Be it resolved by the assembly, the senate concurring: That his excellency, the president of the United States be and is hereby requested by this legislature on behalf of the people of the state of Wisconsin, to endeavor to effect the release of such American citizens from their present confinement, and restore them to their families.

Resolved, That the governor of this state is hereby requested to sign a copy of this resolution and forward it to his excellency, the president of the United States. Approved February 17, 1870.

NUMBER 3.

JOINT RESOLUTION, proposing an amendment to the constitution of the state, so as to authorize the abolishment of the grand jury system.

WHEREAS, The legislature of this state, at its annual session for the year 1869, proposed and adopted by a vote of a majori ty of the members elected to each of the two houses, an amendment to the constitution of this state in the following language:

Resolved by the assembly, the senate concurring, That section eight of article one of the constitution of the state of Wisconsin be amended so as to read as follows: Section 8. No person shall be held to answer for a criminal offense without due process of law, and no person for the same offense shall be put twice into jeopardy of punishment, nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself. All persons shall before conviction, be bailable by sufficient sureties, except for capital offenses when the proof is evident or the presumption great; and the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus shall not be suspended unless when in cases of rebellion or invasion the public safety may require it; therefore,

Resolved by the senate the assembly concurring, That the foregoing amendment to the constitution be and the same is hereby agreed to by this legislature.

Approved March 2, 1870.

NUMBER 4.

JOINT RESOLUTION directing the secretary of state to procure statistics, agricultural and manufacturing.

Resolved by the assembly the senate concurring, That the secretary of state be and he is hereby directed to procure from the proper officers, statistics of the population of this state by towns and counties, together with such agricultural and manufacturing statistics as he may deem useful as shown by the census of 1870, and include the same in his next annual report, if time will permit, and if not included in his report as aforesaid, then to report the same to the next legislature at the opening of the session.

Approved March 2, 1870.

NUMBER 5.

JOINT RESOLUTION relative to procuring [the publications of the] rolls of office of England for State Historical Society.

Resolved by the assembly, the senate concurring, That Hon. J. Lathrop Motley, our American minister to Great Britain be and hereby is respectfully requested to use his kind offices in soliciting from Lord Roneilly, master of the rolls of England, a continuation and completion of the set of valuable publicar tions of the rolls of office for the library of the State Historical Society of the state of Wisconsin, and

Be it further resolved, That his excellency, the governor, be requested to forward to Mr. Motley a properly certified copy of the preceding resolution.

Approved March 7, 1870.

NUMBER 6.

JOINT RESOLUTION, instructing senators and members of congress to ask for further appropriations for harbors in Lake Superior.

WHEREAS, it is now evident that railroad communication between the Mississippi river and Lake Superior in this state,

GEN. LAWS.-15.

will soon increase the importance of our lake harbors, and in order to afford suitable protection and shelter for the lake marine to be employed in moving the tonnage thus created, and to afford additional facilities for the trade and commerce of Lake Superior,

Resolved by the senate, the assembly concurring, That our senators in congress be instructed, and our representatives requested, to procure such further appropriations as will finish the government works at the entry to the bay of Superior, in the state of Wisconsin.

Resolved, further, That the governor of this state be requested to forward copies of these resolutions to our senators and representatives in congress, at as early a day as practicable. Approved March 10, 1870.

NUMBER 7.

JOINT RESOLUTION providing for the distribution of safes to the several asylums of the state.

Resolved by the senate the assembly concurring, That the superintendent of public property be and he is hereby instructed to distribute from the fire proof safes in the office of the latc bank comptroller or others belonging to the state not necessary for use where now located, one each to the State Prison, Deaf and Dumb Institute and Insane Hospital for the purpose of the safe keeping of moneys, books, papers and so forth. Approved March 10, 1870.

NUMBER 8.

JOINT RESOLUTION endorsing the course of Hon. Matt. H. Carpenter in his expressions of sympathy for Cuban patriots.

Resolved by the assembly the senate concurring, That the members of the legislature of Wisconsin participate in the sentiments of sympathy entertained by the Americar people for every oppressed people, in their efforts to obtain the blessings of civil liberty and self government.

Resolved, That in our opinion, whenever any people have entered in good faith upon a struggle against tyranny and for the inestimable rights of liberty, American law and American policy require that the general government should observe strict neutrality between the contestants, and that while it should scrupulously observe every duty it owes to established governments, it should also, (remembering our own history, and thanking God for our deliverance) abstain in act and policy from anything which might prejudice the cause of liberty or aid the interests of oppression.

Resolved, That the course of the Hon. Matt. H. Carpenter of Wisconsin, in the United States senate, in his exprsssions of sympathy for the cause of the Cuban patriots in their heroic efforts to shake off the shackles of oppression, and secure the sacred right of self government receives the endorsement of this legislature, as we believe it does that of the American people.

Approved March 11, 1870.

NUMBER 9.

JOINT RESOLUTION relative to a grant of land to aid in the construction of a railroad from Madison to Portage City.

Resolved by the assembly, the senate concurring, That our senators in congress be instructed and our representatives requested to lend their aid and influence in procuring an extension of the time for the completion of the railroad from Madison to Portage City until the first day of July, 1874, and procuring an amendment of the act of congress, approved June 3, 1856, so as to authorize the Madison and Portage City Railroad Company upon the completion of said road according to the provisions of said act, by and with the consent of the governor of this state, to select, subject to the approval of the secretary of the interior, from any lands of the United States in the state of Wisconsin that are now subject to sale and entry, to the same extent and quantity as mentioned and provided for in said act of congress, and to extend said grant to the state of Wisconsin for the benefit of the Madison and Portage City Railroad Company, so that the governor of the state may select from any lands of the United States in the state of Wisconsin that are subject to sale and entry, the quantity of land granted

in and by the act aforesaid, to the state of Wisconsin in aid of the construction of the railroad above mentioned, or procuring an act of congress granting to the Madison and Portage City Railroad Company out of and from any lands of the United States in the state of Wisconsin, the same number of acres as was granted by the act of congress herein before mentioned, upon their complying with the terms and conditions of said act, and authorizing the governor of this state to convey such lands to said company when selected, with the same force and effect as if granted under the acts aforesaid.

Approved March 14, 1870.

NUMBER 10.

JOINT RESOLUTION requesting our senators and representatives in congress to use their efforts to procure the passage of a law providing for connecting with our present postoffice facilities, a system of telegraphing.

Resolved by the assembly, the senate concurring, That the senators and representatives now in congress assembled, from the state of Wisconsin be and they are hereby each of them earnestly and respectfully requested to use their most efficient efforts to procure at an early day, the passage of a law providing for connecting with and adding to the present postoffice facilities a complete system of telegraphy, so as to bring within the reach and means of the great mass of the people, this most desirable means of communication.

Resolved, That the governor of the state of Wisconsin be requested to transmit to each of our senators and representatives in congress, a copy of the above resolution. Approved March 14, 1870.

NUMBER 11.

JOINT RESOLUTION instructing representatives in congress to favor an amendment to the election law.

WHEREAS, by virtue of a federal law, members of the congress of the United States are hereby required to be elected