Senators is usually longer than that of Representatives. In a majority of the States it is four years, the usual term of a Representative being two years. In many of the States provision is made for partial renewal of the Senate, usually by halves every second year. In a few States the qualifi cations for eligibility to the Senate are higher than those of the Lower House. The franchise for the election of the Legislature and of all elective State officers is regulated by the State consti tutions and is universal manhood suffrage, ex cept that in Massachusetts. Connecticut, and some of the Southern States educational tests are required, while in Wyoming, Utah. and Colorado women enjoy the suffrage equally with men. (For further details, see SUFFRAGE and REPRE