


                                  CONSTITUTION    
                                     OF THE       
                               STATE OF WASHINGTON

                                    PREAMBLE      

          We, the people of the  State of Washington, grateful to  the
          Supreme Ruler of the  Universe for our liberties,  do ordain
          this Constitution.


                                    ARTICLE I 

                              DECLARATION OF RIGHTS


Sec. 1.   All political  power is inherent in the people,  and govern-
          ments derive their just powers from the consent of the  gov-
          erned, and are established to protect and maintain  individ-
          ual rights.

Sec. 2.   The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law  of
          the land.

Sec. 3.   No person  shall be deprived of life, liberty,  or property,
          without due process of law.

Sec. 4.   The right of petition and of the people peaceably to  assem-
          ble for the common good shall never be abridged.

Sec. 5.   Every  person  may  freely speak,  write and  publish on all
          subjects, being responsible for the abuse of that right.

Sec. 6.   The mode of administering an oath, or affirmation, shall  be
          such as  may be  most consistent  with and  binding upon the
          conscience of the person to whom such oath, or  affirmation,
          may be administered.

Sec. 7.   No person shall be disturbed in his private affairs, or  his
          home invaded, without authority of law.

Sec. 8.   No law granting irrevocably any privilege, franchise or  im-
          munity, shall be passed by the Legislature.

Sec. 9.   No  person shall be  compelled in any criminal  case to give
          evidence against himself,  or be twice  put in jeopardy  for
          the same offense.

Sec. 10.  Justice in all cases shall be administered openly, and with-
          out unnecessary delay.

Sec. 11.  Absolute freedom  of conscience in all matters  of religious
          sentiment, belief and worship, shall be guaranteed to  every
          individual, and  no one  shall be  molested or  disturbed in
          person or property on  account of religion; but  the liberty
          of conscience hereby secured shall not be so construed as to
          excuse acts  of licentiousness  or justify  practices incon-
          sistent with the  peace and safety  of the state.  No public
          money or property  shall be appropriated  for or applied  to
          any religious worship, exercise or instruction, or the  sup-
          port of any religious establishment: Provided, however, That
          this article shall not be so construed as to forbid the  em-
          ployment by the  state of a  chaplain for such  of the state
          custodial, correctional  and mental  institutions as  in the
          discretion of the Legislature may seem justified. No  relig-
          ious qualification shall be  required for any public  office
          or  employment,  nor  shall  any  person be incompetent as a
          witness or juror, in  consequence of his opinion  on matters
          of  religion,  nor  be  questioned  in  any court of justice
          touching his religious  belief to affect  the weight of  his
          testimony.

Sec. 12.  No law shall  be passed  granting  to any citizen,  class of
          citizens, or  corporation other  than municipal,  privileges
          or immunities which  upon the same  terms shall not  equally
          belong to all citizens, or corporations.

Sec. 13.  The privilege  of the  writ of  habeas  corpus  shall not be
          suspended,  unless  in  case  of  rebellion  or invasion the
          public safety requires it.

Sec. 14.  Excessive  bail shall  not be required,  excessive fines im-
          posed, nor cruel punishment inflicted.

Sec. 15.  No conviction shall work corruption of blood, nor forfeiture
          of estate.

Sec. 16.  Private property shall not be taken for private use,  except
          for private ways  of necessity, and  for drains, flumes,  or
          ditches on or across  the lands of others  for agricultural,
          domestic, or sanitary purposes. No private property shall be
          taken  or  damaged  for  public  or private use without just
          compensation having been first made, or paid into court  for
          the owner, and no right-of-way shall be appropriated to  the
          use of any corporation other than municipal until full  com-
          pensation therefor  be first  made in  money, or ascertained
          and paid into court for the owner, irrespective of any  ben-
          efit  from  any  improvement  proposed  by such corporation,
          which compensation shall be ascertained by a jury, unless  a
          jury be waived, as in other civil cases in courts of record,
          in the manner prescribed by law. Whenever an attempt is made
          to take private property for a use alleged to be public, the
          question whether the contemplated use be really public shall
          be  a  judicial  question,  and  determined as such, without
          regard to ant Legislative assertion that the use is  public:
          Provided, That the taking  of private property by  the state
          for  land  reclamation  and  settlement  purposes  is hereby
          declared to be for public use.

Sec. 17.  There shall be no imprisonment for debt, except in cases  of
          absconding debtors.

Sec. 18.  The military shall  be in strict subordination to the  civil
          power.

Sec. 19.  All elections shall  be free and equal, and no  power, civil
          or military, shall at any time interfere to prevent the free
          exercise of the right of suffrage.

Sec. 20.  All persons charged with crime shall be bailable by  suffic-
          ient sureties, except for capital offenses when the proof is
          evident, or the presumption great.

Sec. 21.  The right of  trial by jury shall remain inviolate,  but the
          legislature may provide for a  jury of any number less  than
          twelve in courts not of record, and for a verdict by nine or
          more jurors in civil cases  in any court of record,  and for
          waiving of the jury in civil cases where the consent of  the
          parties interested is given thereto.

Sec. 22.  In criminal prosecutions the accused shall have the right to
          appear and defend  in person, or  by counsel, to  demand the
          nature and cause  of the accusation  against him, to  have a
          copy thereof,  to testify  in his  own behalf,  to meet  the
          witnesses  against  him  face  to  face,  to have compulsory
          process to  compel the  attendance of  witnesses in  his own
          behalf, to have a speedy  public trial by an impartial  jury
          of the county in which  the offense is charged to  have been
          committed and the right to  appeal in all cases:   Provided,
          the route traversed by  any railroad coach, train  or public
          conveyance, and  the water  traversed by  any boat  shall be
          criminal  districts;  and  the  jurisdiction  of  all public
          offenses committed on any  such railroad car, coach,  train,
          boat or other public conveyance, or at any station or  depot
          upon such route,  shall be in  any county through  which the
          said car, coach, train, boat or other public conveyance  may
          pass during  the trip  or voyage,  or in  which the  trip or
          voyage  may  begin  or  terminate.  In no instance shall any
          accused  person  before  final  judgement  be  compelled  to
          advance money or  fees to secure  the rights herein  guaran-
          teed.


Sec. 23.  No  bill of attainder, ex  post facto law, or  law impairing
          the obligations of contracts shall ever be passed.

Sec. 24.  The right of the individual citizen to bear arms in  defense
          of himself, or the state, shall not be impaired, but nothing
          in this section shall  be construed as authorizing  individ-
          uals  or  corporations  to  organize,  maintain or employ an
          armed body of men.

Sec. 25.  Offenses heretofore required to be prosecuted by  indictment
          may be prosecuted by information, or by indictment, as shall
          be prescribed by law.

Sec. 26.  No grand jury shall be drawn or summoned in any county,  ex-
          cept the superior judge thereof shall so order.


Sec. 27.  Treason against the state shall consist only in levying  war
          against the state, or adhering to its enemies, or in  giving
          them aid and comfort.  No person shall be convicted of trea-
          son unless  on the  testimony of  two witnesses  to the same
          overt act, or confession in open court.

Sec. 28.  No hereditary  emoluments,  privileges, or powers,  shall be
          granted or conferred in this state.

Sec. 29.  The provisions of this Constitution are mandatory, unless by
          express words they are declared to be otherwise.

Sec. 30.  The enumeration in this Constitution of certain rights shall
          not be construed to deny others retained by the people.

Sec. 31.  No standing army shall  be kept up by this state in  time of
          peace, and no soldier shall in time of peace be quartered in
          any house without the consent  of the owner, nor in  time of
          war except in the manner prescribed by law.

Sec. 32. A frequent recurrence to fundamental principles is  essential
          to the security  of individual right  and the perpetuity  of
          free government.

Sec. 33.  Every  elective  public officer  of the  state of Washington
          expect [except]  judges of  courts of  record is  subject to
          recall and discharge by the legal voters of the state, or of
          the political subdivision  of the state,  from which he  was
          elected whenever a  petition demanding his  recall, reciting
          that such officer has committed some act or acts of  malfea-
          sance or misfeasance  while in office,  or who has  violated
          his oath of office, stating the matters complained of, sign-
          ed by  the percentages  of the  qualified electors  thereof,
          hereinafter provided, the percentage required to be computed
          from the total number of  votes cast for all candidates  for
          his said  office to  which he  was elected  at the preceding
          election, is filed with the officer with whom a petition for
          nomination, or  certificate for  nomination, to  such office
          must be  filed under  the laws  of this  state, and the same
          officer shall  call a  special election  as provided  by the
          general election laws of  this state, and the  result deter-
          mined as therein provided.

Sec. 34.  The Legislature shall  pass the necessary laws to carry  out
          the provisions of section thirty-three (33) of this article,
          and to  facilitate its  operation and  effect without delay:
          Provided,  That  the  authority  hereby  conferred  upon the
          Legislature shall not  be construed to  grant to the  Legis-
          lature any  exclusive power  of law  making nor  in any  way
          limit the initiative and  referendum powers reserved by  the
          people. The percentages required shall be, state officers of
          cities of the first class, school district boards in  cities
          of  the  first  class;  county  officers  of counties of the
          first, second and third classes, twenty-five percent.  Offi-
          cers  of  all  other  political subdivisions, cities, towns,
          townships, precincts  and school  districts not  herein men-
          tioned, and state senators and Representatives,  thirty-five
          percent.


